The Motions of the Earth and the effect of Sidereal, Solar and Synodic Time Periods

There are 3 kinds of motion associated with the Earth namely which are:
- Rotation
- Revolution
- Precession

It is to be noted that the Earth rotates around it's own axis constantly along with also revolving around the Sun. There is also a third motion which happens very minutely that is known as procession. The Earth wobbles around it's axis which tilts it's relative position to the background stars by approximately 50 seconds a year. This effect of the wobble causes the earth to shift about 1 degree in a span of 72 years (1 degree = 3600 seconds divided by 50 seconds wobble). Applying some mathematics, we can infer that the Earth's axis gets shifted by 180 degrees in 12960 years (72 years for 1 degree multiplied by 180) and to return back to it's original position of 360 degrees takes roughly 25920 years (72 years for 1 degree multiplied by 360). 

This wobbling effect though very minor in nature since it is only barely 50 seconds for a year is not considered within the parlance of Tropical Zodiac and that is the whole reason why sun sign dates differs between the Indian and Western system. The Indian Vedic system adopts the Sidereal Zodiac that takes into account the Wobble effect whereas the Western system takes only the Tropical Zodiac not factoring the Wobbling impact of the Earth. The debate is however endless with respect to the time period in which the wobbling effect started to take place which gives rise to the phenomenon called 'Ayanamsa' which is defined as the angle by which the sidereal ecliptic of a celestial body is less than its tropical ecliptic longitude.

The consensus currently is that Earth has shifted around 24 degrees from its initial position and that is the reason why we see about 24 days difference between the two zodiacs. For instance, the common belief is that the Sun enters the sign of Sagittarius around 22nd of November but the month of Margazhi which is Sun's movement into the sign of Dhanus or Sagittarius occurs only around 16th December as per the almanacs published. The difference will only expand as time keeps travelling but the thing to be noted is that the dates of the Tropical Zodiac will remain more or less constant whereas it's only the dates in the Sidereal Zodiac that will undergo a change of roughly about a day once in every 72 years.

Another important point to keep track is the time taken by the Earth to revolve around the Sun. We know that one year constitutes of 365 days and a leap year is added once every 4 years to make the tally as 366 days. This is because the Earth takes about 365.2422 days to traverse 360 degrees around the Sun. This extra quarter of 0.25 over and above 365 days is added as an extra day once every 4 years (0.25*4 = 1 day) to bridge for this gap. For all practical purposes, a year cannot consist of days in decimals and hence a conventional year is accounted only as 365 days with a leap year of 366 days thrown in once every 4 years. Also it can be noted that Earth revolves about a degree a day around the Sun (365 days for 360 degrees) with the average mean motion of the Earth around the Sun being accounted for about 59 Min 8 seconds in a day.

Lets take a look at some important terminologies with respect to Earth's motion:

Sidereal Day: A Sidereal Day is the time taken by Earth to rotate around it's axis with respect to the stars. This takes about 23 hours 56 minutes and 4.09 seconds.
Sidereal Day = 23 Hours, 56 Minutes, 4.09 Seconds or 0.997270 Days

Solar Day or Tropical Day: A solar day is the time it takes for the Earth to rotate about its axis so that the Sun appears in the same position in the sky. We know a day consists of 24 hours with the time taken by Earth to rotate around it's axis being 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds. We also know that the Earth revolves around the Sun. To complete a solar day, Earth must rotate an additional portion equal to 1/365 of a full turn. The time required for this extra rotation is 1/365 of a day is approximately close to about 4 minutes. Thus a Solar Day is recorded as 24 hours.
Solar Day = 24 Hours or 1 Day

Synodic Day or Lunar Day: This basically equates to a 'Tithi' within an Indian parlance and denotes the angular distance formed between the Sun and Moon. The Earth revolves around the Sun and the Moon traverses across the Earth's orbit. Since the motions of the Sun and Moon are always varying in speed, the length of a tithi constantly changes and can alternate between 19 hours to 26 hours. However the mean length considered is 24 hours based on the solar time.
Synodic Day = 24 Hours or 1 Day

Sidereal Month: A Sidereal month is the time needed for the Moon to return to the same place against the background of the stars. The Moon revolves around the Earth and takes approximately a little over 27 days to return back to it's orbit. The average daily motion of the moon is said to be about 13 degrees 10 minutes and 35 seconds and to transgress 360 degrees around the Earth is said to take about 27.32 days (360 degrees divided by 13 degrees, 10 minutes and 35 seconds). In Vedic Astrology, the constellations are divided into 27 types of Stars or Nakshatras with each having a time span of 13 degrees 20 minutes. Thus it could be configured that on an average, a Nakshatra span lasts a little over one day considering the daily mean motion of Moon is 13°10'35'' whereas time duration associated with a Nakshatra happens to be 13° 20''.
Sidereal Month = 27 Days, 7 Hours, 43 Minutes, 11.5 Seconds or 27.321661 Days

Solar Month: A solar month is derived based on a Calendar year which consists of 365 days and a leap year added once every 4 years making it 366 days. We know there are 12 months in a year and dividing it by 365 or 366 results in about 30.5 days per month. However for practical purposes we do not normally round the days in a month and the standard days in a month is taken as 30. However some of the months do also have 31 days with February having the least with 28 in normal years and 29 during a leap year.
Solar Month = 30 Days

