Superior Planetary Cycles Study
The outer-planet synodic cycle organizes long-range mundane work, and the Superior Planetary Cycles study gathers each cycle's landmarks into one row rather than scattering them across separate aspect events. It generates an event for each synodic cycle of a superior planet, keyed to its retrograde station.
Each event carries the retrograde station, the opposition to the Sun, the direct station, the conjunction with the Sun, and the intervals between them and up to the next retrograde station.
Create a Superior Planetary Cycles Study
To add a Superior Planetary Cycles study to the current workspace:
- Click Mundane Studies → Planetary Cycles on the menu bar.
- Click Superior Planetary Cycles in the Planetary Cycles submenu.
Alternatively, click the Planetary Cycle Studies drop-down button on the toolbar and select Superior 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 a superior planet completes. The row is dated to the retrograde station that opens the cycle, and from there it follows the planet through its opposition to the Sun, its direct station and its 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 solar 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 Opposition Period (days) | Number of days from the retrograde station to the solar opposition. Visible by default. |
| Solar Opposition Date Time | Date and time of the opposition to the Sun. Visible by default. |
| Solar Opposition Longitude | Primary coordinate at the solar opposition, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Solar Opposition Sign | Position at the solar opposition, as degrees, sign and minutes of the zodiac. Visible by default. |
| Post Opposition Period (days) | Number of days from the solar opposition 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 Conjunction Period (days) | Number of days from the direct station to the solar conjunction. Visible by default. |
| Solar Conjunction Date Time | Date and time of the conjunction with the Sun. Visible by default. |
| Solar Conjunction Longitude | Primary coordinate at the solar conjunction, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Solar Conjunction Sign | Position at the solar conjunction, as degrees, sign and minutes of the zodiac. Visible by default. |
| Post Conjunction Period (days) | Number of days from the solar conjunction to the next retrograde station. Visible by default. |
| Event Interval | Elapsed time since the previous event in the list. Hidden by default. |