Inferior Planetary Cycles
The Inferior Planetary Cycles study traces the full synodic cycle of an inferior planet, Mercury or Venus, from one retrograde station to the next.
Creating an Inferior Planetary Cycles Study
To create an Inferior Planetary Cycles study:
- Click Mundane Studies → Planetary Cycles → Inferior Planetary Cycles on the menu bar.
The new study is added to the Studies list and opens with your workspace's default settings, ready to configure. You can also create it from the study-group dropdown button on the main toolbar.
Events Captured
This study records an event for each synodic cycle of an inferior planet (Mercury or Venus). Each event begins at a retrograde station and follows the planet through its inferior conjunction with the Sun, its direct station, and its superior conjunction with the Sun, up to the next retrograde station.
Because one event summarizes an entire cycle, the table includes columns for the positions and dates of each milestone along with the time periods between them.
Events Table Columns
The events table can display the following columns for this study. Many are hidden by default; to show or hide any column, right-click a column header (see Event Column Visibility). Column headers that name longitude or latitude are relabeled to right ascension and declination when the study's Reference System uses an equatorial reference plane.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Date Time | Date and time of the cycle event (retrograde station instant). |
| Body | The inferior planet undergoing the cycle. |
| Retrograde Station Longitude | Longitude of the retrograde station. |
| Retrograde Station Sign | Zodiac sign of the retrograde station. |
| Pre Inferior Conjunction Period (days) | Duration from the retrograde station to the inferior conjunction. |
| Inferior Conjunction Date Time | Date/time of the inferior conjunction with the Sun. |
| Inferior Conjunction Longitude | Longitude of the inferior conjunction. |
| Inferior Conjunction Sign | Zodiac sign of the inferior conjunction. |
| Post Inferior Conjunction Period (days) | Duration from the inferior conjunction to the direct station. |
| Direct Station Date Time | Date/time the planet stations direct. |
| Direct Station Longitude | Longitude of the direct station. |
| Direct Station Sign | Zodiac sign of the direct station. |
| Pre Superior Conjunction Period (days) | Duration from the direct station to the superior conjunction. |
| Superior Conjunction Date Time | Date/time of the superior conjunction with the Sun. |
| Superior Conjunction Longitude | Longitude of the superior conjunction. |
| Superior Conjunction Sign | Zodiac sign of the superior conjunction. |
| Post Superior Conjunction Period (days) | Duration from the superior conjunction up to the next retrograde station. |
| Event Interval | Interval (days) since the previous event. |