bodies, such as the Sun and the Moon, are thought to have larger orbs of influence
than the smaller and more distant celestial bodies. Beyond these general principles,
there is much disagreement among astrologers as to specifically how large orbs should
be. Some allow, for instance, as much as a 12° orb for major aspects, while others allow
only a 6° orb for the same aspects.Sources:
DeVore, Nicholas. Encyclopedia of Astrology.New York: Philosophical Library, 1947.
Hand, Robert. Horoscope Symbols.Rockport, MA: Para Research, 1981.ORBIT
An orbit is the path in space that one heavenly body makes in its movement around
another heavenly body. The Moon, for example, makes an orbit around Earth, while
Earth and the other planets make orbits around the Sun. The technical name for the
orbiting body is satellite. The orbited body is called a primary. Because primaries are
also in motion, the orbits described by satellites are elliptical rather than circular.
Satellites form stable orbits by counterbalancing two forces—their movement
away from the primary and the force of gravity drawing them back toward the primary.
In other words, in the absence of gravity a satellite would move in a straight line,
which would soon take it away from its primary; in the absence of satellite motion,
gravity would draw a satellite and its primary together until they collided.Sources:
Robinson, J. Hedley, and James Muirden. Astronomy Data Book.2d ed. New York: John Wiley
& Sons, 1979.
Smoluchowski, Roman. The Solar System: The Sun, Planets, and Life.New York: Scientific
American Books, 1983.ORPHEUS
Orpheus, asteroid 3,361 (the 3,361st asteroid to be discovered, on April 24, 1982), is
approximately 12.2 kilometers in diameter and has an orbital period of 5.3 years.
Orpheus was named after a masterful player of the lyre who is best remembered for his
attempt to rescue his wife Eurydice from the underworld. According to Martha Lang-
Wescott, Orpheus represents haunting, lyrical music, mourning or grief, or a sense of
loss or longing for what is past. This asteroid’s key words are “loss,” “grief,” and “sad
songs.” Jacob Schwartz gives Orpheus’s astrological significance as “mourning or loss,
grieving for a missed opportunity or missing person.”Sources:
Lang-Wescott, Martha. Asteroids-Mechanics: Ephemerides II.Conway, MA: Treehouse Moun-
tain, 1990.
———. Mechanics of the Future: Asteroids.Rev. ed. Conway, MA: Treehouse Mountain, 1991.
Schwartz, Jacob. Asteroid Name Encyclopedia. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.Orbit
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