Eclipse Fever – Solar Eclipse on August 21, 2017

by Alison Price

Solar Eclipse

On August 21st, 2017 there will be a solar eclipse visible from many places in the North America.

The eclipse will pass through the US from Oregon to South Carolina with the shadow of the Moon streaking across the land with the total eclipse path around 65km wide.

Even up here in Vancouver, Canada we see the Moon cover around 75% of the disc of the Sun and it will be a partial eclipse for us.

I have cleared my diary for this special day and I shall be in the park across from my apartment at the time of the eclipse which will reach totality at around 10:30 am.

You need to have found a seat by 9 am. I plan to take a coffee and a brunch picnic.

Perhaps I’ll have my sketchbook as well.

You will need special eclipse glasses and I have mine already.

I first used these for the Venus transit of the Sun way back in 2012 so they’ve been lying on my shelf waiting for another solar eclipse to come my way.

The Eclipse Path

Even though there are at least two solar Eclipses each year they often pass unnoticed over the ocean so you don’t get to see them at all. But this August the world will be watching as the shadow sweeps over the USA from Oregon to South Carolina.

Check out this handy eclipse path diagram with the compliments of NASA.

You Interpret Eclipses in 3 ways

The Eclipse Chart Itself – General
How it Contacts your Birth Chart – Personal
The Original Saros Chart – Collective

1 – The Eclipse Chart – General Interpretation

The actual eclipse chart itself will show you the nature of this particular eclipse. Always set your eclipse chart for the zero Aries house system if you are interpreting the eclipse itself.

Now aspects to the eclipse will come into play and with any eclipse chart you can look at:

Any planet conjoined this solar eclipse as it will be important.
Any planets opposing the solar eclipse will be important.
Any other aspects to the eclipse point can now be considered.

2 – Contacts to your Natal chart – Personal Interpretation

When looking at the personal effect of any particular eclipse check for two main things regarding your natal chart; the house and the aspects.

Natal House

The eclipse will be at 28 Leo. Find which house in your chart the eclipse will fall and this will be where you can make a new start.

Eclipse Aspects to Your Natal Chart

For aspects use an orb of 2 degrees and see if this eclipse contacts any of your planets or points with either an opposition or a conjunction.

I don’t look at other aspects as the main feature of any eclipse is the syzygy between the Sun, Moon and the Earth.

To support this geometry you only need to consider conjunctions (solar eclipse) and opposition (lunar eclipse). Only these two aspects are of interest when working with an eclipse to your natal chart.

If there are no conjunctions or oppositions to your natal chart this particular eclipse will probably not affect you much.

Conjunctions to you own Sun will make this eclipse a part of your Solar Return chart and thus it will be in effect for one whole year for you.

If your birthday is from August 19th to 23rd of any year the energy in this eclipse will affect you for the next twelve months.

3 – The Original Saros Chart – Collective Interpretation

Every eclipse belongs to a Saros series. The original Saros chart from the first eclipse in the Saros is important to show the nature of this family of eclipses.

The original Saros chart for the eclipse on August 21st, Saros series 1 North is shown below.

Saros 145

Below is the full display of Saros 145. The blue line is the Moon’s shadow as it slowly draws down towards the south with every eclipse in the Saros.

How Long Does an Eclipse Effect Last?

Typically astrologers say an eclipse will last until the next eclipses season or about six months when it is then wiped out by the current eclipses.

But there is a better way to measure the length of time each particular eclipse will last.

Solar Eclipse Effects in Time

Solar eclipses are in effect for one month for each minute of the eclipse. This particular eclipse is total for 2 minutes and 40 seconds so its effect will be for around two and a half months.