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Astrology software is a type of computer programs designed to calculate horoscopes. Many of them also assemble interpretive text into narrative reports. [1] [2] [3] [4]
| Astrology |
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| Background |
| Traditions |
| Branches |
| Astrological signs |
| Symbols |
Astrology software is a type of computer programs designed to calculate horoscopes. Many of them also assemble interpretive text into narrative reports. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Astro Computing Services (ACS) in San Diego, founded by Neil Michelsen in 1973, published a computer-generated astrological ephemeris in 1976, The American Ephemeris. [5]
When personal computers generally became available, astrologers and astrology hobbyists were able to purchase them and use astrological or astronomical calculation software or make such programs themselves. Astrologer and computer programmer Michael Erlewine was involved early in making astrological software for microcomputers available to the general public in the late 1970s. In 1978, Erlewine founded Matrix Software, and in 1980 he published a book with all the algorithms and data required for owners of microcomputers to make their own complete astrological programs. [5] At first, astrology software was opposed by American astrologers who did not approve of computers in their field. However, acceptance grew as it became clear how more efficient and profitable such software could be. [5]
A few hundred fixed-purpose astrology computers were made. One of which, the Digicomp DR-70 Astrology Minicomputer, [6] was used by Nancy Reagan's astrologer Joan Quigley beginning in about 1981. [7]
Astrology software has been made available in the open-source model, starting with the release of Astrolog in 1991.
Computer astrology programs today typically make accurate planet position calculations, display and print these positions using astrological glyph symbols in graphic charts, save and retrieve individuals' data to and from database files, compare the planet positions of different charts to find the astrological aspects between them (e.g. for compatibility), calculate the dates of important events in the future for a chart, and research the saved chart database. Some generate colorful geographical maps with lines showing where the planets rise and culminate at a significant time, usually the time of birth or the time of inception of an organization (called astrocartography). Astrology programs usually come bundled with an electronic atlas, allowing the review of the longitudes, latitudes, and time zone observance histories for cities and towns. [8] [9] Many assemble interpretive text about the various element combinations in a chart into comprehensive printed reports. [10]
Software libraries exist to aid in the development of astronomical software. These libraries can also be leveraged for use in astrological projects. One such tool is Swiss Ephemeris, which is an astronomical almanac developed by Astrodienst AG, Switzerland, the makers of Astrolog. It is widely used for calculating the positions of planets, moons, asteroids, and stars for a given date and time. The library can be integrated with several programming languages including C#, C++, Java, and .NET. The Swiss Ephemeris primarily uses the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Development Ephemeris as its source data for positions of the Sun, Moon and planets. It uses data from Astronomisches Rechen-Institut (ARI) in Heidelberg, Germany for the positions of asteroids.
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Also within this zodiac belt appear the Moon and the brightest planets, along their orbital planes. The zodiac is divided along the ecliptic into 12 equal parts ("signs"), each occupying 30° of celestial longitude. These signs roughly correspond to the astronomical constellations with the following modern names: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
A horoscope is an astrological chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, astrological aspects and sensitive angles at the time of an event, such as the moment of a person's birth. The word horoscope is derived from the Greek words ōra and scopos meaning "time" and "observer". It is claimed by proponents of astrology that a horoscope can be used as a method of divination regarding events relating to the point in time it represents, and it forms the basis of the horoscopic traditions of astrology, although practices surrounding astrology have been recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century. Horoscope columns are often featured in print and online newspapers.
Western astrology is the system of astrology most popular in Western countries. It is historically based on Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, which in turn was a continuation of Hellenistic and ultimately Babylonian traditions.
In astronomy and celestial navigation, an ephemeris is a book with tables that gives the trajectory of naturally occurring astronomical objects and artificial satellites in the sky, i.e., the position over time. Historically, positions were given as printed tables of values, given at regular intervals of date and time. The calculation of these tables was one of the first applications of mechanical computers. Modern ephemerides are often provided in electronic form. However, printed ephemerides are still produced, as they are useful when computational devices are not available.
Most horoscopic traditions of astrology systems divide the horoscope into a number of houses whose positions depend on time and location rather than on date. In Hindu astrological tradition these are known as Bhāvas. The houses of the horoscope represent different fields of experience wherein the energies of the signs and planets operate—described in terms of physical surroundings as well as personal life experiences.
In astrology, sidereal and tropical are terms that refer to two different systems of ecliptic coordinates used to divide the ecliptic into twelve "signs". Each sign is divided into 30 degrees, making a total of 360 degrees. The terms sidereal and tropical may also refer to two different definitions of a year, applied in sidereal solar calendars or tropical solar calendars.
