Delta Aquarids Shower, July 12 to August 23, 2014 - Meteors Giving Us A Complex

#17, The Star from
Ciro Marchetti's The Legacy of the Divine Tarot©

In May we had the Eta Aquarids shower and now, out of the dark of southern sky, in the wee hours before dawn, comes the Delta Aquarids meteor shower.  Although this is not a particularly brilliant display, there are still plenty of interesting facts about the Delta Aquarids shower.  Like their cousin the Eta showers, the Delta showers’ radiant (point of origin) is the constellation, Aquarius.

(see blog: http://ladyoracle56.blogspot.com/2013/05/eta-aquarid-meteor-shower-may-4th-and.html for the story of Aquarius and Ganymede)  The third brightest star in the constellation is called Delta, hence the naming of this particular meteor shower, Delta Aquarids. 

Also like the Eta showers, the Delta is more visible from the southern hemisphere.  The peak nights for observing Delta's rain of fire this year are July 25th and 27th.  However, if you live in a more rural area, you can eek out a few more nights of viewing before moonlight interferes with visibility. At peak, the Delta Aquarids meteors fall at a rate of 20 per hour with a speed of approximately 25 miles per second.  Don’t blink and don’t despair. You will still be able to catch sight of some of Delta’s meteors during the Perseids Shower in mid-August. 

#19, The Sun from
Ciro Marchetti's Legacy of the Divine Tarot©

The source of the Delta Aquarids meteors is still listed as ‘unknown,’ but the current culprit for the showers, and probably the correct one, is comet, 96P Machholz.  This comet was discovered in 1986 by Donald Machholz and it orbits the Sun every five years.

The Delta Aquarid shower is one of many minor summer showers that comprise a shower group called the Aquarid – Capricornid Complex. These showers are part of the

Summer Antihelion Source display.  The Antihelion Source, or ANT, is a large, oval-shaped area of space housing the radiants for several minor meteor showers.  Where most of us amateur astronomers will never be able to tell what meteor comes from what particular shower during this summer cacophony, professional astronomers can certainly tell the difference.  They also say that with careful observation we can as well.  I don’t know about you, but I favor the, “Ooooh, fireball pretty,” approach.  Below is a list of the Aquarid – Capricornid Complex/ANT showers and their peak nights.  Mark your calendars, pack up your favorite lawn chair and get ready to enjoy.

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AQUARID–CAPRICORNID COMPLEX/ ANT SUMMER SHOWERS

DELTA AQUARIDS July 28th and 29th (visibility may be better in August this year)

PISCES AUSTRALIDS  July 31st

ALPHA CAPRICORNIDS  August 2nd (known for slow fireballs)

IOTA AQUARIDS August 6th and 7th

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Astrological Trends, July, 2013 - “Trine Time”

Saturn's ruling tarot card
#21, The World
Shadowscapes Tarot©

July started the month off with incendiaries – some of which had faulty guidance systems, but all in all, July’s roller coster arrival (Super Moon after shocks and Mercury Retrograde) was nothing we couldn’t handle with meditation, creative visualization and maybe a couple of glasses of wine if things felt too crazy.  Now we’re humming as the Grand Trine between Jupiter in Cancer, Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Scorpio takes the center stage and becomes the major player for July’s astrological forecast.  

A trine is the most favorable aspect, or angle (120 degrees), between planets and certain other celestial bodies. A Grand Trine is a harmonious and continuous flow of energy between 3 planets.  Our natural inclination during a trine is to bask in the pleasant out-pouring of magnificent energy, however, astrologers warn that too many trines at once may be too much of a good thing, causing a somewhat sluggish mindset, or even outright laziness.  Go with the flow this month, particularly during Mercury Retrograde, but remember that there is fabulous energy from the Grand Trine that you can use to shift your life in the desired direction. 

All the signs in July’s Grand Trine are water signs.  All water signs are spiritual, intuitive and creative.  Water folk tend to view life from an emotional viewpoint rather than from facts and figures.  They are often romantic souls. The analogy used to compare them states that if Cancer is a lake, Scorpio is a river and Pisces is an ocean. Each of these signs has a direct affect on the planet within its house and what we’’ll all be feeling this month is the water signs’ influence.  

Jupiter (tarot’s #10, The Wheel of Fortune) in Cancer (tarot’s

Jupiter's ruling tarot card
#10, The Wheel of Fortune
Shadowscapes Tarot©

#7, The Chariot) is humorous, good-natured and good with money. Design a budget and stick to it.  The end of summer will find your cash crunch eased and who knows, you could solve a tricky money flow issue with the help of Jupiter, the Santa Claus planet.  The combination of Jupiter in Cancer also promotes emotional growth and healing which makes July the perfect month to let go of romantic fantasies and emotional attitudes we should have left behind long ago.  

Neptune (tarot’s #10, The Hanged Man) is the ruling planet for Pisces (tarot’s #18, The Moon) and is the “beautiful dreamer” of the Grand Trine.  Neptune is also in Retrograde which means that we are more likely to contemplate our

Neptune's tarot card
#12, The Hanged Man
Shadowscapes Tarot©

connection to one another and question our intention towards our fellow creatures. Who do we serve, ourselves or the whole?  You may recall that Pisces easily becomes lost in day dreams and illusion.  In July we’ll all battle this tendency trying hard to remain focused on the here and now instead of the seductive allure of ‘someday.’  The lesson here; change your focus, stay in the now and change your life.   

Saturn (tarot’s #21, World) is the most practical of the three planets.  Saturn likes analyzing people’s motivations and assigning them either asset or liability status – not in a cold-blooded way, but as a matter of practicality.  Do the people in your life help you be a better person, or do they hinder the process? While Saturn in Scorpio (tarot’s #13, Death) normally uses challenges to help us transform our world, here we see Saturn stabilizing the trine and helping us use its energy in our daily lives.

Factoids for the month: Our New Moon in Cancer in on July 8th.  The Grand Trine becomes exact of July 17th, so expect a little more magic that day.  Hum a lot.  Mercury goes direct on July 20th and is an exact square with Uranus.  Look for some breakthrough energy there. The full Moon in Aquarius is on July 22nd and we also have a meteor shower, the Delta Aquarids, later this month.  More on these later.  Enjoy!

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