The other day one of my acquaintances told me that she saw the morning Venus above the horizon, although a horoscope software indicated that Venus was still under the ascendant.
Real sky vs. software
That’s what pretty often happens when we watch the real sky. So does the horoscope software tell wrong? The simple answer is yes. Most horoscope software often fails to tell what is going on in the real sky in the situation above. Here is an excellent example of how we see Venus in the morning. As we see the horoscope chart, Venus is still under the ascendant.
This article’s astrological charts and astronomical diagrams were calculated on JST 06:25, January 12, 2022, in Tokyo, Japan.
On the other hand, a simulated image of the real sky tells us that she is above the horizon ( the image by Stellarium ).
The differences occur due to the way the horoscope software calculates the sky. The ascendant in the horoscope chart is calculated based on an intersection of ecliptic and horizon. So, it is nothing wrong with the calculation method. However, most horoscope software does not concern the actual horizon. So, when the latitude of Venus is north south of the ecliptic, Venus often rises on the horizon before the horoscope chart indicates it will.
Venus is above the horizon at 1°31′ of altitude, visible. However, She is below the line drawn by the ascendant. So, the horoscope chart shows Venus under the ascendant.
It is what happened when she saw the differences.
Astrologers want to notice that the horoscope charts tell us in the 2-dimensional sky. And we have to remember that the Earth is round, and the horizon is curved. So depending on planets’ latitudes, the timing of the appearance/disappearance is often different from the horoscope software.
It is trivia that most would not care about. But if you’re a traditional astrologer, you would.
Hayz or not Hayz
Hayz is one of the concepts in traditional astrology. It tells the condition of planets depending on above or below the horizon. For instance, Venus is a nocturnal planet, and she is said to be Hayz when she is in the feminine sign and above the horizon in the nocturnal chart; that is, the Sun is below the horizon.
So if a traditional astrologer sees Venus on the same day and same time above situation, the astrologer has to see the actual or simulated sky or software that tells the precise altitude of planets.
So, please do not rely on the charts generated by the horoscope software. Not always, but sometimes it shows us tricks.
The software to solve this issue
Stellarium is my first recommendation. It is FREE software, one of the great astronomical simulators.
Placidus 7.0 is the software developed by Rumen Kolev. It realizes the real sky and horoscope simultaneously. So, for example, we can see what happens to Venus above or below the horizon. Placidus 7.0 shows the latitude of planets and the boundary line of the horizon as below.
Other software that tells the precise altitude of planets is also helpful. For instance, Astro Gold for Mac (NOT iOS version) tells it in the panel “Astro Sheets > Points List.” The altitude of planets guides you to the correct answer. Here you see “+1°31′”, which means Venus is above the horizon at +1°31′ of altitude and visible. Most fixed stars become visible above +2° to +5° of altitude; however, Venus becomes visible at +1° to +2° of altitude when she is near to the Earth. So let’s see the real sky!
