Basic Astronomy in Vedic Astrology

1. Vedic Astrology follows a Rational procedure basing on the Solar system consiting nine Planets viz. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, along with a beltof astroids revolving around the Sun. In the veo are notdic Astrology Uranus neptune and Plut considered. But they consider the Moon, the satelite of the Earth, as a Planet and the two Nodes of Moon, Rahu, and Ketu as equivalent to Planets. Rahu and Ketu are mathematically calculated sensitive points of the interaction of the orbits of the Moon and the Sun.
2. The Sun's annual path is called the ecliptic. The belt of 8 degrees on either side the ecliptic , where the Moon and the Planets appears to move is called the Zodiac. This Zodiac is devided into 12 Equal Parts of 30 Degrees each and are named as Signs or Rasis. They are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Saggitarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
3. Vedic Astrologers had converted the Heliocentric Position to Geocentric position of the Planets for delination and predictive purposes. Hence the Earth is replaced by the Sun, and naturally the satelite of the Earth, the Moon comes next to the Sun. They had alloted the 12 House to 5 Planets viz, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. at 2 signs each and one each sign to Earth replaced by Sun and the Moon. No Houses are alloted to Rahu, and Ketu as they are shadowy, planets or mathematical points.
4. Mathematical Formulas to calculate the position of planets, Sun, Moon Rahu, and Ketu are given in Surya Sidhanta, the Treatis on Astronomy. The greatness of these Rishis who acted as Astronomers, is that they have observed the heavenly bodies with the naked eyes, and meditation, as no Telecopes were available to them as Modern Astronomers who are preparing the ephemeris for observing the Planetary position.
5. In Vedic Astrology the entire Zodiac of 360 degrees is devided into 27 Nakshatras, or constellationof 13 Degrees 20 Minutes each and the Rulership i s assigned to the 5 Planets, Sun, Moon, and Moon's Nodes Rahu and Ketu. At the time of Birth Where ever the Moon stands against a particular Nakshatra is called as Janma Rasi and Janma Nakshatra.
6. Ascendant or Lagna as it is called in Sanskrit, is the rising Sign in the Eastern Horizon at the time of Birth or an event, or Muhurta. It is the point of intersection of the Ecliptic with the Horizon at a given time, at the given Place. Lagna is dependent on the rotetion of the earth on its axis, so it is dependant on the siderial time of a place at a given moment.
These are some basic phenomena basic on which the Vedic Astrology is formulated. Further details will be given in my next posting.
Sreenivas Desabhatla