Synodic or Lunar Month: A Lunar month is considered to be the time period between one full moon to another full moon or one new moon to another new moon. This is based on the relative reference of the Sun and Moon with Earth being the binding factor. Taking the Sun and Moon to be in the exact same position, we already know that a Sidereal month takes approximate 27.32 days. By the time the Moon takes this time to make one path on the Earth's orbit, the Earth would have motioned around 27 degrees towards the Sun. (Since Earth's motion around the Sun is about a degree a day or more precisely 59 min 8 seconds per day). While the Moon is orbiting Earth, the Earth is progressing in its orbit around Sun. After completing a sidereal month, the Moon must move a little further to catch up with the new position having the same angular distance from the Sun. Therefore, a Lunar month takes about 2.2 days longer than a sidereal month making a Lunar Month approx 29 and a half days in length.
Synodic Month = 29 Days 12 Hours 44 Minutes 2.9 Seconds or 29.530589 Days

Sidereal Year: A Sidereal Year is the time that Earth takes to orbit the Sun and return to the same position in relation to the background of the stars. It takes into account the precession caused by the wobbling of the earth and hence it takes about 20 minutes longer than a Tropical year which does not factor into account the effect of precession.
Sidereal Year = 365 Days, 6 Hours, 9 Minutes, 9.5 Seconds or 365.256364 Days

Solar Year or Tropical Year: A Solar Year or Tropical Year which is also known as the Year of the Seasons is the time it takes the Earth to complete a full orbit around the Sun. However while deriving the measure of a Tropical year, the axial tilt of the earth caused due to it's wobbling nature is not considered into account making it slightly shorter in duration than a Sidereal Year.
Solar Year = 365 Days, 5 Hours, 48 Minutes, 46.43 Seconds or 365.242189 Days

Synodic or Lunar Year: A Synodic or Lunar Year is based on the monthly phases of the Moon's cycle which constitutes the relationship based upon the angular distance between Sun and Moon. We have seen that a Lunar month lasts about 29 and a half days and hence to cover 12 cycles will take on an average of about 10-11 days less than a calendar year of 365 days. The number of Lunar months in a Solar Year is said to be about 12.36827.
Synodic Year = 354 Days, 8 Hours, 48 Minutes, 34 Seconds or 354.367060 Days  

Based on the motions of the Earth, the following can also be summarized briefly:
Rotation of the Earth causes the Day and Night Phenomena
The Earth rotates from West to East and one side of the Earth faces the Sun causing day light and the other side gets obscured from the rays of the Sun causing darkness. The Rotation of the Earth also determines the Ascendant in a Horoscope which is the point on the eastern horizon when an individual takes birth. The Ascendant has a direct correlation with the Sun. The Sun rises in the East which dawns a new beginning. In the default Kalapurusha chart, the first sign Aries which also happens to be the exalted sign for Sun is said to denote the Eastern direction. Also the Sages have attributed Sun to be the significator for the first house of birth manifestation.

Revolution of the Earth causes Seasons
As the earth rotates on its axis producing day and night, it also moves about the sun in an elliptical orbit that requires about 365 1/4 days to complete. The earth's axis is tilted with respect to its orbital plane which is what causes the seasons. When the earth's axis points towards the sun, it is summer for that hemisphere. When the earth's axis points away, winter can be expected. Since the tilt of the axis is 23 1/2 degrees, the North Pole never points directly at the Sun, but on the summer solstice it points as close as it can, and on the winter solstice as far as it can. Midway between these two times, in spring and autumn, the spin axis of the earth points 90 degrees away from the sun. This means that during this period, day and night have more or less about the same length of 12 hours.
                           

-> Summer Solstice : Jun 20-22 - Sun reaches it's northern most point when North Pole tilts closest to the Sun - Northern Hemisphere experiences longer days & shorter nights - Southern Hemisphere experiences shorter days & longer nights

-> Winter Solstice : Dec 21-22 - Sun reaches it's southern most point when South Pole tilts closest to the Sun - Northern Hemisphere experiences shorter days & longer nights - Southern Hemisphere experiences longer days & shorter nights

-> Vernal or Spring Equinox : Mar 20-21 - Sun moves northward across the celestial equator with the North Pole starting to tilt towards the Sun indicating climate starting to get hotter in the Northern Hemisphere. Northern Hemisphere experiences Spring with days & nights being equal - Southern Hemisphere experiences Autumn with days & nights being equal.

-> Autumn Equinox : Sep 22-23 - Sun moves southward across the celestial equator with the South Pole starting to tilt towards the Sun indicating climate to start getting hotter in the Southern Hemisphere. Northern Hemisphere experiences Autumn with days & nights being equal - Southern Hemisphere experiences Spring with days & nights being equal.

Note: Autumn always comes after summer season and spring follows winter season. In autumn, the temperature gradually decreases and in spring the temperature starts increasing. The Autumnal Equinox is related to the autumn season and the term vernal equinox is related to the spring season

Additionally, it would also be a subject matter of interest to know about the concepts of Perihelion and Aphelion. Perihelion or Periapsis occurs when Earth moves closest to the Sun which takes place around 1st week of January every year whereas Aphelion or Apoapsis is when Earth moves furthest away from the Sun and this takes place around the first week of July every year.
                               

Precession of the Earth causes Ayanamsa or Precision of Equinoxes
As the Earth wobbles around it's axis, it leads to an axial tilt creating the effect of Ayanamsa which leads to the formation of Sidereal Zodiac based upon the backdrop of the stars as opposed to the Tropical Zodiac which causes seasons and does not factor the wobbling effect into it's equation.

