The Witches Astronomy Digest for Wednesday, April 25th
Children Of The Earth
We know they feared our Pagan ways,
They tried to wipe us out,
They tortured and they burned us,
If they had the slightest doubt,
They took away our festivals,
Replaced them with their own,
But we stood strong and carried on,
We’ve flourished and we’ve grown.
They said we worshiped Satan,
Stole babies and much worse,
And if by chance someone fell ill,
They said we laid a curse,
They took us in for “questioning”,
Tortured till we confessed,
But anyone would say the words,
Under such duress.
With bodies bruised and broken,
They put us on the stand,
The priests said we’d offended God,
And the devil took our hand,
The villagers believed them,
Our guilt was their desire,
Then everybody turned out to see,
The witch burned in the fire.
They never really understood,
And some to this day still,
Do not understand our craft,
We bear no one ill will,
We live a life of peace and love,
At one with Mother Earth,
So in secrecy the Hedgewitch lives,
Gathering berries, leaves and herbs.
I sometimes think that there are those,
Who live in those dark times still,
They do not wish to understand,
And I guess they never will,
But Pagans all around the world,
Are proud to carry on,
We practice the oldest religion,
In our deeds and in our song.
Be Joyful all ye Pagans,
For the road has been so long,
Remember the innocent martyrs,
That suffered in those days gone,
Give your praise to all the Gods,
And the Goddess of rebirth,
For they can never destroy our faith,
We are the children of the Earth.
—Pagan Ways
Alan Faraway
Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Wednesday, April 25th
The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 76.05° ENE
Sun Altitude: 3.75°
Sun Distance: 93.513 million mi
Next Solstice: Jun 21, 2018 5:07 am (Summer)
Sunrise Today: 6:07 am↑ 73° East
Sunset Today: 7:38 pm↑ 288° West
Length of Daylight: 13 hours, 31 minutes
The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 310.65° NW
Moon Altitude: -28.37°
Moon Distance: 233153 mi
Next Full Moon: Apr 29, 20187:58 pm
Next New Moon: May 15, 20186:47 am
Next Moonrise: Today3:16 pm
Current Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Moon’s Illumination: 77.6%
Source
Astrology of Today – Wednesday, April 25, 2018
The Moon is in Virgo.
The Moon is waxing and in its First Quarter phase.
The First Quarter Moon occurred on the 22nd, and the Full Moon will occur on April 29th.
Mercury is in its post-retrograde shadow until May 3.
Venus spends its first full day in Gemini (Venus is in Gemini from April 24-May 19).
Moon in Virgo
We instinctively gravitate towards practical activities under the influence of a Virgo Moon. In order to set things right, we might easily find ourselves re-organizing and rethinking plans. Emotional satisfaction comes from solving problems, making order out of confusion, and helping others. Health matters might come into focus. We notice the smaller parts that make up the whole, and instead of letting nagging details bother us, we might work on ironing them out so that we can feel more confident moving ahead.
The Moon in Virgo generally favors the following activities: Mental pursuits, work activities, services, and routines. Activities that would benefit from tending to details.
Daily Overview of Your Stars & Planets for April 25th
Mercury in Aries formed a square Saturn on March 11th before Mercury turned retrograde, and then connected this way again while Mercury was retrograde on April 5th. Now that Mercury is direct, this aspect forms again today. In effect, this aspect has been influencing us in varying degrees since early March, and we may have experienced, more than usual, criticism and pessimism, difficulties getting clear answers, and obstacles to getting our message across. We’re getting over this hump today. Even so, today can be a little tense. Getting from point A to point B can be a challenge. Communications may be blocked or delayed, and negative thinking could dominate. Projects we thought were complete may need revision, and people can be overly critical, insensitive, or sarcastic. It’s difficult to trust our instincts, and we second-guess things automatically under this influence.
The Moon spends the day in the sign of Virgo, and the nervous or picky side of the sign can be more prominent as Virgo’s ruler, Mercury, is challenged. However, once beyond this aspect, we may begin to form a more realistic vision of a project or situation.
The Sky This Week for April 25 to 29
The return of the Lyrid meteor shower, a slew of bright planets, and a full night of the Full Moon, all in the sky this week.
