Movements and Motions of Planets

All the planets (Rahu and Ketu excepted) perform the double function of not only revolving on their own axis (from West to East), but also round the Sun. Saturn is the most distant from the earth. Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury and the Moon come next in order of their distance from the terrestrial globe. Thus we see that the Moon is nearest to the Earth. The velocity of each planet diminishes as its distance from the earth increases.

We shall now give you an idea of the average motion of the various planets. Students are advised to have this information always at the tip of their tongue as it will prove useful to them when they come to actual working of the motions at the time of preparing a birth chart. It should not, however, be forgotten that motions that would be given here are only average motions. In actual practice the students will find very frequently that on certain days the actual motions are slightly less or more. This is due to the fact that the planets while revolving round the Sun, owing to cosmic influences, become somewhat irregular in their movements. To understand this very clearly a thorough knowledge of astronomy is required which is beyond the scope of our lessons.

The Sun moves at the rate of roughly one degree of the zodiac in one day composed of 24 hours and takes 365 days and 6 hours to complete a circle in the zodiac.

The Moon takes the average rate of one hour and 48 minutes to go through a degree of this space. Mars moves at the average rate of 45 days for 30 degrees or takes 1- 1 / 2 days per degree. Mercury moves at the aver-age rate of 1- 1 / 2 degrees a day but there is difference between the movement of Mars and Mercury. Mercury is very close to the Sun and due to solar influence, his movement is very unsteady. He completes the average run in 27 days. He hardly takes a day to move in each degree, but moves on more rapidly for sometime, gets in front of the Sun and then begins to move slowly and goes backwards of the Sun. But in these double motions of backwards and forwards, Mercury never gets away more than 28 degrees in either direction of the Sun.

Jupiter is allotted one year in each sign of 30 degrees but generally it is found that he stays in a sign for a little less than a year. Venus moves almost at the rate of 1 degree per day. Saturn takes about 2-1/2 years or 30 months to move in a sign of 30 degrees and thus he takes I month to move in a degree. Rahu and Ketu who always move in the reverse direction take 18 months to travel through each sign of the zodiac. As stated above Rahu and Ketu always move in the reverse direction. In other words they are always in retrograde motion. The Sun and the Moon are never retrograde. The remaining planets are direct In their motions, but in the course of their journey in the zodiac they are obstructed by certain invisible forces, as a result of which they become stationary for a while, get backward movements and again after sometime, they regain their natural courses. This phenomenon of going backwards is called retrogression It is said that these planets become retrograde when they are at a certain distance from the Sun and when they move away from that distance they become direct. It is also said that actually the planets never move backwards but appear to move in this manner as seen from the earth. As far as we are concerned we should remember that the sun and the moon always have direct movement. Rahu and Ketu always moves backward. The other planets have both direct and retrograde movement.

It is said that the planets become retrograde when they are at a certain distance from the Sun and when they move away from that distance they become direct. It is also said that actually the planets never move backwards but appear to move in this manner as seen from the earth. as far as we are concerned we should remember that the sun and the Moon always have direct movement. Rahu and Ketu always moves backward. The other planets have both direct and retrograde movement.