Two Planets

Almost 80% of the sunlight that hits Venus is reflected back into space by the thick clouds surrounding the planet before it ever reaches the surface. Even so, temperatures at the surface of Venus are much hotter than those on Earth. However, this is not because Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth. Scientists believe that the difference in the temperatures of the two planets is due to a runaway greenhouse effect caused by the large amount of sulfur dioxide in Venus atmosphere. 

Lasswitz, Kurd. Auf zwei Planeten (Lepzig Verlag B. Elischer Nachfolger, 1897). Two Planets, English-language edition, translated by Hans Rudruick (Carbondale, Illinois Southern Illinois University Press, 1971. 

A comparison of the atmospheres of Earth and Venus can shed light on the processes of planetary evolution. Scientists tend to believe that the two planets were created with relatively similar structures. Hydrogen, helium, and other light gases present during their formation were probably blown away early in the history of both planets by solar radiation. The present-day atmospheres of both... 

The most complete and reliable data about the chemical composition of the Venusian surface comes from three Soviet missions, the Venera 13, Venera 14, and Vega 2 probes. These spacecraft actually reached the planet s surface and conducted studies of elements and compounds present on the planet s surface. In atypical experiment, one of the lander s tools would drill a hole into the planet s surface about 1.2 inches (3 cm) deep and extract a sample about 1 cm3 in volume. The chart on page 110 summarizes data obtained from these three missions and gives the composition of Earth s continental crust for purposes of comparison. Notice that the major differences in crustal composition between the two planets appears to be in the relative abundance of Si02 (45.6 percent on Venus compared with 60.2 percent on Earth) and of MgO (about 11.5 percent on Venus compared with 3.1 percent on Earth). Otherwise, the two planets do indeed appear to be almost "sister planets," at least with regard to the composition of their outer crusts. 

Regardless of your Sun sign, the ruler of your chart is Pluto. And don t let anyone tell you that Pluto is just a dwarf planet. Pluto rules destruction, transformation, and nuclear power. He doesn t have to be big. You should also know that two planets are credited with dominion over Scorpio Pluto, the ruler of modern times, and Mars, the traditional ruler. By sign, house, and aspect, both planets play leading roles in your chart. 

Roughly speaking, there are three types of aspects. If two planets are within a few degrees of each other, they re conjunct, which means that they operate in unison. If two planets are 60° or 120° apart, they support and assist each other. These aspects — sextiles and trines — are considered harmonious. And if two planets are at right angles (90°) or opposite each other (180°), they re basically at war. These aspects — squares and oppositions — are considered hard. 

The major aspects discussed in this chapter aren t the only geometrical relationship that astrologers consider significant. Other aspects, typically described as minor aspects, also connect two planets. Because minor aspects are weak, the orb allotted to them is small — only 2°. 

How these two planets interact influences your artistic talents, your sociability, and your ability to attract what you love — particularly with regard to relationships, money, and possessions. 

Combine the Sun, which represents your potential, with Jupiter, the bringer of opportunities, and you have an enviable aspect. The challenge is to make use of the connection between the two planets — not to waste it. 

The Sun wants to dazzle. Somber Saturn advocates caution. When these two planets form a major aspect, it indicates that you feel tested in various ways. This aspect shows the way you deal with those challenges. 

If these two planets form a major aspect, control is an issue for you. This aspect reveals the way you balance your core identity with your need for power. 

Conjunction When these two planets are cheek by jowl, you have strong convictions and can become a powerful agent of change. One example Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, who has this conjunction in the third house of communication. 

Specifically, he had Jupiter (and Chiron) conjunct the Midheaven, Mars in the tenth house, the Sun closely conjunct the Ascendant, and two planets — Venus and Neptune, the planets of art — in the first house. Plus, he had four planets and the Ascendant in Leo. Fame was his birthright. 

To observe this in real life, take a look at novelist Toni Morrison s chart (see Chapter 16). She doesn t have every one of the characteristics listed above. Then again, no one does. But her Mercury is conjunct her Midheaven Venus, the ruler of her Ascendant, is in the ninth house of publication conjunct Saturn two planets are in the third house (with one more knocking at the gate) and Neptune, the planet of the imagination, is located in the fifth house of creativity. By becoming a writer, she fulfilled the potential of her chart. 

Look for beneficial aspects (sextiles and trines) between Saturn and Jupiter. Saturn rules structures and organizations Jupiter rules luck and expansion. You want them working together. Avoid squares and oppositions involving those two planets. 

An astrological calendar can tell you when an aspect is exact or at its peak. But an aspect between two planets often creates a buzz even before the crucial moment, when the aspect is approaching. It s like Christmas You can feel it in the air well in advance of the actual day. Afterwards, the energy diminishes quickly. 1 suggest that you scan ahead in your calendar to see if any major aspects are approaching. Be aware that if you open your business on a Wednesday, and Thursday there s an opposition between Saturn and Jupiter, you ll feel the tension. 

In the general case, the motion of the two bodies is unconstrained and the distance between the two planets is a minimum in a symmetric... 

The study of the secular dynamics is the study of the secular part of the Hamiltonian, obtained after an averaging over the mean longitudes. We will restrict ourselves in this text to the case of only two planets. To first-order in the masses, the averaged Hamiltonian is the mean value of H ... 

For non-singular Ii (t / 0 and I K2), we have two trivial solutions Am = 0 and Am = ir. These solutions are often referred as Mode I (Am = 0) and Mode II (Am = 1r). In mode I, the lines of apses of the two planets are aligned having the periapses on the same side In mode II, the situation is similar but the two periapses are in opposite directions (the periapses are anti-aligned). Ordinary motions are oscillations around these fixed points. 

Equations (70) may be studied separately. The first equation says that the stationary solutions lie at the extrema of the function Ries with respect to the variables ai. These extrema depend only on the ratio of the masses of the two planets and on the eccentricities (constants in the stationary solution). The factor Gm 2 does not affect the results. 

Callegari Jr., N., Michtchenko, T. and Ferraz-Mello, S. (2004), Dynamics of two planets in 2 1 mean-motion resonance. Cel. Mech. Dynam. Astron. 89 (in press). Dermott, S., Malhotra, R. and Murray, C.D. (1988), Dynamics of the Uranian and Saturnian satellite systems A chaotic route to melting Miranda. Icarus 76, 295-334. 

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