Inferior Planetary Cycles Study
The Mercury and Venus cycles are studied as whole synodic periods, and the Inferior Planetary Cycles study gathers each cycle's landmarks into one row. It generates an event for each synodic cycle of an inferior planet, keyed to its retrograde station.
Each event carries the retrograde station, the inferior conjunction with the Sun, the direct station, the superior conjunction, and the intervals between them and up to the next retrograde station.
Create an Inferior Planetary Cycles Study
To add an Inferior Planetary Cycles study to the current workspace:
- Click Mundane Studies → Planetary Cycles on the menu bar.
- Click Inferior Planetary Cycles in the Planetary Cycles submenu.
Alternatively, click the Planetary Cycle Studies drop-down button on the toolbar and select Inferior Planetary Cycles from its flyout.
The new study appears at the bottom of the Studies list and is selected automatically, so its settings open immediately. It takes its name from the study type.
What This Study Finds
One event is generated for each synodic cycle an inferior planet completes. The row is dated to the retrograde station that opens the cycle, and from there it follows the planet through its inferior conjunction with the Sun, its direct station and its superior conjunction with the Sun.
Because the whole cycle is gathered into one row, the periods that separate those landmarks are listed alongside them, each in days, ending with the interval from the superior conjunction to the next retrograde station.
The settings column holds the Study Name, the ephemeris settings and the study date range, followed by a single Bodies selection list holding the planets whose cycles are wanted.
Events Table Columns
The events table lists one row per cycle. Several columns are hidden by default, as the table notes. Right-click any column header to show or hide a column, as described in Choose Events Table Columns. The coordinate columns follow the study's Reference Plane: their headers read Longitude in the ecliptic plane and Right Asc in the equatorial plane. The table below gives the ecliptic-plane headers.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Date Time | Date and time the planet stations retrograde, opening the cycle, in the application's long date and time format. Always the first column, and it cannot be moved. Visible by default. |
| Body | Name of the celestial body. Visible by default. |
| Retrograde Station Longitude | Primary coordinate at the retrograde station, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Retrograde Station Sign | Position at the retrograde station, as degrees, sign and minutes of the zodiac. Visible by default. |
| Pre Inferior Conjunction Period (days) | Number of days from the retrograde station to the inferior conjunction. Visible by default. |
| Inferior Conjunction Date Time | Date and time of the inferior conjunction with the Sun. Visible by default. |
| Inferior Conjunction Longitude | Primary coordinate at the inferior conjunction, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Inferior Conjunction Sign | Position at the inferior conjunction, as degrees, sign and minutes of the zodiac. Visible by default. |
| Post Inferior Conjunction Period (days) | Number of days from the inferior conjunction to the direct station. Visible by default. |
| Direct Station Date Time | Date and time the planet stations direct. Visible by default. |
| Direct Station Longitude | Primary coordinate at the direct station, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Direct Station Sign | Position at the direct station, as degrees, sign and minutes of the zodiac. Visible by default. |
| Pre Superior Conjunction Period (days) | Number of days from the direct station to the superior conjunction. Visible by default. |
| Superior Conjunction Date Time | Date and time of the superior conjunction with the Sun. Visible by default. |
| Superior Conjunction Longitude | Primary coordinate at the superior conjunction, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Superior Conjunction Sign | Position at the superior conjunction, as degrees, sign and minutes of the zodiac. Visible by default. |
| Post Superior Conjunction Period (days) | Number of days from the superior conjunction to the next retrograde station. Visible by default. |
| Event Interval | Elapsed time since the previous event in the list. Hidden by default. |