The Most Awaited Eclipse Phenomena in Sagittarius/Gemini

Eclipses aren't an everyday phenomenon and neither is it a rare occurrence. A solar and lunar eclipse are likely to take place almost every 6 months. A solar eclipse is defined when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun and likewise a Lunar Eclipse happens when the Moon passes directly behind Earth and into its shadow. Viewing from a horoscopic angle, there are 4 essential components required for an eclipse to take place which are the Sun, Moon, Rahu (North Node) and Ketu (South Node). For all practical purposes, the Earth isn't considered as that's the place we all are in and considered more as a reference point. One more factor to note is that a Solar Eclipse takes place only on Amma Vasya which is when Moon comes very close to join with the Sun and a Lunar Eclipse takes place only on Poornima which is when the Moon is straight opposite the sun at 180 degrees. These motions are also coined as the waxing and waning phases of the Moon.

Now coming back to the question as to why this Eclipse happens to be far more anticipated than the regular set of eclipses which occur on an annual basis. The only reason attributed could be because of the stellium or joining journey of a bushel of planets happening in the zone of the zodiac sign Sagittarius. This is said to intensify energies and Sagittarius being a fiery sign in general, there could be some sense of discomfort and extensive aggression. There are always two zodiac signs coming into the forefront during an eclipse and apart from Sagittarius, the other zodiac happens to be the natural 3rd sign of communication Gemini which is said to possess an airy characteristic. Hence this projection happens in the territory of Gemini & Sagittarius and those having prominent placement in their natal chart in these two zodiac signs come under the firing line. Also just for the record, this upcoming solar eclipse would be the last in this decade (2010-19) and the impending lunar eclipse will be the first in the next decade (2020-29).

Solar Eclipse (26th Dec 2019):
Sun will be in Sagittarius (Dhanus) and Moon will also be in Sagittarius (Dhanus) and hence they are conjunct with each other. Ketu is also posited in Sagittarius along with the Sun & Moon with Rahu being 180 degrees apart in Gemini (7 signs away) giving rise to a perfect Solar Eclipse.

Lunar Eclipse (10th Jan 2020):
Sun will be in Sagittarius (Dhanus) and Moon would have moved to Gemini (Mithuna) which is 180 degrees apart. Ketu is posited in Sagittarius with the Sun and Rahu is right now in Gemini along with the moon giving rise to a perfect Lunar Eclipse.

Just to get the drift, concentrate only on Sun, Moon, Rahu and Ketu. The Solar eclipse takes place in the signs of Sagittarius and Gemini (Sun, Moon & Ketu in Sagittarius and Rahu in Gemini) whereas the Lunar eclipse will also take place in the signs of Sagittarius and Gemini (Sun & Ketu in Sagittarius and Moon & Rahu in Gemini)

Astronomical Perspective:
The ecliptic is the path where the earth revolves around the Sun. The Moon has it's own orbital path around the earth which is slightly tilted and not in the same plane. The intersection points of the Moon's orbital path when crossing the ecliptic gives rise to the Nodes which in essence equates to the earth's orbit around the Sun called Rahu (North Node) and Moon's orbit around the Earth called Ketu (South Node).

The moon completes one full orbit of 360° around the earth in approx 27.3 days. In this process it also transits across the zodiac which is an imaginary band that follows the ecliptic around the earth. There are 12 signs of 30° and hence Moon takes approx 2 1/4 days (27.3 days/12 signs) transiting against the backdrop of a zodiac sign.

When the Moon transits the zone of Sagittarius ♐ (Dhanus Rasi) on 26th Dec 2019, it's orbital path entails it to move towards the intersecting point of Ketu which cuts across the ecliptic. The Moon also comes in close alignment with the Sun which is already perched here. The Moon bordering on the Nodal axis and in close proximity to the Sun blocks the sun light from falling on to the earth resulting in a Solar eclipse.

After about a fortnight, when the Moon sectors across the backdrop of Gemini ♊ (Mithuna Rasi) on 10th Jan 2020, it's orbital path entails it to move towards the intersecting point of Rahu which cuts across the other side of ecliptic. The Moon has now gone very far away from the Sun being oppositely aligned and passes behind the earth. Since the earth is now between the Sun and the Moon, it wouldn't be possible for the light of the sun to reach the Moon as the Earth obstructs it and this results in a Lunar eclipse.

Hence a solar eclipse can only take place on Amma Vasya when the Sun & Moon are in close conjunction and when Moon revolves near by the intersecting nodal point Ketu (in this case) enabling the Moon to cast a shadow on earth. Likewise a Lunar eclipse can only occur on Poornima when Sun & Moon are at the furthest from each other and Moon revolves towards the side of the other intersecting nodal point Rahu (in this case). Here since the moon is behind the earth, the earth instead casts a shadow on Moon.

Highlights and Pointers:
As highlighted, it's only these 4 attributes viz Sun, Moon, Rahu and Ketu which are responsible for casting an eclipse but the interesting point to observe is that apart from these 4 planets, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn will also be holding hands in the domain of Sagittarius. Mercury is said to be characterizing Earthy element with Jupiter denoting Ether Tattva and Saturn is naturally said to be Airy by nature. The only two missing links Mars the fiery male and Venus the watery female are placed on either side in Scorpio and Capricorn respectively when the Solar Eclipse operates. During the time of Lunar eclipse however Venus will shift over to Aquarius with Mars staying put in it's battle field of Scorpio. Coming to those impacted, the one's having the following placements in their natal charts need to tread this eclipse phase with caution.

