Today, April 20th, is the day when the Sun passes into theAstronomical constellation of Aries. If it were possible to see thestars during the day, then we would see the stars that make up Ariesforming a background to the Sun’s apparent course across the sky.
Aries, considered to be the first sign of the western zodiac, beginsthe cycle. As the Astronomical constellations vary in size, the suntakes a different number of days to pass through each, as noted in thetable below. (see theAbysmal Calendar’s Constellation Component for full details
| Constellation | Symbol | Begins | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aries |  | Apr 20 | 25 days |
| Taurus |  | May 15 | 37 days |
| Gemini |  | Jun 21 | 31 days |
| Cancer |  | Jul 22 | 20 days |
| Leo |  | Aug 11 | 37 days |
| Virgo |  | Sep 17 | 45 days |
| Libra |  | Nov 1 | 23 days |
| Scorpio |  | Nov 24 | 7 days |
| Ophiuchus (Eagle) |  | Dec 1 | 18 days |
| Sagittarius |  | Dec 19 | 32 days |
| Capricorn |  | Jan 20 | 28 days |
| Aquarius |  | Feb 17 | 24 days |
| Pisces |  | Mar 13 | 38 days |
In essence, the Sun passes into any given constellation one daylater every 72 years or so. The dates were established by the IAU in1930, so an adjustment is overdue.
Regardless, this is a time to celebrate the passing of time on ancosmic scale, as the precession takes 25,771.5 years or so to complete.Thus, if we consider December 21st, the Solstice to be the startingpoint, then we have gone through 120 days thus far, leaving us with 265left to go to complete this cycle.
So, that puts the beginning of the precession (i.e. the Sun enteringAries on December 21st) somewhere around the year 5050 BC orthereabouts. It also means that we have yet 18,711 years to go beforethe Sun enters Aries on the December Solstice once again.
It may help us to break away from our increasingly myopic sense oftime to acknowledge such long periods, which greatly outlast ourlifetimes, as well as that of our civilization. The cosmos is muchlarger than we are, and an occasional reminder quells excessive hubris.
At least, one hopes.