Electional astrology, also known as event astrology, is a branch found in most traditions of astrology according to which a practitioner decides the most appropriate time for an event based on the astrological auspiciousness of that time. It differs from horary astrology because, while horary astrologers seek to find the answer to a question based on the time the question was asked, electional astrologers seek to find a period of time which will result in the most preferable outcome for an event being planned.
Horoscopic astrology is a form of astrology that uses a horoscope, a visual representation of the heavens, for a specific moment in time to interpret the purported meaning behind the alignment of the planets at that moment. The idea is that the placement of the planets at any given moment in time supposedly reflects the nature of that moment and especially anything that is born then, and proponents claim that this can be analyzed using the chart and a variety of rules for interpreting the "language" or symbols therein.
Psychological astrology, or astropsychology, is the result of the cross-fertilisation of the fields of astrology with depth psychology, humanistic psychology and transpersonal psychology. There are several methods of analyzing the horoscope in the contemporary psychological astrology: the horoscope can be analysed through the archetypes within astrology or the analyses can be rooted in the psychological need and motivational theories. No methodologically sound scientific studies exist that show a benefit or detriment in using psychological astrology. Psychological astrology, or astropsychology is a pseudoscience.
Sun sign astrology, or star sign astrology, is a modern simplified system of Western astrology which considers only the position of the Sun at birth, which is said to be placed within one of the twelve zodiac signs, rather than the positions of the sun and the other six 'planets'. This sign is then called the sun sign or star sign of the person born in that twelfth-part of the year. Sun sign astrologers take this basic twelve-fold division and relate all the current movements of all the planets to each other, using traditional rules to divine meanings for each sign separately. Because the Moon has the fastest apparent movement of all the heavenly bodies, it is often used as the main indicator of daily trends for sun sign astrology forecasts.
In astrology, certain stars are considered significant. Historically, all of the various heavenly bodies considered by astrologers were considered "stars", whether they were stars, planets, other stellar phenomena like novas and supernovas, or other solar system phenomena like comets and meteors.
Historically, astrological and astronomical symbols have overlapped. Frequently used symbols include signs of the zodiac and classical planets. These originate from medieval Byzantine codices. Their current form is a product of the European Renaissance. Other symbols for astrological aspects are used in various astrological traditions.
Asteroids are relatively new to astrology, having only been discovered in the 19th century. Their use has become significant to a few Western astrologers yet still only a minority of astrologers use the asteroids in chart interpretation. Their use in astrology began with Eleanor Bach's publication of the first asteroid ephemeris in 1973. Their use was popularized following Demetria George's publication of Asteroid Goddesses in 1986
Locational astrology is any of various types of astrology that factor in specific locations of the Earth. The different types also carry a range of astrological techniques.
Astrolog is an open-source astrological software program that has been available online free of charge since 1991. It has been authored by Walter Pullen since its creation, and was originally distributed via postings to the Usenet newsgroup alt.astrology.
Heliocentric astrology is an approach to astrology centered around birth charts cast using the heliocentric model of the Solar System, positioning the Sun at the center. In contrast to geocentric astrology, which places Earth at the center, heliocentric astrology interprets planetary positions from the Sun's vantage point. While geocentric astrology considers elements like the ascendant, midheaven, houses, Sun, Moon, and planetary aspects, heliocentric astrology focuses primarily on planetary aspects and configurations. Astrologers often use this method in conjunction with geocentric astrology to access insights beyond the traditional framework.
Robert Sterling Hand is an American astrologer, historian, and writer.
Raphael's Ephemeris is an ephemeris, or set of tables, used in astrology to determine the position of the Sun, Moon and planets. Raphael was a pseudonym used by the original author of the ephemeris, Robert Cross Smith.
Primary direction is a term in astrology for referencing one of the oldest methods of predicting events. It indicates the year of life in which an event shown by the birth chart will occur. This method has been around for over 1800 years and is mentioned in the Tetrabiblos of Claudius Ptolemy in the section on calculating the length of life. It gained widespread popularity in medieval Europe and was thoroughly described by Jean-Baptiste Morin in the 22nd book of his Astrologia Gallica.
Astrodatabank is a wiki website containing a collection of astrological data. The freely accessible database features the birth details and associated birth charts of public figures and mundane events. The collection was started by astrologer, Lois Rodden in 1979. Astrodatabank is currently owned and maintained by the Swiss company Astrodienst and is published in English.
Astrological techniques lend themselves to microcomputers because these computers can do the necessary calculating of planetary and house positions to at least one tenth of a degree. The difficulty arises when the computer is used for the interpretive and interactive phase of astrology.