- Sun, Moon, Rahu, Ketu falling in the signs of Sagittarius or Gemini
These 4 components in effect are the reason eclipses even get formed and hence when someone at birth has these planets at birth in the two signs of Gemini and Sagittarius, the impact can said to trigger tribulations. Also Sun is said to denote the soul and the Moon depicts the mind with Rahu/Ketu both associated with past life karmas. Thus the one's having any of these 4 planets in their natal chart  in these signs need to treat this eclipse with care. Listing below the deities and incarnations with respect to these 4 planets whose worship can be some resolute at this point of time.
Sun - Lord Agni (Ram Incarnation)
Moon - Lord Varuna (Krishna Incarnation)
Rahu - Goddess Durga (Varaha Incarnation)
Ketu - Lord Ganesha (Matsya Incarnation)

- Ascendant being in the sign of Sagittarius or Gemini
The Ascendant is the zodiac which is rising in the eastern direction at the time of birth. If the Ascendant or Lagna falls in these two signs, it can bring some knee jerk reactions. The Ascendant is the basis or reference point of a horoscope and said to denote the physical characteristics of a person. The rising sign is considered to be the first house in a horoscope and the inter-relation of all planets are tied to it and hence it assumes paramount importance.
Dhanus/Sagittarius - Lord Dattatreya (Any form of Guru worship such as Dakshinamurthy) (Jyotirlinga - Kasi Viswanath)
Mithuna/Gemini - Lord Shriman Narayana (Any form of Vishnu worship such as Venkatesa Perumal) (Jyotirlinga - Nageshwara)

- Mercury, Jupiter or Saturn in the signs of Sagittarius or Gemini
This is just an additional consideration to be taken note of. It may not have as much of a say as the placement of Sun,Moon,Rahu,Ketu but these planets when moving along in transit in addendum to the eclipse effect crossing over their natal placements can cause a bit of an upside energy exchange. Mercury denotes the intelligence side, Jupiter portrays wisdom and Saturn on the discipline and hardships encountered by an individual. Worship to Lord Vishnu (Buddha Incarnation), Brahma (Vamana Incarnation) and Bairava (Koorma Incarnation) may be useful at this juncture.

- Amma Vasya or Poornima being the birth Tithi
These Tithis are like the bed rocks based on which eclipse formation takes place. During birth it may or may not have been a case of an eclipse but a tithi return in conjunction with an explosive eclipse taking place, it is perhaps best to invoke divine blessings at this point of time.
Amma Vasya - Lord Pitris (Ruled by Rahu, good to worship deity Sadashiva)
Poornima - Lord Chandra (Ruled by Saturn, good to worship deity Varuna)

- Chatushpada, Nagava, Vishti, Bava being the birth Karana
A Karana is basically half of a tithi and hence these will be the karanas operating as part of the solar eclipse and lunar eclipse respectively. Chatushpada and Naga form the 1st and 2nd karana of Amma Vasya Tithi with Vishti and Bava being the 1st and 2nd Karana of Poornima Tithi. Devotion to the Karana deities may be a dutiful consideration.
Chatushpada - Kala Bairavar (Symbolised by Dog)
Naga - Nagarajar, Sarpam (Symbolised by Snake)
Vishti - Karthikeya, Subramania Swamy (Symbolised by Cock)
Bava - Lakshmi Narasimhar (Symbolised by Lion)

- Nakshatras being Mrigashira, Arudra, Punarvasu, Moola, Poorva Ashada, Uthara Ashada
These are the Nakshatras that form part of the signs Gemini and Sagittarius and virtually any planet being placed in these constellations comes into the ambit of eclipse. It seems to be more profound for Moola and Arudra/Punarvasu as sensitive points since Moon will be transiting these constellations during the time of the eclipse but all of these stars come into the fray for being part of the zodiac signs of Sagittarius and Gemini. It may not be a bad idea to offer prayers to the Nakshatra deities as well.
Mrigashira - Deity: Soma, Related: Chandra, God: Chandra Sudeshwarar
Arudra - Deity: Rudra, Related:Shiva, God: Nataraja Shiva Peruman
Punarvasu - Deity: Aditi, Related: Devas, God: Shri Rama
Moola - Deity: Nirriti, Related: Asura, God: Anjaneya
Poorva Ashada - Deity: Apah, Related: Varuna, God: Jambukeshwarar
Uthara Ashada - Deity: Vishwadeva, Related: Ganesh, God: Vinayaka Peruman

- Other Miscellaneous Factors
3 limbs of the Panchang have been covered namely the Nakshatras, Tithi and Karanas. The remaining are Vara (solar day transiting from sunrise to next day sunrise) and the Yoga (sum of degrees of Sun and Moon). It is good to note that the solar eclipse occurs on a Thursday which is a day ruled by Jupiter and the Lunar eclipse operates on a Friday lorded by Venus. With respect to Yoga, Vriddhi Yoga lorded by Mercury will happen during the Solar Eclipse and Vyatipata Yoga lorded by Rahu will be running during the Lunar Eclipse. Hence those born on these days and yogas can also take a mild consideration of the effects of the eclipse.

Conclusion:
These are in essence about the interplay of eclipses. Eclipses are said to trigger momentary motions of uneasiness due to the movement of planets. It is always good to know about them for general understanding as well as information purpose. Thankfully it isn't a long standing effect and the best way to tackle is by invoking the divine and regulated fasting. By the time one blinks an eyelid, the eclipses would have already disappeared with life restored back to normalcy.

