ERRATA SHEET for 2006 edition NCGR Study Guide Amended 8.30.07
1. Page 21, under the heading “Quadrant emphasis” (listed under Houses), please insert the word “Jones” before the phrase “Temperament Patterns or Shapings.” The phrase should now read "Jones Temperament Patterns or Shapings". 2. Page 33, Regiomontanus paragraph. After the last sentence ...the houses are not equal. Add (see illustration). 3. Page 35, under the illustration. At the end of the last sentence...from the Koch Book of Houses by Neil. Add Michelsen after Neil. 4. Page 71, under Horary Astrology. At the end of the entry for Goldstein-Jacobson. Add AFA. 5. Page 76, after Sharmon-Burke, Juliet and Liz Greene. Add The Astrologer, the (In other words, the title of the book is The Astrologer, the Counsellor and the Priest). 6. Special Note for Level 1 regarding Solar System Objects used in Astrology:
What is a planet?
In August of 2006 the members of the International Astronomical Union voted on a new definition of a planet (www.iau.org). The winning criteria were: 1. 2. 3. The body must orbit a star. It must be large enough to have cleared its orbit of other bodies. It must be large enough to be round.
According to these definitions, there are now eight planets in our solar system that are grouped into two sets. The first are the inner or terrestrial planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. These bodies are relatively small in size and are composed of rock and metals. The second are the outer or Jovian planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. These planets are very large and are made up of gases, liquids and ice. Planets dominate their orbital zone. Moons, even the two that are larger than the planet Mercury, are seen as the property of the planet they orbit. In addition to planets, the solar system is full of debris, pieces of rock and ice that have settled into orbits around the sun. Most of this debris is located in a belt between Mars and Jupiter called the Asteroid Belt. Here are found many large asteroids used by astrologers including Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta. A second debris belt found outside the orbit of Neptune is called the Kuiper Belt and includes the planet Pluto, its moon Charon, and a number of other relatively large bodies that have only recently been discovered. Some of these Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) are Sedna, Quaoar, and Eris – but there are many more. Astronomers realized they had a classification problem when it turned out that Eris was larger than Pluto, and that Pluto, Eris, and Ceres were round. To resolve the problem a new term was coined: dwarf planet.
At present, it may be helpful to organize the bodies orbiting the sun in the following categories: 1. Planets: inner or terrestrial (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) and outer or Jovian (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) 2. Asteroids: found between Mars and Jupiter (includes the big four asteroids Ceres, Pallas, Vesta, Juno and many others). Ceres, due to is spherical shape, is now classified as a dwarf planet. 3. Kuiper Belt Objects: includes Eris, Pluto, Quaoar, Sedna, and many currently numbered but not named. Eris and Pluto are now classified as dwarf planets, others are on a watch list. 4. Dwarf Planets: round bodies (but not full-fledged planets as proposed by the full definition accepted by the International Astronomical Union) which may be large asteroids or Kuiper Belt Objects 5. Centaurs: escaped Kuiper Belt Objects such as Chiron, Chariklo, and Pholus that have erratic and temporary orbits, within the territory of the Jovian planets These new definitions are useful for astronomers who need to discriminate between bodies such as asteroids or comets, but they may not be useful for astrologers who would prefer to develop a planetary taxonomy based on observations of astrological effects. The NCGR certification program is concerned with knowledge of the sensitive points (physical objects in the solar system, intersections of rotational and orbital planes, i.e. angles and nodes, and symmetry between such points, i.e. parts, midpoints and planetary pictures) most frequently used by the majority of contemporary astrological researchers and practitioners. These do not always follow the classification boundaries established by astronomers. Further, terminology may differ as well. The use of the term planet has been traditionally applied to the Sun and Moon, although every astrologer knows they are not planets. Likewise, Pluto has become established as an important sensitive point by a majority of researchers and practitioners and is commonly referred to as a planet, regardless of the current definition. Other solar system bodies, such as Ceres found in the main Asteroid Belt, and Pluto and Eris in the Kuiper Belt, have recently been classified as dwarf planets and several others are presently being evaluated by astronomers for that status. At present, Ceres is still commonly referred to as an asteroid in the astrological community. Interestingly, it is not yet clear in the astronomical community whether dwarf planet status is, like planet status, a sole defining category, or whether dwarf planets also retain their previous minor body classifications such as asteroid. It remains to be seen how astrological researchers and practitioners will refer to the Kuiper Belt Objects. Important: The NCGR exams will adhere to the current astrological definitions of solar system bodies. Those taking the NCGR exams should regard Pluto as a planet and Ceres as an asteroid.
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8.30.07 National Council for Geocosmic Research