Chiron and Friends - Saturn's Rings

Al H Morrison was one of the major contributors to astrological knowledge in the Twentieth Century. Writer, lecturer, researcher, innovator, Al loved to restore ancient, long forgotten techniques back into the modern astrologer's toolbox, and is probably most well known for showing us just how important the Void of Course Moon is. He contributed to astro-archeological research, and had a major impact on awakening interest in Chiron, and Minor Planets. And he was also my mentor, and a dear friend.
In 1994, the year before he passed away, he was just beginning to explore a whole new area of research: Was there any difference in Saturn's influence when the rings are visible to us, versus when they are on edge and seem to disappear for awhile?
If you were lucky enough to be on Al's mailing list in 1994 (and I mean, mailing...Al never got into computers), you probably received a one-page, two-sided sheet about Saturn's Rings. That was very typical of Al...when he was excited about some new research, he wanted to get everyone else excited, and he sent out literally hundreds of copies of this sheet before he became too ill to continue.
Here is all about the Rings of Saturn, taken verbatim from Al's flyer. Maybe it will inspire you to start exploring.

The Rings Of Saturn,
As Seen
From Earth
The rings of Saturn are never visible as a complete circle surrounding Saturn. This would be a view from space somewhere over Saturn's north pole, or south pole.
Sometimes the rings of Saturn are visible from some point slightly north of Saturn's equator.
As our position relative to the rings of Saturn changes, there comes a time at which we cannot see them. The rings of Saturn are very thin.
Then for a time the rings of Saturn are visible from points in space south of Saturn's equator.
The most complete possible views of the rings of Saturn would come at some time in between the disappearances of the rings from our view.
Now is a time for all competent astrologers who are also scholarly historians to sort out the differences in human experience while the rings of Saturn are visible looking southward at them, as different from human experience while the rings of Saturn are visible looking northward, toward Saturn's north pole.
In theory, we should experience some cultural changes during the times at which the rings of Saturn are invisible.
Here is the Ephemeris of the Rings of Saturn computed by Richard E. Schmidt, U.S. Naval Observatory, with his comments on how to read it. Dr. Schmidt offers no word of any possible astrological influence from the rings of Saturn, in any perspective. Reference: Sky & Telescope, December 1979.

AL H. MORRISON
P.O. BOX 75 OLD CHELSEA STATION
NEW YORK NY 10113-0075 USA

Ephemeris
of the
Rings of Saturn

Richard E. Schmidt
RING DISAPPEARENCES
The accompanying table presents the times of all passages of the earth and sun through the plane of Saturn's rings be teen the years 1600 and 2250. It thus includes all of these events since the invention of the telescope. They have been calculated by the author from G. Struve's elements of the ring plane and the JPL DE-102 coordinates of the planets.
In the table, the first column gives the date, with the Ephemeris time expressed as a decimal fraction of a day. (For ordinary purposes, this may be regarded as Universal or Greenwichtime.) The next two columns tell whether it is the earth or the sun that is passing through the ring plane, and whether it is passing northward (N) or southward (S). The last two columns give the heliocentric longitudes of the earth and Saturn. When these two longitudes are equal, Saturn is at opposition; if they differ by 180�, Saturn is in conjunction with the sun.
As inspection of the table shows, for each crossing of the ring plane by the sun there are either one or three by the earth. When there is a single crossing, it is during an unfavorable observing period, Saturn being near conjunction with the sun. Triple crossings by the earth afford at least one near Saturn's opposition.
The listed times may be in error by several hours. For example, a recent analysis of A. Dollfus' photographs of the edgewise rings in 1966 yielded a difference of more than nine hours between observa tion and prediction.