The phenomenon of Janma Nakshatra coinciding with English Birthday once every 19 years!

In the South of India and also in countries like Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore, the Janma Nakshatra of Moon is given high prominence. It is a tradition to tell the constellation of Moon star and offer prayers to God for one's well being. Birthdays are mostly celebrated on the rising birth star during the respective solar month in which one is born.

It is generally witnessed that every 19th year in one's life the Nakshatra at birth and the English Birthday date seems to coincide and is known to be pretty auspicious. There is however a mathematical computation as well as a reasoning based on why such a phenomenon usually occurs.

One needs to know a couple of basics before going into the specifics. First up is about the Sun which takes 365.25 days to cover it's full round of the 360 degree zodiac in order to return back to its natal solar position. A calendar year however consists of 365 days and every 4th year happens to be a leap year consisting of 366 days. The reason for the leap year is because the earth's orbit around the sun takes 365.25 days approx and to factor that 0.25 days, an extra day is added once in every 4 years.

Now coming to the moon, it takes approx 27.32 days to cover all the 27 Nakshatras or in essence you could say the 360 degrees of the zodiac. A nakshatra covers a distance of 13 degrees 20 minutes of the 360 degree band zodiac belt making the total nakshatra count as 27 (360 degrees divided by 13 degrees 20 minutes). The average daily motion of the moon is 13 degrees 10 minutes and 36 seconds. Converting this in zodiac space minutes, it traverses 790.60 minutes (13*60+10+36/60) in a day and the total nakshatra span happens to be 800 minutes (13*60+20). Hence a Nakshatra remains in the sky for a little over a days time or you can say 24 hours 17 mins and 7 seconds to be more precise (Please note this is also approximate as its based on mean daily motion). In effect to cover all the 27 nakshatras it takes roughly 27.32 days [648 hours (27 nakshatras*24 hours), 459 minutes (27 nakshatras*17 minutes) and 189 seconds (27 nakshatras*7 seconds)].

Thus within a calendar year of 365 days, moon makes 13 full rounds which will be 27.32*13=355.16 days which we shall approximate to 355 days. Thus in a way we can say that a solar year is 365 days and moon lunar year is 355 days. On the date of our birth or 0th year, the constellation which is rising in the skies happens to be our Janma Nakshatra. We celebrate our 1st birthday after the completion of 365 days but the moon completes 13 rounds in 355 days and we see a gap of 10 days between our English Birthday and our star birthday. In the 2nd year the gap becomes 20 days, 3rd year it becomes 30 days but within that span of 30 days, the Moon completes a set of Nakshatras in 27.32 days making the reminder as 3. In the 4th year you see 40 days difference and reminder is 13 and for 5th year reminder will be 23. In the 6th year when the difference heads to 60 days (365*6 less 355*6), moon will complete 2 rounds of 27.32 days which is roughly 55 days and still you would see a reminder of 5 days. This keeps happening until the 19th year when the difference becomes 190 days (365*19 less 355*19). When you divide this figure by 27.32, the reminder becomes 0 with the point difference being very minimal. (190÷27.32 equals approx 7 with fraction reminder). Hence most likely only once in every 19 years, your original Nakshatra at birth ends up arriving on the date of your birthday.

Additionally, it is often seen that the first star birthday is celebrated in a prominent way with the event being termed 'Ayush Homam'. This day will always end up being either 10 days before the actual English Birthday or 17 days after the English Birthday. As you would have guessed 10+17=27 which is the number of days for one nakshatra cycle to get covered. The reason it occurs on either 10 days before or 17 days after is because it also has to coincide with the solar month in which one has taken birth.

Important Facts and Information with respect to Janma Nakshatra:
- The Janma Nakshatra should be celebrated based upon the Luni-Solar month
A lunisolar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates a mixture of both the phase of the Moon and the time of the solar year, hence a combination of the lunar as well as the solar calendar. As an illustration let's say someone were born in the constellation of Rohini on Jan 21st in the solar month of Thai which usually runs from around mid of January to mid of February. Hence while celebrating birthday based on Janma Nakshatra, both these factors need to be ensured. There could be a case of Rohini Nakshatra to occur on say Jan 13th and at that time the solar month of Thai wouldn't have begun yet. Thus in such a case, celebration should be deferred until around Feb 9th or 10th when Rohini Nakshatra would coincide with the Tamil month of Thai. In such a case, the Janma Nakshatra Birthday could be almost 20 days away from one's actual English Birthday but the rule of Nakshatra coinciding with the solar month should always be adhered to.

- Birth Star occurring twice in a Solar month, only second one should be considered
If the Janma Nakshatra occurs twice within a given solar month, only the second occasion needs to be pigeonholed as Janma Nakshatra Birthday. Let's say someone was born in Revathi Nakshatra during the month of Chaitra which normally runs from Apr 14th to May 14th. Suppose Revathi star occurs twice within this phase for instance both on Apr 15th and May 12th, only the latter date of 12th May needs to be considered for the purpose of celebrating Birthday based on Janma Nakshatra

- Birth Star falling in 2 consecutive Solar Days, only second one to be considered
There can be instances of one's Nakshatra falling across 2 days. In such a case only the second one needs to be considered. The important thing to note is that Sunrise should be prevalent and hence the second date gains prominence. Even in cases where the birth star runs before Sunrise on Day1 and ends after Sunrise on Day2, the second day only should be taken into account. Only in such a scenario where the sunrise lasts for less than a third of the Nadika or a sixth of a Muhurtha which is just about 8 minutes on the second day, on that basis alone the first day can be considered presuming the Nakshatra started before Sunrise on Day1. However in extreme cases of Sunrise not being prevalent on both days, then the Janma Nakshatra day should be put on hold and be taken into consideration only in the next Solar month though it would end up being different from the solar month in which one were born.

