PHOENIX FIVE EARTH CHANGES BULLETIN

Please Note: This Bulletin is conceived as a System. It is still in an early stage of evolution. We intend to progressively link into this synopsis system all of the major news feeds of Planet Earth which articulate aspects of the profound historical Change In The Earth which is underway.

Earth Changes Bulletin Update As Of December 15 2004

You have heard of the Weather Report? Here exclusively is this week’s "Earth Report" - a short review of the “big picture” about how the dynamic changes in the Sun and the Earth are effecting our lives more and more intensely, with the latest prognostications and predictions for weathermen, farmers, investors, businessmen, and every man.

You may click here for the full text of the Earth Changes Bulletin Update for this week, or use this URL

http://www.michaelmandeville.com/earthmonitor/ecbulletins/2004/ecb_Dec_15_04.htm

UPDATE PREDICTIONS FOR 2005 – 2012

and through “The Tribulations”

I am working on a systematic update which succinctly outlines predictions for the period 2005 – 2012 and through the period of what the Q’ero call the Pachacuti and the Hopi call the “Great Purification” (also known as the “Time of Troubles” or “The Tribulations”). For a variety of reasons, the final keys for putting together the final plot line of the Fourth Age and the most probable key signals are now being brought forward into my consciousness in a way which will allow me to describe them clearly and specifically to the world. Due to many issues, the greater bulk of this material shall not be openly available directly on the internet. Access to most of the predictions will be made available through paid annual subscriptions. Because of the strategic seriousness of some of the predictions, some I will only make available through mouth and ear in private seminars. I will begin to advise of this material through the EC Bulletins, through Alex Merklinger’s radio program, and through other radio appearances, such as the Lou Gentile Show.

FOR THIS AMAZING GLOBAL WARMING YEAR

On the geophysical front, SOLAR activity continued to slowly abate this past seven days and yesterday’s Sunspot Count fell steeply to 18 while the Solar Flux sank to 89. ACCORDINGLY. DECEMBER’S WEATHER AND HUMAN EMOTIONS) WILL CONTINUE TO BE MAINLY GEOPHYSICAL. El Nino REMAINS currently NOT on the way BUT the North Pacific is STILL SHOWING A POSSIBLE ANOMALY IN TEMPERATURE. This was weak as of December 5 but it could “heat up” again to greatly perturb the jet stream across North America and bring an enormously wet and snowy winter deeply to the Southwest and then across into Texas and the lower Great Plains. From below during the past seven days, the Earth remained sedate except for a 6.8 quake near the Cayman Islands. Volcanism simmered but mostly declined slightly except for a continuation of a major eruption on Manam near Papua. Likely the Earth will now remain sedated for the week ahead, possibly until the second week in January.

LATE BREAKING NEWS EVE. DEC 15: Sunspots climbed again to 28 while the Flux remained at 89.

On the geopolitical front, The truly bad news remains, the Bush Imperial Faction is currently well on the road to having seized complete control over the U.S. government while dozens of issue continue to fester through the Iway and poison international politics. Likely the U.N. will remain safe from the vandals in New York who are working to sack it, but the U.S. government will end up so infested by the work of the Bush Administration that it will take a generation to rid it of right wing implants. The next political blow-up of course is in late January, when the Iraqi elections, mass demonstrations in Washington DC, many lawsuits, and possibly the hand of Al Qaeda, may all converge. After that, Bush’s next term will get progressively more and more unstable and untenable and the tragic consequences of his regime may finally entangle him and bring him down.

Go to detailed synopsis…

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NOTES

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Program Thesis:

What are we trying to do with the Earth Changes Bulletin?

Most news media do not handle technical and scientific subjects like geology and earth sciences very well. They don't understand the causes and effects of activities in the Sun and Earth. Accordingly, they often do not understand if, when, how, why to report earthquakes, volcanic activity, global warming effects The treatment often sounds absent-minded, poorly qualified, and frequently contains various technical errors. Seldom is the treatment entertaining and genuinely educational.

