Retrograde Cycles
The Retrograde Cycles study finds each retrograde period for a body and reports the full cycle, from shadow entry through both stations to shadow exit.
Creating a Retrograde Cycles Study
To create a Retrograde Cycles study:
- Click Mundane Studies → Stations → Retrograde 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 retrograde cycle of a chosen body. Rather than reporting only the station instant, each event captures the complete cycle: the entry into the pre-retrograde shadow zone, the retrograde station, the direct station, and the exit from the post-retrograde shadow zone, along with the time periods between these points.
Because one event summarizes an entire retrograde cycle, the table includes columns for the exact dates, positions, and durations of each phase.
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 retrograde-cycle event (retrograde station instant). |
| Body | The body undergoing the retrograde cycle. |
| Pre-Shadow Entry Longitude | Longitude where the body enters the pre-retrograde shadow zone. |
| Pre-Shadow Entry Sign | Zodiac sign of the pre-shadow entry point. |
| Pre-Shadow Entry Latitude | Latitude at the pre-shadow entry point. |
| Pre-Shadow Period (days) | Duration from pre-shadow entry to the retrograde station. |
| Retrograde Station Date Time | Date/time the body stations retrograde. |
| Retrograde Station Longitude | Longitude of the retrograde station. |
| Retrograde Station Sign | Zodiac sign of the retrograde station. |
| Retrograde Station Latitude | Latitude at the retrograde station. |
| Retrograde Period (days) | Duration of the retrograde motion (station to station). |
| Direct Station Date Time | Date/time the body stations direct. |
| Direct Station Longitude | Longitude of the direct station. |
| Direct Station Sign | Zodiac sign of the direct station. |
| Direct Station Latitude | Latitude at the direct station. |
| Post-Shadow Period (days) | Duration from the direct station to the shadow-zone exit. |
| Post-Shadow Exit Date Time | Date/time the body leaves the post-retrograde shadow zone. |
| Post-Shadow Exit Longitude | Longitude at the shadow-zone exit. |
| Post-Shadow Exit Sign | Zodiac sign at the shadow-zone exit. |
| Post-Shadow Exit Latitude | Latitude at the shadow-zone exit. |
| Event Interval | Interval (days) since the previous event. |