Note:
The below is to understand how the calculation works. For simplicity we are taking 365 Days as Solar Year and Moon Year as 355 Days. But in actuality the Solar year is around 365.25 Days and a Moon's rotation within a complete solar year of 360 Degrees is around 13 times and takes 355.16 Days. You would see that in the 19th year the reminder is just 1 only because we have not considered fractions and likewise for 38th year it is 2, again on account of not taking the fractions which if taken ends up being close to nil and makes the English Birthday and Star Birthday tally exactly.

Year 1: Solar Cycle 365 Days Moon Cycle 355 Days Difference = 10 Days

Year 2 : Solar Cycle 365*2 Days Moon Cycle 355*2 Days Difference = 20 Days

Year 3 : Solar Cycle 365*3 Days Moon Cycle 355*3 Days Difference = 30 Days but one extra cycle formed by Moon of 27 Days, hence net difference = 3 Days (30-27)

Year 4 : Solar Cycle 365*4 Days Moon Cycle 355*4 Days Difference = 40 but one extra cycle formed by Moon of 27 Days, hence net difference = 13 Days (40-27)

Year 5 : Solar Cycle 365*5 Days Moon Cycle 355*5 Days Difference = 50 but one extra cycle formed by Moon of 27 Days, hence net difference = 23 Days (50-27)

Year 6 : Solar Cycle 365*6 Days Moon Cycle 355*6 Days Difference = 60 but two extra cycle formed by Moon of 27 Days, hence net difference = 6 Days (60-54)

Year 7 : Solar Cycle 365*7 Days Moon Cycle 355*7 Days Difference = 70 but two extra cycle formed by Moon of 27 Days, hence net difference = 16 Days (70-54)
Year 8 : Solar Cycle 365*8 Days Moon Cycle 355*8 Days Difference = 80 but two extra cycle formed by Moon of 27 Days, hence net difference = 26 Days (80-54)
Year 9 : Solar Cycle 365*9 Days Moon Cycle 355*9 Days Difference = 90 but three extra cycle formed by Moon of 27 Days, hence net difference = 9 Days (90-81)
Year 10 : Solar Cycle 365*10 Days Moon Cycle 355*10 Days Difference = 100 but three extra cycle formed by Moon of 27 Days, hence net difference = 19 Days (100-81)
Year 19 : Solar Cycle 365*19 Days Moon Cycle 355*19 Days Difference = 190 but seven extra cycle formed by Moon of 27 Days, hence net difference = 1 Days (190-189)

Year 30 : Solar Cycle 365*30 Days Moon Cycle 355*30 Days Difference = 300 but seven extra cycle formed by Moon of 27 Days, hence net difference = 3 Days (300-297)

Year 38 : Solar Cycle 365*38 Days Moon Cycle 355*38 Days Difference = 380 but fourteen extra cycle formed by Moon of 27 Days, hence net difference = 2 Days (380-378)

It should also be noted that every once in 3 years an extra month called Adhik maasa (365 solar year less 355 day lunar year = 10 days a year*3 years = 30 days or 1 month) is added as a technical correction in order to bridge the difference and synchronize the lunar and solar calendar. However this has no bearing with respect to the Moon's revolution across the 27 Nakshatras or 360 degree zodiacal orbit path.

The Date of celebrating New Year in different South Indian States!

Have you ever wondered why different states in the South of India celebrate new year on different days? There is an astrological as well as a traditional mindset associated mostly with respect to the sunrise/sunset of the day. In all the Indian festivals the sidereal year is adopted but the basis may either be the solar calendar or lunar calendar. Let's take a look at the dates in which new year is being celebrated in these Southern states.

Telugu and Karnataka New Year (Ugadi/Yugadi):
This is based on the lunar calendar which involves the relationship of both Sun and Moon. Ugadi occurs once the moon passes the Sun placed in Pisces (Meena) Rasi signifying the beginning of a new lunar month Chaitra. In other words we can also say the 1st tithi which gets formed viz Pratipada (first day of the bright fortnight of a new Hindu month) that occurs after Ammavasya. In the year 2019, Pratipada Tithi occured in the afternoon of the 5th of April but since sunrise needs to be prevailing only the next day 6th of April was considered for celebration of the new year. However if Pratipada Tithi prevails on 2 days of sunrise, the first day is considered. One thing to note with regard to Ugadi is it can take place any day from the mid of March to the mid of April.

Tamil New Year (Puthandu or Varsha Pirappu):
This is based on the solar calendar and involves the presence of Sun exclusively. The moon's position does not have a bearing in the scheme of things. It takes place with the Sun's ingress in to the sign of Aries (Mesha) signifying the beginning of the first day of the tamil month of Chithirai. It is also termed as Mesha Sankranthi. Astrologically it can also be said that Sun's entry point into the first constellation of Ashwini marks the start of a new year. It is also said to be the first day of Thai indicating the marking of harvest season. In Tamil Nadu, if the event occurs before Sunset it is considered as occurring on the same day however if it happens after Sunset hours (roughly on the mark of 6pm and above), then it is only celebrated on the next day. Varsha Pirappu always takes place in and around the mid of April depending on the Panchang being employed.

