FEW IMPORTANT ASTRONOMICAL DEFINITIONS

ECLIPTIC

Ecliptic is the apparent annual path of the sun amongst the fixed stars on the cosmic sphere.  It is inclined at 23D28’ to the celestial equator. Actually it is the earth that is moving around the Sun.  So exactly it is the projection of the earth’s annual path around the sun on the cosmic sphere.

ZODIAC

Zodiac is an imaginary belt of about 9⁰ north and 9^o south of the ecliptic where all the planets including moon has their movement

STARS

Stars are self-luminous bodies which emit light and heat in the space.  The Sun is a star.  Stars are grouped into constellations.

PLANETS

Besides the fixed stars, the Sun and the Moon, there are other heavenly bodies visible to the naked eye and moving around the Sun.  As their motion is whimsical among the fixed stars, they are called Planets or wandering stars.

SATELLITE

Satellites are those heavenly bodies which move around the planets and in turn move around the sun along with the planets and are normally called moons of the planets, like the Moon which is a satellite of the earth.

SOLAR SYSTEM

The solar system is made up of the Sun, Planets, Satellites, comets, minor planets and interplanetary dust, gas etc. It is a very small part of the Universe and seems important to us only because we happen to live inside it.  As the Sun is also a star and is at one focus of the orbits of all the planets revolving around it, the system is called the Solar System.

A Book on Astronomy ; Relevant to Astrology

Paper I, Part 'B,' Astronomy Relevant to Astrology-I (Indian Council of Astrological Sciences, Regd. Madras, Delhi Chapter I, Jyotish Praveen)


Paper I, Part 'B,' Astronomy Relevant to Astrology-II (Indian Council of Astrological Sciences, Regd. Madras, Delhi Chapter I, Jyotish Praveen)