NEW MOON REPORT

Nehemia Gordon from Jerusalem, Israel compiled the following New Moon Report for May 2004 and the beginning of the third month on the Hebrew calendar.

“On Thursday May 20, 2004 observers from Israel sighted the New Moon. The New Moon was sighted from Jerusalem by Avi Ben Mordechai at 19:41, Wendy Sutherland also at 19:41, Dina Marcus at 19:42, Michal Reed also at 19:42, Melekh Ben Ya’aqov at 19:43, Rivka Michaeli at 19:43 and Nehemia Gordon at 19:44.

A short video of this month’s new moon sighting can be viewed at:”

http://message.myvideotalk.com/msg.asp?vid=38125.726404

The next New Moon, which will start the fourth month on the Hebrew calendar, is expected to be visible from Jerusalem near sunset on June 19, 2004. There is a “very” slight possibility that it will be visible near sunset on June 18.

VENUS TO TRANSIT THE SUN

On June 8, 2004 the planet Nogah (Venus) will transit (pass in front of) the sun as seen from Earth. This is a rare event and occurs when inferior conjunction of Venus is within a few days of June 7 (descending mode) or December 8 (ascending mode). Venus transits take place in pairs of 8 years apart. Such pairs alternately occur at intervals of 105.5 and 121.5 years. The last pair took place in 1874 and 1882. The next pair takes place on June 8, 2004 and June 5/6, 2012 (with a duration of 6 hours in each case). The next pair after that is a December pair and they will occur in the years 2117 and 2125.

This was not an event that was known in ancient times since it has only been recorded in recent history. One would have to look at the sun with the naked eye for many seconds to see such an event without the aid of instruments (this is highly NOT recommended, since a few seconds of staring at the sun can cause permanent, irreversible, eye damage). And one would have to know when such an event was to occur. This event was not known of until about three or four centuries ago through calculations, and special instruments were made to view it.

The diagram below shows the position of Venus in front of the sun at the peak of the transit on June 8, 2004.

Transit of Venus across the face of the sun on June 8, 2004

As seen from Jerusalem, the transit will be visible in its entirety from about 8:20 am JDST to about 2:20 pm. The peak of the transit as seen from Jerusalem will occur around 11:20 am. Venus will already be about 3 hours into its 6-hour transit when the sun rises on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. The transit will not be visible at all from areas in the Pacific Time Zone of the U.S. Check your local news sources for times the transit will be visible in your area. Again, DO NOT look directly into the sun with your naked eyes, or without the correct instrumentation or filters. If you miss this event, there will be another transit in eight years – the last one for this century.

After Nogah transits the sun, it will be on the morning side of the sun again. It should appear in the morning dawn before sunrise above the east-northeast horizon around mid-June, depending on your latitude.

Chart 358 below shows the position of the sun and Nogah in the constellation Shur (Taurus) at the time of the transit. Again, the main theme for the sign Shur is Messiah, the coming Judge of all the earth, coming to judge and destroy his enemies and to set up his kingdom upon the earth. I say “again” because it seems that I mention this constellation about every 2 newsletters. There have been many unique and rare celestial events in Taurus since the spring of 2000, and here is yet another one.

Chart 358 – Transit of Venus Across the Sun on June 8, 2004

As you can see on the chart, the sun and Venus are just in front of the forehead of the reem and between its two horns. The reem is rushing forward in its wrath.

As a tribal symbol, Shur represents the tribe of Joseph with the two horns representing Manasseh and Ephraim (Deut. 33:17). Here, the sun (the Bridegroom going forth) and Nogah (the bright and morning star) are in the midst of the tribes of Joseph, or, concerning the Two Houses, in the House of Ephraim at the time of the transit.

One interesting note is that the position of the sun in this area of Taurus during this event may also stir up sun-god worshippers. It was in 3500 BC that the sun was in this area during the Vernal Equinox and the sign of the bull with the sun between its horns carried over to the ancient Egyptian sun god Hathor. See the March/April 2004 issue of Biblical Astronomy.

NOGAH (VENUS) IN RETROGRADE

Chart 359 below shows the path of Nogah through the sign Shur (Taurus) from March 24, 2004 to August 1, 2004. The path of Nogah is the red line. The black line going across the bull is the ecliptic or the path the sun takes through the twelve signs. Nogah is performing what is astronomically termed a retrograde loop, where it appears to stop, then move backwards against the background stars, then stop again and then move forward again. The planet is actually orbiting the sun and always moving forward in its elliptical path, but appears to be moving in different directions as seen from Earth because of the difference in the orbital velocities of Earth and Venus as they circle the sun.

Chart 359 – That Path of Venus From March 24, 2004 to August 1, 2004

On the average, Nogah takes about one year to make its circuit through the twelve signs, spending about one month in each sign. Here, in its retrograde loop, it is spending four months in the sign Shur (Taurus).

During this retrograde loop, Nogah will come into conjunction with the main and brightest star in Taurus, Aldebaran, three times. This triple conjunction takes place between April 16, 2004 and July 4, 2004.

The astronomical definition of a conjunction is when two or more celestial bodies are in the same celestial longitude. The first conjunction of Nogah and Aldebaran on April 16, 2004 was a distant one. If you look at Chart 358, you will see that the path of Venus passed Aldebaran far above it near the ear of the bull before it started its retrograde loop. This is where the first conjunction took place.

The second conjunction will take place on June 25, 2004. Chart 360, which is in ecliptic view, shows the position of Nogah in the constellation Shur at the time of conjunction. The local view would show the two celestial bodies side by side above the eastern horizon in the early morning sky.

