Indian Astronomy & Astrology

The Uttara Kalamrita by Kalidasa is a lovely astrological treatise. We give
the translation of some verses from the Uttara Kalamrita

For Jove, the lordship of 3rd and 12th is good. Only for Capricorn does he
own the 3 and 12 houses.

Benevolent becomes Jupiter
When he becomes the 12th and 3rd lord
Also when Jove owns
8th House, being posited in the 8th !
(Only for Leo and Taurus Ascendants )
Venus in the Sixth House is excellent
As he aspects the hedonistic 12th !
7,4,9,10 & 11 good for North Node
And 3rd House is best for South Node !
For benefics Venus Jupiter Moon
Angles and triangles are good
Also Second, 11th and 6th
For malefics Mars Sun Saturn Ketu
3 6 10 11 are best
For Sun and Saturn the 9th
Mercury in the House Eighth !
Saturn in own house, exaltation
Or in the Signs of Jupiter
Is good, be he in House First !
Venus in the 12th is excellent
Is the bestower of wealth
Should not be in Saturnine Signs !

Combinations for Wealth Yoga

Wealth Yoga is formed thus
The lords of 2,5,9,11
Are the lords who rule Wealth
The lord of Second signify accumulated wealth
The lord of Fifth is a Lakshmi planet
The lord of Ninth is the lord of fortune
The lord of Eleventh rules gains
If these lords four
Form associations between themselves
By conjunction or by aspects
Or by constellational interchange
Wealth Yoga is formed !
Contrarily, the lords of 6,8,12
Create ruin and destruction in their reign !
Diseases galore and debts unwanted
Also fear of enemies powerful !

The Eighteen Astronomical Treatises of Indian Astronomy !

Of all the eighteen astronomical treatises
Aryabhateeyam is extolled
Also Mahabhaskareeyam
These treatises deal with computation
Of planet's longitudes !
Longitude corrected thrice
To get the true longitudes
Mahabhaskareeya talks about
The eight motions of planets
Direct or retrograde
Retrogression is Vakra
Ativakra is maximum Retrogression
End of Retrogression is Kutila
Slow motion is Manda
Slower motion is Mandatara
Mean motion is Sama
Fast motion is Sheegra
And faster motion is Sheegratara !
Eighteen Seers wrote
Eighteen treatises astronomical
Surya wrote Surya Siddhanta
Pitamaha wrote Pitamaha Siddhanta
Vyasa Siddhanta was done by Vyasa
Vasishta wrote Vasishta Siddhanta
Atri wrote Atri Siddhanta
Parasara Siddhanta was written by Parasara
Lomasa, Paulasa, Chyavana
Yavana, Bhrigu all wrote about the Heavens !

Astronomical Constants in the Mahabhaskareeya !

The Sidereal Period of a planet is the no of days it takes to make a circuit
of the Zodiac, the Luminous 360 degree Circle in the Heavens !

One Sidereal Period is called a Bhagana. In an Equinoctial Cycle of 43,20000
years, called
a Maha Yuga or an Aeon, the following are the revolutions done by the major
planets.

Sun                            43,20000
Moon                         57753336
Saturn                        146564
Jupiter                        364224
Mars                          2296824
Moon's Apogee         488219
Mercury's Perihelion   17937020
Venus' Perihelion        7022388
Moon's Asc Node      232226

The common perception of Celestial Mechanics is that of a discipline which needs advanced mathematics and astronomy to be understood. Yet modern Celestial Mechanics has a rather different taste and a truly

interdisciplinary nature. The number of celestial objects known to mankind has dramatically increased, the long-awaited presence of extrasolar planets has been eventually detected around other stars, spaceflight dynamics has brought new applications encompassing rocked dynamics, the place-in-orbit of artificial satellites and interplanetary mission design. Solar System exploration has grown as a long term strategy for the construction of a permanent base on the Moon and a manned mission to Mars.The aim of the book is to show to the people at large, as well as to a more skilled audience, the many fascinating aspects of modern celestial mechanics. After giving to the reader the necessary technical tools needed for a basic understanding of the underlying physical phenomena (using only elementary mathematics), facts and figures are provided on historical events, modern discoveries and future applications. Contents are divided into major topics where the three "souls" of modern celestial mechanics (dynamical systems, Solar System & stellar systems, spaceflight dynamics) play a major role. As an example, spin-orbit resonances can be explained using fractional algebra and subsequently described in action as "cosmic spinning tops". Easily observable effects such as the existence of a "dark side of the Moon" (and of many other satellites) can be compared to the "complete synchronous rotation" achieved by a geostationary telecommunication satellite in order to be always in view of the receiving parabolas on the ground. On longer time scales, the consequences of spin-orbit interaction may dramatically change the evolution of a planet when chaos enters the scene and must be taken into account in searching habitable planets around other stars.