Kerala New Year (Vishu):
This follows the same logic as the Tamil New year and occurs with the sun's entry into the zodiac sign of Mesha (Aries). However the only difference being the day of sunrise needs to be prevalent and hence it occurs a day later than the Tamil New Year. This year it took place on the 15th of Apr 2019 and the reason for that is as per Kerala Panchangam, Sun entered Aries in the afternoon of 14th April 2019. During sun rise time on the 14th Apr 2019 it was still in Pisces and so the first day of sunrise after Sun's entry into Aries marks the celebration of Vishu.

Hence to summarize the above information briefly;
Telugu/Karnataka New Year:
Calendar - Lunar Calendar
Month - Chaitra (start of Pratipada Tithi - first day of Shukla Paksha)
Sunrise/Sunset - Sunrise needs to be prevalent on day of Tithi formation, if not considered next day.

Tamil New Year:
Calendar - Solar Calendar
Month - Chithirai (entry point of Sun in Mesha - Aries)
Sunrise/Sunset - At least sunset needs to be present on the day of Sun entering Mesha, if not considered in the next day.

Kerala New Year:
Calendar - Solar Calendar
Month - Chitra (entry point of Sun in Mesha - Aries)
Sunrise/Sunset - Sunrise needs to be prevalent on the day of Sun entering Mesha, if not considered in the next day.

The solar lunar atmospheric rise of Kohli!

Virat Kohli's run with the bat over the last year has been nothing short of path breaking and earth shattering. He has accumulated runs in gallons and gazillions and if one looks at his batting graph over the last year, it screams a phenomenal meteoric rise. Seldom has any batsman in any era enjoyed such a pyro technic run in both Tests as well as ODI form of cricket. While his test stats are daunting no doubt but these numbers have been matched in the past by other luminaries of the game but if you take his One Day International performances it's just mind boggling and beyond comprehension. He has electrocuted his way to glory by scoring runs at a razor sharp acceleration and his consistency is truly shell shocking.

This staggering run made me to also link it a bit with his astrological horoscope chart as I was somewhat curious to see how such a histrionic display could indeed be possible. Basically just wanted to see if there was any incentive that indicated the universe was also conspiring to make things happen in such an ecstatic fashion.

Before getting into the astrological stats, lets look at his bounty bag in ODIs and tests studded with diamond engraved shimmerings. I have purely taken into his account the runs he has scored since his last birthday ie the whole of the runs he has stacked up from his last Solar return (birthday) to the end of it which in essence could be attributed to his 30th year (5th Nov 2017 to 5th Nov 2018).

His ODI stats read as per below;
1202 runs in 14 matches out of which 5 of them were not out innings amounting to an unimaginable average of 133.5 runs per innings. This includes 6 three figure knocks of which two of them crossed 150. During this period he also scaled the peak of 10,000 one day international runs joining an elite list of batsman to have done so. Matches span across the period from Feb'18 to Nov'18. (No ODIs were played by India during the period Nov'17 to Jan'18).

The test stats read as below:
1673 runs in 13 tests and 23 innings out of which a single knock was a not out innings tallying up to a very impressive average of 76 runs per innings. This golden period has seen him score 7 hundreds out of which 3 came in back to back consecutive innings. The list also includes couple of double centuries to the kitty. India played 4 series during the period spread over the 12 month period between Nov'17 to Oct'18.

Now lets look at his horoscope chart. He is Sagittarius rising (Dhanus) with the following placements; Saturn in Lagna, Rahu in 3rd, Mars in 4th, Jupiter retro in 6th, Ketu in 9th, Venus & Moon in 10th and Mercury & Sun in the 11th. The current Dasa running for him is Rahu and almost his entire cricketing career has run in tandem with it's Dasa which has been extremely beneficial to him in winning lots of laurels. It's despositor Saturn is placed in Lagna itself. Rahu also happens to co-own Aquarius however the main owner still happens to be Saturn only. 3rd house represents courage, skill, strength, determination etc and Rahu has expounded all these significations which is very much apparent in his case. In Rahu Dasa, the sub Antar Dasa period running is Mercury which also happens to be his 7th lord and it's no surprise that his marriage also happened in this sub period of his 7th lord. Mercury sits 9 places (9th is supposed to be most fortunate house) from Rahu and is said to confer fortunate happenings and that's what has exactly happened.

For sudden exponential success, transits also play a role and hence we shall have a look at his different transit charts.

General Regular Transit:
Here we keep the Lagna and Moon as constants and the other major planets are reckoned from these points. The moon is the most important when seeing transits but the Lagna also has a role because mental and physical presence need to co exist for major events to take place. We mainly assess the strength of Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu/Ketu as these are the ones staying in a sign for a large period of time. Almost over the entire course of this period, Jupiter was transiting in Libra over the natal Sun and Mercury. From Lagna, Jupiter is in 11th enabling him to achieve his desires and also over current antar dasa planet Mercury which is auspicious. Also its presence over Sun gives it royal glory. Also Jupiter and Rahu the ruling Dasa planet happen to be in a trine to each other. Seeing things from Saturn's perspective, it has done one full circle of life (2.5 years * 12 signs) and returned back to its natal position. This Saturn return brings renewed changes and it has happened in the good for him. From natal Moon it's in 4th which isn't very good for comforts and lifestyles but from Moon 5th lord Trikona is Saturn and being in a 4th kendra takes away some of the negativity. Also Saturn both in transit as well as natal position is 11th from the current Rahu dasa which is a highly favourable position. Rahu/Ketu in transit is in 11th and 5th from Moon sign. Rahu already has been doing him wonders in this Dasa and his presence in 11th from Moon and that too taking its own nature has catapulted things in his favour. It has in a way offset the negative placement from Lagna where it's in 8th.