By Richard Talcott
Wednesday, April 25
Jupiter stands out among the background stars of central Libra from the time it rises around 9 p.m. local daylight time until morning twilight is well underway. The giant planet is near its best for the year right now, reaching opposition in two weeks (on May 8). Jupiter shines at magnitude –2.5, which makes it the brightest point of light in the evening sky once Venus sets around 10 p.m. The best time to view the planet through a telescope is when it climbs highest in the south, a position it reaches around 2 a.m. Jupiter’s spectacular disk spans 44″, and its dynamic atmosphere shows at least two parallel dark belts.
Thursday, April 26
Saturn rises before 1 a.m. local daylight time and climbs some 25° high in the south as morning twilight starts to paint the sky. The ringed planet shines at magnitude 0.4 against the backdrop of northern Sagittarius the Archer, some 12° west of Mars. When viewed through a telescope, Saturn shows a 17″-diameter disk surrounded by a stunning ring system that spans 39″ and tilts 25° to our line of sight.
Friday, April 27
It’s about time to grab your final evening views of Orion the Hunter. This bright constellation now hangs low in the west as darkness falls and starts to set around 9:30 p.m. local daylight time. The three 2nd-magnitude stars that form the Hunter’s Belt now appear parallel to the horizon. A line through these stars and extended to the left points directly to the sky’s brightest star, Sirius.
Saturday, April 28
Dwarf planet 1 Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It currently shines at magnitude 8.4 and is an easy object to spot through binoculars or a telescope. Ceres resides in the northern part of the constellation Cancer the Crab, which appears high in the west-southwest after twilight fades to darkness. This evening, Ceres lies 0.7° north of 67 and 70 Cancri, a pair of stars that shine between 6th and 7th magnitude.
Sunday, April 29
Full Moon occurs at 8:58 p.m. EDT, but our satellite will look completely illuminated all night. You can find it rising in the east as the Sun sets and peaking in the south around 1 a.m. local daylight time. The Moon lies among the background stars of Libra, less than 10° from brilliant Jupiter.
Mercury reaches greatest elongation today, when it lies 27° west of the Sun and appears some 4° above the eastern horizon 30 minutes before sunrise. Unfortunately, this is one of the planet’s worst apparitions of the year for Northern Hemisphere observers. Mercury shines at magnitude 0.4 and appears as an inconspicuous dot even through binoculars.
Source
In the Sky This Month
The constellations of spring begin to dominate the evening sky this month. Leo, the celestial lion, stands in good view at nightfall and leaps high across the south later on. Virgo follows the lion across the sky, with their brightest stars, Regulus and Spica, respectively, separated by more than 50 degrees — more than five times the width of your fist held at arm’s length.
April 25: Corvus
Corvus, the crow, is low in the southeast at nightfall and arcs across the southern sky during the night. Corvus’s brightest stars form a small but distinct box. In mythology, the crow was a servant of the god Apollo.
April 26: Corona Borealis
Look well up in the east as darkness falls for yellow-orange Arcturus, the brightest star in the evening sky at this time of year. Well to its lower left is Corona Borealis, the northern crown, a semicircle of stars that opens to the upper left.
April 27: Moon and Spica
Two big stars with different futures stand below the Moon at nightfall. Their light blurs together into one point: Spica, the brightest star of Virgo. One of the stars will explode as a supernova, while the other faces a fate similar to the Sun’s.
April 28: Venus and Aldebaran
Two bright lights are passing close to each other in the western evening sky. The brighter light is Venus, the brilliant “evening star.” The other one, to the left or upper left of Venus tonight, is Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus, the bull.
April 29: Moon and Jupiter
The mighty planet Jupiter looks like a brilliant star. And tonight, it has a close companion: the full Moon. Jupiter is to the lower left of the Moon at nightfall, and follows the Moon across the sky later on.
April 30: Good Night, Orion
Orion, one of the most beautiful constellations, is putting in its final evening appearance of the season over the next few nights. It soon will disappear in the Sun’s glare. The next time we see it, it will be in the morning sky shortly before sunrise.
May 1: May Day
In Britain, today is known as May Day. In ancient times, it marked the beginning of summer, not the middle of spring. It is one of the year’s four cross-quarter days, which come roughly half way between a solstice and an equinox.
