PREVIOUS THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY April 2 2012 to April 8 2012 Monday April 2 Bode Fiddly In 1766, a German astronomer considered the distance between the planets in our solar system as they fan out from the Sun. He saw that they followed a precise formula that became known as Bode's Law. Fifteen years later a new planet was found. The discovery was Uranus and it was just where Bode's Law said it should be! But Bode's Law also says there should be one more planet between Mars and Jupiter. It was once considered empty, like a gap in a neat row of teeth. But it turns out to contain several hundred thousand tiny asteroids. You can download a free podcast of my interview with Johnnie Walker here Tuesday April 3 Blasteroid The asteroid belt was discovered in the early 19th century. First they found Ceres, then Pallas, Juno and Vesta. It took a while to work out that these were too small to be planets, that they were all at roughly the same distance from the Sun and there were several hundred thousand other small pieces of space rock in much the same orbit. These days, most astronomers consider them as bits of raw material that never quite merged into one planet. I'm inclined to wonder if they're the flotsam and jetsam left behind after an explosion or a collision? Wednesday April 4 Asteroid La Vista Last week, I discussed the possibility of 'haunted planets'. This week I've been playing with the idea of a 'lost world' that might once have occupied the mysterious gap between Mars and Jupiter. That's where several hundred thousand asteroids orbit the Sun in one big 'belt'. It is also where a mathematical formula known as Bode's Law says there should be a planet. Might they be the remnants of some prehistoric catastrophe? Experts don't currently think so. But then, experts don't know everything. We do know, though, that orbiting asteroids are rare in the rest of our solar system. Thursday April 5 Futureshock Once you look away from the asteroid belt you find hardly any asteroids of significant size in a regular, predictable orbit round the Sun. One exception, out between Saturn and Uranus, gets astrologers excited. Discovered in 1977, Chiron is a cross between an asteroid and a comet. Such objects are called centaurs - and Chiron was the most famous centaur in Greek mythology. He was the great healer who, ultimately, couldn't heal himself. He was also an astrologer! If ever I have to confess that I didn't anticipate something in my own future, I cite his story as the explanation! Friday April 6 Tonight's Full Moon is known, in different places around the world, as the Egg Moon, Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Fish Moon, Seed Moon, Waking Moon or Hanuman's Moon. It is the Full Moon that triggers the festival of Ostara, the fertility goddess, more commonly known these days, as Easter. Although Christian Easter marks an event that happened during the Jewish Passover, Easter and Passover don't always coincide. But this year they do. Whatever you celebrate this weekend, please remember: in my experience, alcohol, at Full Moon, works like alcohol on a plane. A little goes a long way! Saturday April 7 Your Week Ahead Officially, the Moon has now 'peaked'. But it is still pretty full and it may be few more days before recent tensions, dramas and passions calm down a little. This week, both Mars and Pluto stand still in the zodiac. Celestial bodies do this just before or after they appear to change direction. Mars is now ending a retrograde phase. Pluto is just starting one. They are both symbols of energy and strength. Many of us may soon notice shifts in the balance of power, in our relationships, at our place of work... or perhaps in global politics. Sunday April 8 Your Week Ahead - Love Focus Officially, the Moon has now 'peaked'. But it is still pretty full and it may be few more days before recent tensions, dramas and passions calm down a little. This week, both Mars and Pluto stand still in the zodiac. Celestial bodies do this just before or after they appear to change direction. Mars is now ending a retrograde phase. Pluto is just starting one. They are both symbols of energy and strength. Many of us may soon notice shifts in the balance of power, in our relationships, at our place of work... or perhaps in global politics. Back to Index   Click here for Jonathan Cainer's Daily Zodiac Forecasts