Tajaka Solar Transit:
This is the chart which is gathered by keeping the Sun in its exact longitude as of birth. It's like a new year and a new beginning. The Sun retains its place as per what it is in natal chart but the other planets may have a directional shift. Obtaining his Solar chart for 2017 (30th year starting), his Ascendant is Gemini (Mithuna) with Rahu in 2nd, Mars in 4th, Jupiter/Venus/Sun in 5th, Mercury in 6th, Saturn in 7th, Ketu in 8th and Moon in 12th. The most favourable planet for Mithun Lagna, Venus is sitting very favourably in its own 5th house and hence is very strong. 5th is a very important house for sports & entertainment and a strong 5th lord and house denotes intelligence coming out in full fervour. The Lagna Lord Mercury is in 6th which isn't ideal but even there you find that there is a parivartana (exchange of signs) between Mercury and Mars with some of Mars strengthening qualities falling to Mercury. Also the 9th lord Jupiter and 5th lord Venus are together casting a very auspicious yog and this has really helped him surmount exceeding heights. It is to be noted that the 9th and 5th are generally the most auspicious houses in a horoscope. Hence its interesting to see that his solar return chart was pointing in the right direction.

Tithi Pravesh Transit:
This is another transit chart reckoned from the tithi in which one was born. Kohli was born in the auspicious Eka Dashi Tithi with some remaining percentage. Taking the same Eka Dashi birth tithi with exact percentage remaining in 2017 as at birth, we find that his ascendant is same as his natal Lagna Sagittarius. His Tithi Pravesh chart is as follows; Dhanus Lagna with Saturn in 1st house, Ketu in 2nd, Rahu in 8th, Mars/Moon in 10th,  Jupiter/Venus/Sun in 11th and Mercury in 12th. Here you figure that the house of desires 11th has become very powerful with the presence of Jupiter, Venus and Sun. Imagine Lagna Lord (self), 9th lord (fortune) and 11th lord (desires) all sitting together in 11th granting him herculean power to go about with his duty. The 10th with the presence of Mars is also aiding since in natural kala purusha chart Mars gets exalted in the 10th. So in essence, the TP chart also shows that he would have a very promising year.

Hence all in all, even the stars seem to be aligned for Virat Kohli which has seen him raise his game to unprecedented heights. His natal chart with a strong Dasa and Sub Dasa running in addition to powerful transits, a royal solar year and an auspicious Tithi year has led to a rollicking spree of run adrenalin which has made his 30th year of life extremely memorable.

Virat Kohli Details:
Natal Birth Chart
DOB : 5th Nov 1988
POB : New Delhi, India
TOB : 10:30 AM
Ayanamsa : Raman 22-15-18.74

Basic Concepts on Solar and Lunar Eclipse!

Here are a few basic concepts about Eclipse:

• When Sun and Moon are close to each other (same house), it's called Amma Vasya (New Moon).
• When Sun and Moon are 180 degrees apart (7th house from each other) , it's called Poornima (Full Moon).
• A solar eclipse occurs only on Amma Vasya and Lunar eclipse takes place only on Poornima and depends on the intersection of Rahu and Ketu.
• If either of Rahu/Ketu is associated with Sun/Moon an eclipse is created.

Lunar Eclipse (27th July 2018):
Sun is in Cancer (Kataga) and Moon has moved to Capricorn (Makara) which is 180 degrees apart. Rahu is posited in Cancer with the Sun and Ketu is right now in Capricorn along with the moon giving rise to a perfect Lunar Eclipse.

Solar Eclipse (11th Aug 2018):
Sun is in Cancer (Kataga) and Moon is also now in Cancer (Kataga) and they are conjunct with each other. Rahu is posited in Cancer along with the Sun & Moon and Ketu is 180 degrees apart in Capricorn giving rise to a perfect Solar Eclipse.

                                                                  Lunar Eclipse

                                                                 Solar Eclipse

Just to get the drift, concentrate only on Sun, Moon, Rahu and Ketu. The Lunar eclipse takes place in the signs of Cancer and Capricorn (Sun & Rahu in Cancer and Moon & Ketu in Capricorn) whereas the Solar eclipse also takes place in the signs of Cancer and Capricorn (Sun, Moon & Rahu in Cancer and Ketu in Capricorn)

Notes:

1) Rahu (Dragon Head) / Ketu (Dragon Tail) are always 180 degrees apart and transits a sign approx every 1 and half years. 

2) Sun transits a sign approx every one month (30 days)

3) Moon transits a sign approx every 2 and a quarter days (54 hours)

Hence, there is always the possibility of a Lunar & Solar eclipse taking place within a short time frame. Moon, who is posited along with Ketu in Capricorn and is directly opposite to Sun & Rahu in Cancer  forming a Lunar Eclipse on 27th July 2018 will quickly traverse to Cancer in roughly another 14-15 days (Approx 2.25 days * 6 signs from Capricorn to Cancer) to join Sun and Rahu and be opposite to Ketu in Capricorn giving way to form a Solar Eclipse on 11th August 2018.