Date Body Earth Sat. 1612 Dec. 28.42 Sun S 102� 353� 1613 Feb. 16..96 Earth S 153� 354� 1626 Aug. 24.42 Sun N 336� 173� Sep. 3.85 Earth N 346� 173� 1642 Mar. 29.03 Earth S 194� 350� Jun. 13.69 Sun S 267� 353� Oct. 21.34 Earth N 33� 357� Dec. 15.18 Earth S 88� 359� 1655 Oct. 19.45 Earth N 31� 169� 1656 Feb. 18.71 Sun N 154� 173� Mar. l1.27 Earth S 176� 174� Jul. 15.55 Earth N 298� 178� 1671 May 27.33 Earth S 250� 347� Jul. 24.92 Earth N 306� 348� Dec. 3.67 Sun S 76� 353� 1672 Feb. 11.80 Earth S 147� 355� 1685 Aug. 4.06 Sun N 317� 173� Aug. 30.05 Earth N 342� 174� 1701 Mar. 23.15 Earth S 187� 351� May 17.28 Sun S 240� 353� 1714 Oct. 14.13 Earth N 24� 169� 1715 Jan. 28.19 Sun N 132� 173� Mar. 23.93 Earth S 186� 175� Jul. 9.61 Earth N 290� 178� 1730 May 13.71 Earth S 236� 347� Aug. 12.26 Earth N 323� 350� Nov. 6.32 Sun S 47� 35� 1731 Feb. 5.75 Earth S 140� 356� 1744 Jul. 12.35 Sun N 294� 173� Aug. 25.38 Earth N 336� 174� 1760 Mar. 15.83 Earth S 178� 352� Apr. 16.15 Sun S 209� 353� 1773 Oct. 7.08 Earth N 17� 170� 1774 Jan. 1.63 Sun N 104� 173� Apr. 6.79 Earth S 200� 176� Jun. 28.47 Earth N 279� 179� 1789 May 1.41 Earth S 223� 348� Aug. 28.21 Earth N 338� 352� Oct. 4.85 Sun S 13� 353� 1790 Jan. 28.14 Earth S 131� 357� 1802 Dec. 18.18 Earth N 87� 167� 1803 Jan. 4.77 Earth S 106� 167� Jun. 17.10 Sun N 267� 173� Aug. 20.72 Earth N 329� 175� 1819 Mar. 9.90 Earth S 170� 353� Mar. 14.92 Sun S 175� 353� 1832 Sep. 30.22 Earth N 8� 171� Dec. 2.53 Sun N 72� 173� 1833 Apr. 30.02 Earth S 221� 178� Jun. 9.89 Earth N 260� 179� 1848 Apr. 21.30 Earth S 213� 348� Aug. 31.49 Sun S 340� 353� Sep. 14.29 Earth N 353� 353� 1849 Jan. 18.78 Earth S 120� 357�

Date Body Earth Sat. 1861 Nov. 22.15 Earth N 61� 167� 1862 Feb. 2.62 Earth S 135� 169� May 16.12 Sun N 236� 173� Aug. 12.60 Earth N 321� 176� 1878 Feb. 5.04 Sun S 137� 353� Mar. 1.12 Earth S 161� 354� 1891 Sep. 22.65 Earth N 0� 172� Oct. 29.31 Sun N 36� 173� 1907 Apr. 12.66 Earth S 202� 349� Jul. 26.12 Sun S 302� 353� Oct. 4.40 Earth N 11� 355� 1908 Jan. 7.43 Earth S 106� 358� 1920 Nov. 7.95 Earth N 46� 168� 1921 Feb. 22.56 Earth S 153� 171� Apr. 11.14 Sun N 201� 173� Aug. 3.87 Earth N 311� 177� 1936 Jun. 27.90 Earth S 276� 347� Jun. 29.40 Earth N 278� 347� Dec. 28.59 Sun S 97� 353� 1937 Feb. 20.81 Earth S 152� 355� 1950 Sep. 14.28 Earth N 351� 173� Sep. 21.03 Sun N 357� 173� 1966 Apr. 2.38 Earth S 192� 350� Jun. 15.68 Sun S 263� 353� Oct. 28.94 Earth N 35� 357� Dec. 17.90 Earth S 85� 359� 1979 Oct. 27.09 Earth N 33� 168� 1980 Mar. 3.02 Sun N 162� 173� Mar. 12.65 Earth S 173� 173� Jul. 23.13 Earth N 300� 178� 1995 May 21.95 Earth S 240� 347� Aug. 11.15 Earth N 317� 350� Nov. 18.99 Sun S 56� 353� 1996 Feb. 11.83 Earth S 142� 356� 2009 Aug. 10.54 Sun N 318� 173� Sep. 4.43 Earth N 342� 174� 2025 Mar. 23.61 Earth S 183� 351� May 6.09 Sun S 226� 353� 2038 Oct. 15.57 Earth N 22� 170� 2039 Jan. 22.39 Sun N 122� 173� Apr. 1.97 Earth S 191� 175� Jul. 9.53 Earth N 286� 179� 2054 May 5.97 Earth S 224� 348� Aug. 31.50 Earth N 337� 352� Oct. 9.91 Sun S 16� 353� 2055 Feb. 1.26 Earth S 132� 357� 2068 Jun. 29.03 Sun N 277� 173� Aug. 25.14 Earth N 332� 175� 2084 Mar. 14.27 Earth S 174� 353� Mar. 27.15 Sun S 186� 353� 2097 Oct. 5.13 Earth N 12� 170� Dec. 13.11 Sun N 81� 173� 2098 Apr. 26.63 Earth S 215� 178� 2098 Jun. 18.48 Earth N 266� 179�
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The Rings Of Saturn, As Seen From Earth

The Rings Of Saturn,
As Seen
From Earth