Source
COSMIC CALENDAR
APRIL 25, 2018
Just as a grand triangle in water signs aided your keen perception and higher-learning abilities last Saturday, now it is the earth sign trinity that holds the key to making great leaps forward with business and professional goals.
Last night’s lunar trine to the sun, energizing Virgo and Taurus, is now augmented by another lunar trine to Saturn in Capricorn (5:31am). Play your cards right and doors to financial abundance can open — particularly with any proclivity to working in a dedicated manner to reach long-sought aims.
While a trine between Mercury and Ceres in fire signs (11:03pm) is definitely a resource that can be an ace up your sleeve, Mercury forming a challenging square aspect to Saturn retrograde (2:29pm and a repeat from what occurred on April 5 when Saturn was direct) can represent an impediment in your path to success.
However, knowing the time of any potentially difficult aspect gives you an advantage to rise to the occasion and steer clear of creating any unnecessary problems.
[Note to readers: All times are now calculated for Pacific Daylight Time. Be sure to adjust all times according to your own local time so the alignments noted above will be exact for your location.]
Copyright 2018 Mark Lerner & Great Bear Enterprises
Astrology.com
The Witches Current Moon Phase for April 25
Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 78%
Tomorow the Moon will be in a Waxing Gibbous phase. This phase is when the moon is more than 50% illuminated but not yet a Full Moon. The phase lasts round 7 days with the moon becoming more illuminated each day until the Full Moon. During a Waxing Gibbous the moon will rise in the east in mid-afternoon and will be high in the eastern sky at sunset. The moon is then visible though most of the night sky setting a few hour before sunrise. The word Gibbous first appeared in the 14th century and has its roots in the Latin word “gibbosus” meaning humpbacked.
PHASE DETAILS FOR – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018
Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 78%
Moon Age: 10.14 days
Moon Angle: 0.54
Moon Distance: 370,283.73 km
Sun Angle: 0.53
Sun Distance: 150,525,422.91 km
Source
Waxing Gibbous Moon
The Moon does not emit its own light, shining instead by reflecting sunlight. Depending on the relative positions of the Earth, Sun and Moon, varying amounts of the lunar surface appear to be illuminated.
A few days after the First Quarter Moon, the Moon’s disk is nearly completely illuminated as seen from the Earth (position D in the diagram below). The waxing (growing) gibbous Moon rises after noon, transits the meridian after sunset and sets after midnight. The waxing gibbous phase repeats every 29.531 days – one synodic month.
Have you ever thought about Planets having a smell? Take a look….
Uranus Smells Exactly How You Think It Does
By Nathaniel Scharping
Scientists confirm that Uranus’ atmosphere contains hydrogen sulfide, a compound long suspected to be swirling about in the planet’s clouds.
Using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, researchers from the United Kingdom analyzed Uranus using a technique known as spectroscopy to identify the elements contained within. They relied on the Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrometer (NIFS) at Gemini for the task, which involves breaking down the light reflected from Uranus by wavelength to determine the composition of the planet.
What’s That Smell?
The data allowed them to determine that hydrogen sulfide was indeed present, and at much greater concentrations than ammonia (composed of nitrogen and hydrogen), which sets the green gas giant apart from its planetary companions Jupiter and Saturn. The two largest planets in the solar system have upper clouds made mostly of ammonia ice, and researchers weren’t previously sure whether Uranus looked similar or not.
The presence of hydrogen sulfide hints at some of the conditions of the early solar system when the gas giants were formed from clouds of gases swirling about the sun. That cloud was far from homogenous, a fact today’s research, published in Nature Astronomy reinforces.
Though the researchers were only able to observe chemical signatures from the uppermost layers of Uranus’ clouds, they were able to extrapolate their findings to the inner regions, where they say similarly elevated ratios of sulfur to nitrogen must exist. The clouds themselves are anywhere from .4 to .8 parts per million hydrogen sulfide, and Uranus has a ratio of sulfur to nitrogen potentially more than 5 times that Jupiter and Saturn, the researchers say.
The new information is interesting to researchers, but it also adds a unique bit of sensory information to our understanding of the solar system. Hydrogen sulfide is, after all, the compound that gives rotten eggs, and some more human out-gassings, their noxious odor. Human visitors to the third-largest planet in our solar system would be in for a smelly, though familiar, surprise if they went outside.
This article originally appeared on Discovermagazine.com.
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