posted June 15, 2004 03:33 AM            

Quote from 'Bad Astronomy' page 214.
"One website, astrolgy.com defines the basic forces behind Astrology by stating: 'In some ways, the forces between the Planets involved in Astrology can be simplified into one word: Gravity. The Sun has the greatest gravity and the strongest effect in Astrology, followed by the Moon, the Earths sattelite. The other planets are not truly satellites of the Earth, but nevertheless, they have gravity and so affect the Earth. The Sun controls the Earth's motion and the Moon controls its tides, but the other planets have their own effects on the Earth--and on the people who live on Earth. Sometimes their influences can be so strong that they outweigh the suns energy'

But this makes no sense at all. If gravity is the dominant force, why doesnt it matter if Mars is on the same side of the Sun as the Earth when you are born, or the oppisite side? Mars' gravitational influence on the Earth drops by a factor of more than 50 from on side of the Sun to the other. One would think this would be an incredibly important detail, yet it is ignored in most horoscopes.
It's also easy to show that the Moon has a gravitational effect on Earth (and You) that is more than 50 times the combined gravity of the planets. It seems to me that if Gravity were the overriding factor in Astrology, the Moon would influence us 50 times more than do the planets.

Astrologers apologists sometimes look to other forces like electromagnetism. That's even worse choice than gravity, since the Sun's effect on us is millions of times that of any other object in the sky. The Sun's solar wind of charged particles is what causes aurorae, and a strong electromagnetic outburst from the Sun can trigger electricity blackouts and even damage sattelites. This is a genuine physical effect and will have far more influence on your day than any horoscope.

Astrologers must then rely on some force that is not like gravity or electromagnetism. Some claim this force does not decrease with distance, thus sidestepping the problem of the planets' true distance when you are born. But this opens up a new can of worms: as I right this, more than 70 planets have been discoverd orbiting other stars. If the force behind Astrology does not decrease with distance, what do we make of those planets? How do they affect my horoscope? And there are hundreds of billions of stars in our Galaxy alone. If they have as much force as say, Jupiter and Mars, how can anyone possibly cast an accurat horoscope?"

posted June 15, 2004 04:06 AM              

I found a fabulous article recently, you should do a google search and I'm sure you'll find it.

"HEAVENS ABOVE, THE PLANETS MAY AFFECT US"
"the difficulty for scientists is that we know the strangest sounding ideas can sometimes turn out to be true."

Scientists have always dismissed astrology as an old load of bunk. Now, a British astronomer has said that there might be something in it after all. Could the planets really control our fates?
Ian Sample invetegates.
(contiues with the article)

You should read it. Its about a scientist, Percy Seymour, and his latest book, The Proof of Astrology. Very interesting.

posted June 15, 2004 07:42 AM              

When any object is moved, the field changes shape and the lines of force change direction and shape. With all objects are changing location, the field is constantly changing. I feel think that this is a close analogy for the effects of the plants movement.

Lanny