Accuracy of Alignments?

[Macavity]

O.K. Here's a very basic question to help with my (rather minimal requirements in) understanding of astrology. I am e.g. conversant with the very basic concepts of the houses - and objects being "in them" etc. But my question is about alignments or should that be perhaps... aspects ;)

Simply, how near to some "absolute ideal" do these have to be, for the respective condition to be true. I guess I naively imagine e.g. planetary oppositions to be (very) fleeting from a scientific perspective? Or does this apply to whole diametrically opposed houses containing the bodies in question? Is there some visual perception criterion involved? Idem for conjunctions, trines, squares... etc. etc., I guess? })

Hope I'm being sufficiently clear in the question...

Macavity

[isthmus nekoi]

Macavity, if you mean orbs, the closer and tighter, the stronger the influence. By this I mean the closeness in degrees:

Sun at 3 degrees Cap and Venus at 4 degrees Cap would make a 1 degree orb. This would be stronger than say, the same thing if Venus was at 10 degrees Cap (which would make the orb wider at 7 degrees). Does this answer your question?

It's not really about looks since the difference b/w 1 degree and 7 degrees probably won't look very different on a chart, but the 1 degree orb would be much much tighter/stronger.

[Macavity]

Ah, thank you very much Isthmus. :)

That would indeed seem to be it. My astrology "cookbook" doesn't say a whole lot about that, but does define the term ORB in the glossary!

The permitted tolerance of deviation in the calculation of aspects. The orbs are between one and ten degrees according to type of aspect and the school of astrology

So there we are! Clearly it gets more complex from that point onwards... including harmony, dischord and indeed strength of considered interaction :D

Macavity

[isthmus nekoi]

Macavity, you may also be interested in these 2 threads:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9407&highlight=orbs

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18399&highlight=orbs