Biblical Astronomy

July 2008

 

Editor – Robert Scott Wadsworth <> P.O. Box 2272, Oregon City, OR 97045

Phone (503) 655-7430 <> e-mail – starguy1@comcast.net <> Website – www.biblicalastronomy.com

 

 

NEW MOON REPORT

 

Nehemia Gordon from Jerusalem, Israel compiled the following New Moon Report for the month of July 2008 and for the beginning of the Fourth Month on the Biblical Calendar.

 

“On Friday July 4, 2008 the New Moon was sighted from Jerusalem. The moon was first sighted from Jerusalem by Nehemia Gordon at 19:52 and over the next few minutes by five others. The moon was also sighted from elsewhere in Jerusalem by Ferenc Illesy and from Tekoa by Bruce Brill and Chen-El Brill.”

 

It is expected that the next new moon will be visible from Jerusalem near sunset on August 2, 2008 when it will be 2% illuminated and 7o above the horizon at five minutes past sunset.

 

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

 

There will be a total eclipse of the sun on August 1, 2008 that will be visible in remote areas of the north and Siberia, Mongolia, and central China.  The eclipse will not be visible from the United States or Israel. 

           

Chart 464 shows the position of the moon in the constellation Cancer (Klaria) at the time of the eclipse.  This is as seen from Jerusalem and as you can see that as seen from Jerusalem, the sun and moon are separated at the time of the eclipse and therefore will not be visible from that location.

 

Chart 464 – Position of the sun and moon in Cancer as seen from Jerusalem on August 1, 2008

 

The constellation Klaria (Cancer) was not a crab in the ancient skies but a corral and sheep pens for the sheepfold.  Two donkeys are in the midst to protect the sheepfold from predators.  It represents a place of refuge and safety for God’s people in a time of trouble.

           

Chart 465 shows the path of the eclipse where the sun will be seen totally eclipsed.  It starts out in far northern Canada and extends through northern Greenland, the Arctic Circle, Russia, Mongolia and China.

 

Chart 465 – Path where the sun will be seen totally eclipsed

           

Though the eclipse will not be visible from Israel, it is still of some interest especially because of the alignment of four out of the five bright planets that are above the eclipse.  Below is a chart of the eclipse and the alignment of the planets on August 1, 2008.  The planet Mercury is the fuzzy dot just left of the head of the crab (see chart 464 for further clarification). The labels of Venus, Saturn and Mars are next to the respective fuzzy dots representing the planets.  In this line-up, Mercury is in Cancer and Venus, Saturn and Mars are in Arieh (Leo).

 

 

Venus, Saturn and Mars may be visible above the western and west-southwest horizon from your local area about 30 minutes after sunset for most of those living in the northern hemisphere.  Mercury is too close to the sun to be seen with the naked eye at that time.

 

 

PERSEID METEOR SHOWER

 

August is the month of the popular Perseid Meteor Shower.  The shower peaks in the early morning hours of August 12 with the Showtime beginning around 1:30 am. Local time.  The shower may produce as many as 60 meteors per hour.  In some years this number greatly increases while in other years it can be less.  This year is an average year but the moon will be set or setting at 1:30 a.m. and the skies will be dark for optimal viewing.

 

The radiant of the meteor shower is in the constellation Perseus (Peretz – The Breaker).  The constellation pictures shown below are from the Starry Night Pro software program.  The drawings are a bit off.  The radiant of the meteor shower is shown here just above the elbow of Perseus.  The drawing is a bit a skewed to the right.  The radiant should be just above the hilt of the sword.

 

 

The other constellation is Andromeda (the bound or chained woman).  She represents the bound bride of Messiah and the picture as a whole represents Messiah breaking her bonds and setting her free.  Sparks will be a flyin they will!!!

 

VENUS AND SATURN IN CONJUNCTION

 

There will be a very close conjunction of the planets Nogah (Venus – the Bright and Morning Star) and Saturn (Satan) in the constellation Arieh (Leo) on August 13, 2008.  The planets will pass within 0.2o or 2/10ths of one degree from each other at their closest approach as viewed from Earth.  This should be clearly seen in the twilight about a half an hour past sunset above the western horizon.  It will also be a neat binocular object to see and it is recommended to use binoculars if there is a bright and long twilight in your area.  This is the case in latitudes above 40 to 45 degrees in the summer months.  Again, this is a very close conjunction.

 

Chart 466 shows the position of Venus and Saturn in Leo at the time of closest conjunction.  On the chart the large fuzzy dot represents both Venus and Saturn since they are touching each other here.  The planet Mercury is the blurry dot at the bottom of the letter r in the label for Saturn.

