Sunspot Cycles An eleven-year cycle There is an eleven-year sunspot cycle during which sunspot activity increases and spreads, and then decrease and sometimes even disappears. Linked to this cycle is and rise and fall of solar flare activity, and as a result, there is an electromagnetic influence on earth.      The astrological implcations for this can be found in the writings of Prof Percy Seymour, an astronomer who is also an astrologer, at the University of Plymouth. View this solar activity for youself at   Space Weather News http://www.spaceweather.com

The Saros Cycle A cycle of eclipses The Saros is a complex long-term cycle over which conjunctions and oppositions repeat, making an eclipse possible. Similar eclipses repeat every 18 years plus 10-11 days, with adjustments being made for leap years in the gap period. Each cycle lasts for a millennium or more.      At any one time there are several Saros Cycles in action, interweaving with each other. These coincidences of celestial mechanics makes it possible to predict eclipses.      The Saros Cycle was understood in Babylonian times, and the word saros is derived from the Babylonian word sharu, meaning "repetition". Sources : Steel, Duncan - Eclipse. Headline 1999 Turk, Cliff - Understanding Eclipses. Struik 2001

Analemma, Declination, Celestial Coordinates, Celestial Equator Definitions ANALEMMA The analemma is a figure-8-shaped diagram that shows the declination of the sun (the angle that the sun is from the equator), for each day in the year. If you took a snapshot of the sun at the same time each day (from the same location), the Sun would make a figure shaped like an analemma during the course of a year (this is because the Earth is tilted on its axis and because it doesn't orbit the Sun in a perfect circle). DECLINATION Declination is a celestial coordinate that is used to measure the degrees of latitude above or below the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. CELESTIAL COORDINATES Celestial coordinates are pairs of numbers (right ascension and declination) which are used to locate objects on the celestial sphere. They are similar to the coordinates of longitude and latitude on Earth. CELESTIAL EQUATOR The celestial equator is the projection of the Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere. From the Enchanted Learning website http://www.enchantedlearning.com

Solstice and Equinox Definitions Solstices The solstices are days when the Sun reaches its farthest northern and southern declinations.      The winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22 and marks the beginning of winter (this is the shortest day of the year). The summer solstice occurs on June 21 and marks the beginning of summer (this is the longest day of the year). Equinoxes Equinoxes are days in which day and night are of equal duration. The two yearly equinoxes occur when the Sun crosses the celestial equator.      The vernal equinox occurs in late March (this is the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of fall in the Southern Hemisphere); the autumnal equinox occurs in late September (this is the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of spring in the Southern Hemisphere).

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