Chart 360 – Conjunction of Venus and Aldebaran on June 25, 2004

The third conjunction on July 4, 2004 is the closest conjunction. Nogah (Venus) only gets this close to Aldebaran every eight years.

Aldebaran is a fiery red star and is the eye of the reem or bull. Aldebaran means the leader or governor. This represents the eye of the leader, the coming Judge of all the earth, described in Revelation 1:14 whose eyes are as a flame of fire.

MERCURY AND SATURN CONJUNCTION

On June 27, 2004 the planets Catab (Mercury) and Sabbatei (Saturn) will come into conjunction. Chart 361 shows the positions of the two planets in the constellation and sign Thaumim (Gemini) when the conjunction occurs. In the portrayal of the ongoing conflict, Catab represents the messenger archangel Gabriel, and Saturn represents Satan. The main theme of the sign Thaumim is Messiah’s reign as Prince of Peace.

Chart 361 – Conjunction of Mercury and Saturn on June 27, 2004

It was on May 24, 2004 that the planet Adom (Mars), which represents the warier archangel Michael, was in conjunction with Saturn in this sign (see the May 2004 issue of Biblical Astronomy).

COMETS FIZZLED OUT A BIT

Though Comets NEAT 2001Q4 & LINEAR 2002T7 were spectacular as seen through telescopes and binoculars, and are still considered as great signs for this particular time in history due to the timing and constellations they passed through, they did not brighten to the predicted expectations of most Astronomers.

It was predicted last autumn and winter that NEAT could reach a brightness of Magnitude 1 and LINEAR Magnitude 0. Both comets reached about a Magnitude 3 at their brightest. A third magnitude object is about 6 times less bright than a first magnitude object and about 16 times less bright than an object of magnitude 0.

When I finally got a descent night to observe, without cloud cover, I spotted Comet NEAT Q4 high in the sky. I could barely pick it out with binoculars (10 X 50). It was on May 25 and the comet reached its peak brightness around May 7. At least I saw it. I live in Oregon and above 45 degrees in latitude. I have yet to spot Comet Linear. By the time it rises above the evening twilight, hopefully Pentecost/Memorial Day weekend, I may be able to barely pick that one out with binoculars also, if it stops raining.

BETHULAH AND PENTECOST

This will most likely not reach most readers until after this coming Shavuot (Pentecost) on May 30^th, but it would not suffice to wait another year before I share this particular insight on how the sign and constellation Bethulah relates to the feast of Shavuot. This is something that just came to my thoughts and attention a few days ago.

The main theme for the sign Bethulah (Virgo) is The Promised Seed of the woman. This is also the main theme of the Holy Scriptures from Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 22:21.

Chart 362 shows the picture of Bethulah who is holding a sheaf of wheat in her left hand. In this sheaf is the brightest and main star of Bethulah, which in Arabic is called Al Zimach, which means the branch. The Hebrew name of this star is Tsemech, which also means the Branch. There are twenty Hebrew words translated “Branch,” but only one of them (Tsemech) is used exclusively of the Messiah, and this word only four times. It is from this Branch that we get the Bread of Life.

Chart 362 –Bethulah

As I was thinking of this picture of Bethulah holding the sheaf of wheat, it brought to mind the story of Ruth. To make a story of four chapters short (I suggest you read the story again in the Book of Ruth to get the full impact of this article), Naomi along with her husband and sons moved from Bethlehem, Israel to the land of the Moab during a famine at the time of the Judges. During their stay in the foreign land, the two sons took Moabite (gentile) wives, one being Ruth. Naomi’s husband and two sons died in the land of Moab within ten years. The wife of one of her sons went back to her household and to her gods, while Ruth insisted on staying with Naomi who was returning to Bethlehem.

When Ruth returned to Bethlehem with Naomi, Naomi sent her go glean in the fields to perhaps find favor with a near kinsman redeemer (Boaz). This was at the beginning of the barley harvest, which begins at or near the feast of Unleavened Bread. She continued to glean the fields to the beginning and end of the wheat harvest, which was around Shavuot or Pentecost. At that time, Boaz redeemed Ruth, who was a gentile, to be his wife and brought her into the household of Israel. Ruth is a direct ancestress to the Messiah, Yahoshua.

The book of Ruth is read every Shavuot in Jewish and Messianic congregations throughout the world. It is interesting that the provision for the gleaning of the fields was given in Leviticus 23:22 immediately after the commandments on how go keep the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot or Pentecost). It is also an interesting fact that from late May to early June, during the season of this particular feast, that Bethulah is at its highest point in the early evening sky just after twilight. The woman holding the sheaf of wheat from the harvest is where every eye can easily see her at this time.

Now this was a picture of things to come, and it is now the Messiah himself who is the Redeemer of His bride who includes all of Israel, believing gentiles and those of the 10 Tribes who became gentiles but are now redeemed back to the Household of Israel in the Messiah. There is much more to this, but I will let the reader have some fun searching and contemplating the treasures therein.

Chart 363 shows how to find the star Tsemech (modern name Spica). Find the big dipper, follow the arc of the tail to the next brightest star, which is Arcturus, then continue to arc until you come to the next brightest star which is Tsemech (THE BRANCH). Tsemech will be easily visible throughout June in the early evening between twilight and 11 pm.

Chart 363 – How to find Tsemech (Spica) by following the arc

This is the last newsletter for the subscription year July 2003 to June 2004. If you wish to subscribe to the next subscription year July 2004 to June 2005, you have until July 1 before the subscription fee is increased by $5.00. A one-year subscription after July 1^st will be $25.00 (Domestic). If you subscribe before then, it is $20.00 (Domestic). For Canada add $5.00 and overseas add $10.00.

Yahuweh bless you in His mercy, grace and love.

BIBLICAL ASTRONOMY

June 2004