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Astral Atlas
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Astrology wiki

Explore wiki concepts, word origins, evidence and their connections to traditions and tools.

Meaning, evidence and context

Concepts A–Z

512 concepts, each with a definition, word origins, a brief epistemology and source links. Hover or focus a dotted term to preview it. Tap once for the preview, then follow the entry.

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Subject

9 terms

B
Calculation concepts

Backend flag →

Also: ephemeris flags

Machine-readable settings reporting which calculation model or coordinate options were requested or actually used.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Descriptive software compound.

Backend names the calculation machinery behind the interface; flag is a software marker identifying a mode or condition.

How we know · epistemology
Computational provenance

Returned flags record how software actually produced a result. They can reveal substitutions and correction choices, but a matching flag alone does not independently test numerical accuracy.

E
Calculation concepts

Effective year →

Also: effective years

The year selected for a calculation after its year-boundary rule has been applied. In the fixed February 4 method, a date before February 4 uses the preceding Gregorian year.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Modern explanatory English phrase.

Effective is used in the sense operative or in effect. It descends from Middle English effectif and Late Latin effectivus. Here the compound labels a calculation choice; it is not presented as a historical Nine Star term.

How we know · epistemology
Method-dependent intermediate value

The effective year is reproducible only when the boundary rule is known. It is an input to the annual-number arithmetic, not an additional prediction.

Calculation concepts

Ephemeris →

Also: ephemerides

A table or numerical model giving astronomical positions at specified times.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Greek through Latin.

Greek ephemeris meant a diary or daily record; astronomical tables preserve the idea of positions recorded day by day.

How we know · epistemology
Numerical astronomical model

An ephemeris predicts positions from fitted observations and dynamical models. Agreement with independent observations tests the positional calculation, while its date range and model assumptions limit accuracy.

L
Calculation concepts

Longitude speed →

Also: longitude_speed_deg_per_day

How quickly ecliptic longitude is changing, in degrees per day; negative values indicate retrograde motion in that frame.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Descriptive mathematical compound.

Longitude identifies the angular coordinate; speed identifies its rate of change. This label does not mean linear travel speed.

How we know · epistemology
Derived astronomical quantity

Speed is the time derivative of longitude in the chosen frame. A negative value describes that coordinate’s motion; changing the origin or frame can change its interpretation.

M
Calculation concepts

Moshier ephemeris →

Also: Moshier

An analytical planetary model available as a Swiss Ephemeris fallback when the appropriate data files are unavailable.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Eponym.

Moshier is the surname of numerical-software author Stephen L. Moshier. The label distinguishes his calculation implementation within the ephemeris options.

How we know · epistemology
Analytical astronomical model

This fallback supplies positions through an analytical model. It may keep a calculation available when files are missing, but its use must be disclosed instead of reporting file-based ephemeris precision.

N
Calculation concepts

Nutation →

Smaller periodic variations in Earth’s axis orientation superimposed on precession.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Latin borrowing.

Latin nutatio means nodding, from nutare, to nod or rock; the name describes the smaller oscillation superimposed on precession.

How we know · epistemology
Observed and modeled motion

Periodic orientation terms refine the broader precession model. Comparing results requires knowing whether nutation is included; adding it improves coordinate consistency, not the evidential status of a reading.

O
Calculation concepts

Obliquity →

The angle between Earth’s equatorial plane and the ecliptic.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Latin through French.

Latin obliquitas means slanting or being at an angle; here it names the tilt between equator and ecliptic.

How we know · epistemology
Astronomical geometry

The tilt is defined between two reference planes and varies with time. A model must specify mean or true obliquity; the number is not a measure of personal inclination.

P
Calculation concepts

Precession →

The slow change in Earth’s axis orientation that shifts equinox-based coordinate references relative to distant stars.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Latin through Medieval Latin.

From praecessio, going before. The name originally referred to the equinoxes occurring progressively earlier against the stars.

How we know · epistemology
Observed and modeled motion

Changes in Earth’s orientation are modeled from astronomical evidence. Their coordinate effects explain changing equinox references; they do not by themselves select one astrological zodiac as the correct interpretive system.

S
Calculation concepts

Swiss Ephemeris →

The astronomical calculation library used here; agreement with it checks numerical calculations, not astrological meanings.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Modern product name.

Swiss identifies the Swiss-developed Astrodienst ephemeris library; ephemeris is the older word for a table of celestial positions.

How we know · epistemology
Documented software implementation

The library documents positional algorithms and selectable conventions. Matching its output establishes implementation agreement; checking returned flags and independent references is still necessary before making an accuracy claim.