 

Chart 466 – Very close conjunction of Nogah and Saturn in Arieh on August 13, 2008

 

 

MERCURY AND SATURN CONJUNCTION

 

There will be a conjunction of the planets Catab (Mercury – Gabriel) and Saturn (Satan) on August 15, 2008.  Although this conjunction will not be as close as the Venus/Saturn conjunction, the planets will pass at a close distance of 0.7o or 7/10ths of one degree from each other as seen from Earth. 

 

Chart 467 shows the positions of the planets in Leo at the time of conjunction. This conjunction may be harder to see in the twilight than the Venus/Saturn conjunction since Mercury will not be as bright as Venus.  Venus (the fuzzy dot between the r and the y in Mercury) should be easy to pick out and the other two planets will be below it.  Tip the chart downward with the lion’s head toward the bottom to get a rough idea of how to view the event from your local area.

 

Chart 467 – Catab and Saturn in conjunction in Arieh on August 15, 2008

 

On the next evening, August 16, 2008 (the night of a lunar eclipse) there will be an equidistant massing of the planets Venus, Mercury and Saturn in the constellation Leo (Arieh – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah).  Below is a chart that shows this massing of the planets as seen from Jerusalem at 30 minutes past sunset on August 16, 2008.

 

 

 

PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

 

There will be a partial eclipse of the moon on the evening of August 16, 2008.  This eclipse will not be visible throughout most of the United States but will be entirely visible from Israel.

 

Chart 468 shows the position of the moon in the constellation Capricornus at the time of the eclipse as seen from Jerusalem.  The eclipse will peak shortly before or around Midnight DST as seen from Jerusalem when it will be about 80 percent covered by the shadow of the earth.

 

Chart 468 – Position of the moon in Capricornus when in partial eclipse on August 16, 2008

 

I placed the constellation borderlines on the chart to show that the moon is clearly in Capricornus.  The border lines where established by the International Astronomical Union in 1923.  I do not know if God has His own borderlines.  The pictures of the constellations are also a skew here a bit to the right.  The moon is seen here in conjunction with the star Deneb Algiedi (the Sacrifice cometh).  Deneb Algiedi belongs in the tail of Capricornus.  The moon here (at the peak of the eclipse) is in the same place Zedek (Jupiter) was on April 24, 28 (Abib 10) when Y’shua made his jubilant entrance into Jerusalem four days before he was crucified.  He was and is the sacrifice.

 

If you are in Israel or other areas that the eclipse will be visible from you will have a double feature that evening with the equidistant massing of the planets Venus, Mercury and Mars earlier in the evening with the eclipse later in the evening.  Happy viewing!!!

 

Chart 469 shows where on the earth the eclipse will be visible from.

 

 

Chart 469 – Areas where the partial lunar eclipse on August 16, 2008 will be visible

 

 

COMET UPDATE

 

The following article was posted on the Sky & Telescope website by Tony Flanders on July 2, 2008 concerning Comet Boattini.

 

   Have You Seen Comet Boattini?

 

“A week after perihelion, Comet C/2007 W1 Boattini should now be visible in the dawn sky by observers in the Northern Hemisphere. Preliminary results on Seiichi Yoshida's website indicate that it's now roughly magnitude 5.5 — still near its peak brightness.

 

On July 4th, Comet Boattini is just 6° above the eastern horizon 90 minutes before sunrise at latitude 40° north. That's too low for easy viewing, and the sky is already beginning to get bright even then. But the comet appears roughly 2° higher on each succeeding morning, and the Moon doesn't start to interfere until July 16th. Meanwhile, the comet is likely to fade as shown on Yoshida's website, becoming a faint telescopic target by August.

 

So early July is the best time for northerners to see this comet — assuming that you’re fanatical enough to get up at 3 or 4 a.m. Few people are likely to see the comet without optical aid, but it should be pretty easy to spot through binoculars as long as your light pollution isn't too bad. Click here to download a detailed chart. We eagerly await our first post-perihelion reader reports.”

 

Below is an S&T chart showing the path of the comet from July 1 to early September as it passes by Cetus, the beast from the sea, and through Aries, the nation of Israel.

 

 

 

There sure are many celestial events in August.  And there is more.  I need something to write about for the August newsletter.  Stay tuned for further developments.

 

All of the events over the past few years have been building up and they seem to be portraying an upcoming major war between the woman’s Seed (and seed) and the serpent’s seed or between Judah and its enemies.   There are certainly rumors of war and a lot of saber rattling between Israel and its archenemy.  

 

We will soon know if these events will be taking place on Earth at this time.

 

 

YHVH bless and protect you and your family through His Son Y’shua Messiah (Jesus Christ).