Persimmon

Persimmon allows you to explore a wealth of data on planetary and constellation motion over time, from the past to the future. It is an astronauts view of the constellations and planets, from outside our galaxy looking in. As though someone had taken a rolling pin our Solar System, rolling it out thoughtfully flat.

Each planet and each star is accurately positioned on the map at the subpoint, the point on the Earth at which the star or planet is directly overhead. The astronomy data is from NASA and the map data is a world GIS dataset. Each constellation is a set of lines that connect the stars that form this constellation. If it looks a little different from what you have seen elsewhere it is because the full set of stars in each constellation have been used, not just the major ones. It's an unusual view, but has the advantage of spreading everything out to help you understand the motion of the planets and constellations relative to their positions above the Earth.

You can also use Persimmon to look up your birthdate to discover your correct star sign and planetary layout. You may find that you have the wrong star sign as much hardcopy and online material are incorrect. Your star sign is identified as the constellation that the sun is within at the time of your birth. Due to changes in the Earth’s spin the date when the sun passes through each constellation has changed since the Babylonians defined the star sign time brackets ~2500 years ago, which are the most commonly used time spans in most media. Even updated time brackets that have been posted on the web to cover the births of the last century will be a day out or so, as this is constantly changing a little. More can be read online.

The Roman Numerals at the bottom of the view indicate Astrological Houses, which can be used to understand the significance of planets for well being or emotional outcomes. They are 30 degree longitude divisions shown by the dotted lines, which give you an indication of planetary angle. From any point on earth, and with no high mountains in the way, you can see 180 degrees of the sky. This 180 degrees is indicated in six house divisions, from those numbered 7 to 12. In your selected timezone, the Sun, planets and stars rise from the horizon from the 12th house and set beyond the 7th house. It is thought that the angle at which a planet is found in the sky changes the impact it has on emotions, deepening or lessening that impact.

Thousands of years of observation have found that these planetary movements affect us and the environment in somewhat understandable yet complex ways. While we do not yet understand the physics of these impacts, more recent ideas suggest that gravity waves may be the way these planets affect our health and environmental systems. For health, as the gravity wave passes us, it causes a vibration in the blockages in our energy systems, which are collectively known as meridians in Traditional Chinese Medicine. These vibrations then influence the emotional choices we make and may be the basis for disease. Where all disease is caused by emotional blocks or a negative thought repeated.

And if you notice a planet moving backwards, this is a planet going into retrograde. The planet does not move backwards in its orbit, it just appears to do so because of the relative positions of the planet and Earth and how they are moving around the Sun.