The Oracle’s Library is here to guide you to the most handy astronomy resources for all your stargazing needs! Whether your interests are astronomy or astrology, these tools will help you find objects in the night sky, revisit your own moment of birth and map the planetary transits with each passing day. If you are interested in learning how to locate the stars, there is no better way to start than by getting acquainted with a map of the sky. You will also need a compass, or perhaps, a good sense of direction.

Astronomy meets Astrology

When you begin to delve into the constellations of the zodiac belt, it becomes easier to point out other objects in the sky. For this reason, it is a great idea to learn the signs of the zodiac first, so that the sequential order in which they arrive becomes a fantastic point of reference. Not only do the twelve zodiac signs help us to shape a 360 degree map of the stars, but it also allows us to easier locate the planets in the night sky. All planets will always be found within a constellation of the zodiac.

If we know the zodiac for the current time of year—Ophiuchus at the present moment, then we can deduce that the Sun will be within this constellation. If we know which constellation lies exactly opposite the Sun—Orion, we can begin to connect it to those signs that exist on either side of it—Gemini and Taurus (Orion is not a tradition zodiac sign, since the Moon not the Sun grazes the top of the great hunter). At the current moment, Orion dominates the dead of night, while Gemini and Taurus flank it on either side. If we look up in the sky tonight, we will most definitely see the Pleiades rising with the Bull above Orion’s belt. When we begin to connect the myths of astrology to astronomy, the sky comes to life with the folklore of the ancients.

Essential Planetarium Tools

To locate Pleiades and see for yourself, check out the free planetary software Stellarium. This handy astronomy tool allows you to locate all stars and objects visible by night. You can enter a specific location and time, so that it maps the sky specific to your area–with it you can even explore the skies of the ancient past. If you care to stay up late tonight, you can also spot the planet Jupiter rise with the constellation Gemini. It will appear a large white object that does not twinkle like the rest.

What makes this planetarium tool so useful to the astrologer is the ability to draw up a three dimensional natal chart or mundane astrology event. Even better, the modern borders of the constellations make it easier to spot the discrepancies between the shifted degrees of the Tropical Zodiac—a product of the natural precession. By far the most amazing feature of Stellarium is the ability to jump to the Sun and explore Heliocentric Astrology.

Tonight’s Eastern Sky:

Another fantastic resource is Solar System 3D Gravitator that allows you to track the orbits of all planets in the solar system from afar. With an interactive visual representation of planetary orbits, it becomes easier to spot the quick speed of inner planets versus the slow inching of the outer planets, as well as the illusion behind retrograde motion. For the astrologer, this function becomes a tool to visualize the geometry of planetary aspects in both Earth based and Heliocentric Astrology.

Thank you for reading at the Oracle’s Library! Did you use this guide to spot a new constellation?

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