{"id":50963,"date":"2011-12-22T00:02:00","date_gmt":"2011-12-22T05:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/?p=50963"},"modified":"2011-12-22T07:47:13","modified_gmt":"2011-12-22T12:47:13","slug":"the-flash-of-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/astro-daily\/the-flash-of-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel\/","title":{"rendered":"The Flash of Light at the End of the Tunnel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What's large and blue and can wrap itself around an entire galaxy? A gravitational lens mirage. Pictured above, the gravity of a luminous red galaxy (LRG) has gravitationally distorted the light from a much more distant blue galaxy. More typically, such light bending results in two discernible images of the distant galaxy, but here the lens alignment is so precise that the background galaxy is distorted into a horseshoe -- a nearly complete ring. Since such a lensing effect was generally predicted in some detail by Albert Einstein over 70 years ago, rings like this are now known as Einstein Rings. Strong gravitational lenses like LRG 3-757 are more than oddities -- their multiple properties allow astronomers to determine the mass and dark matter content of the foreground galaxy lenses. Caption by Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD). Image created by ESA\/Hubble & NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today is Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011<\/a><\/strong>. Whether you have been spending your solstice in quiet meditation — in the dark or on a sunny beach — or have been too busy with holiday bustle for such a \u2018luxury\u2019 as stillness, it\u2019s time to stay on your toes. Now that the Sun has just entered Capricorn, it very quickly makes aspects to a number of planets. This could represent various shocks to various systems; luckily there are tools and solutions being offered at the same time \u2013 be ready to use them.<\/p>\n

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The Sun first makes a square to Uranus in Aries, and that puts it within arm\u2019s reach of a conjunction with Pluto. In other words, we\u2019re stirring up 2012 on the way to 2012. Pluto brings some mysterious potency into the equation \u2013 kind of like the solstice itself, but with a good deal more gravitas. That said, the more immediate sequence is Sun-Uranus and Sun sextile Chiron in Pisces. <\/p>\n

Have you ever played softball or Little League baseball? The players practice all sorts of plays, but then in the game the unexpected line drive gets hit, and the coach is shouting to the outfielders, \u201cLook alive!\u201d (or whatever they actually shout). This is one way to illustrate Sun-Uranus and Sun-Chiron. Squares bring challenging internal tension pushing us to act, and Uranus likes to surprise us with lightning strikes. Chiron not only indicates something that has been thought through a few times before (wound, problem, nagging intuition), but its placement in Pisces brings creativity to the process. So if you find yourself faced with a sudden problem, immediately shift into solution mode. Remember, if something does not have a solution, then it\u2019s not a problem. <\/p>\n

This bears repeating: Chiron tends to bring up things we\u2019ve encountered before. Therefore part of the trick this time may be recognizing the problem for what it is. This is not a time to let it go by again, with that feeling in your gut that you keep ignoring. Take note, and take appropriate action. There is a creative solution. Sun square Uranus is bold, obvious and inventive.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s also on the Aries Point. We rather quickly get shot out of the dark, introspective solstice womb and have to land on our feet in the world. The solstice is already a big turning point; this year, the first thing the Sun does as it turns the corner is meet up with two iconoclastic revolutionary influences. Things like rethinking tradition are going to come up. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn; this astrology is about being alive within the form of something. It may feel a little prickly or pressured \u2013 Capricorn tends to need to survey the mountain, categorize what needs to be done to begin the climb, and then strategically and steadily work on the problem in order to attain the goal. Taking initiative may be a trait of cardinal Capricorn, but Uranus is going to light a fire under this goat\u2019s proverbial butt \u2013 and it may come as intuitive flashes.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another way to imagine this: Uranus strikes the earth, your very foundation. Where this foundation is firm and grounded in integrity and truth (spiritual values), the lightning has a regenerative effect, refreshing the soil and making it fertile. But where it is rocky or stale, and there is a refusal to embrace the authentic self the last couple of eclipses have called you to be, the changes may be abrupt and scorching. Let the Chirotic waters flow, and paddle with the current.<\/p>\n

Looking for insights on how this week’s astrology affects your<\/strong> personal Sun and rising signs? Try out Planet Waves Light<\/strong><\/a>, our streamlined horoscope service. For deeper cultural context and astrological investigation, the premium Planet Waves subscription<\/strong><\/a> includes the same horoscopes, plus extensively-researched articles on Fridays.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today is Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011. Whether you have been spending your solstice in quiet meditation — in the dark or on a sunny beach — or have been too busy with holiday bustle for such a \u2018luxury\u2019 as stillness, it\u2019s time to stay on your toes. Now that the Sun has just entered Capricorn, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7221,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":""},"categories":[1734],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50963"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7221"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50963\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}