Based on new scientific principles which have emerged during the past thirty years, many of the dynamic activities of the Sun and Earth can be linked together to see how a range of effects are linked together. This makes it possible to paint "the big picture" into a perspective which explains many diverse events and processes, especially climate and weather patterns such as global warming and El Nino. From the "big picture", long range predictions can be made for weeks and even months ahead. The result is sophisticated cutting-edge information which is objective, balanced, astute, relevant, and can be easily seen and appreciated by lay audiences. The perspective is generally global, seldom parochial. For the framework of concepts, terms, and current conditions which are used or described in the these Bulletins, see the Earth Changes 2003 Almanac Calendar.

To see the internet resources which are used to prepare this Update, take a look at the Earth Monitor front page - http://www.michaelmandeville.com/earthmonitor/

The Bulletin is written in Arizona (UTC +8 hours) so any relative references, such as “Today”, or “Tomorrow”, or “Yesterday” should generally to taken to refer to the day spans as experienced in Western North America.

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UPDATES

Nov 24 not available as of this date

UPDATE PREDICTIONS FOR 2005 – 2012 and through “The Tribulations”

A systematic synopsis is being assembled which succinctly outlines predictions for the period 2005 – 2012 and through the period of what the Q’ero call the Pachacuti and the Hopi call the “Great Purification” (also known as the “Time of Troubles” or “The Tribulations”. This outline will update the predictions in “The Coming Economic Collapse of 2006” and the “Return of the Phoenix”, mainly by confirming the general plot line and by adding more details which carry the predictions well beyond 2006-2008.

SPONSORING:

THE COMING ECONOMIC COLLAPSE OF 2006, which puts today, tomorrow, and the trends together into the Cayce 25 year economic cycle which will “bottom” in 2006/2007. Click here to download

THIS BOOK STILL COOKS AND IT WILL COOK THE POLITICIANS AND THE ECONOMY ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO 2008: This synthesis is far ahead of the daily digests in all halls of the internet media: so far (since May 2003) the track record on this set of predictions for 2003-2008 is running 100 per cent. If you have not purchased this book, you will remain ignorant of the main dynamics which are rapidly changing everything.

LATEST UPDATE NOTE AS OF DECEMBER 8, 2004: The dollar has firmed up for the short term. Oil prices are definitely down, perhaps through this month, but the price could rise again fairly soon in January. Meanwhile, Christmas is proving out to be a flat performance – not sour but not anything to write home about . This will keep stock values at current prices with a sag due in January.

LATEST UPDATE NOTE AS OF DECEMBER 1, 2004:

As stated November 17, no change except to add that the erosion of the dollar is now accelerating and there is a nearly universal feeling among the watchers and managers that the euro is going up as the dollar sinks yet more to adjust for the terrible imbalances in the American economy created by its profligate, highly spoiled scions who lust after Empire.

LATEST UPDATE NOTE AS OF NOVEMBER 17, 2004:

As per stated below, the bubble is re-inflating for a few more weeks or even months if Al Qaeda does not attack. Oil prices are dropping as stocks and equities firm up and the economy continues expansion with the expectation that American Imperialism will continue (unfortunately) to drive international events during 2005. BEWARE SUDDEN REVERSALS WHEN ALQAEDA STRIKES. BEWARE THE EMERGING SUPER-COALITION IN EURASIA WHICH WILL PROGRESSIVELY UNDERCUT THE AMERICAN DOLLAR DURING 2005, GENERALLY IN A MEASURED WAY WHICH AVOIDS SUDDEN PANIC. This is not a hostile action, it is a sensible reaction of the world to the vast over-reach of America’s Imperial Pretenders. This will produce a strong trend of basic price inflation in the U.S. as basic material commodity prices and the cost of imported goods continue to rise. The world WILL solve the Balance of Payments problem, mainly by raising the dollar costs of imports beyond the means of Americans to purchase them.

LATEST UPDATE NOTE AS OF NOVEMBER 3, 2004:

On all economic fronts, hang tuff. The bubble will hang in there for a little while longer even if it is currently sagging under the high oil prices. Oil prices will come down this Winter and the rebuilding boom in the SE section of the country will keep the economy firm. Stocks will go back up with the decline in oil prices and so will the value of the dollar. All long term projection for the collapse in 2006 is still right on target. The main proviso in all things is Al Qaeda. The re-election of Bush will, more probable than not, bring Osama Bin Laden to order another major round of terrorist attacks against the U.S. with in a few weeks. Such attacks will likely have a major negative impact on the U.S. economy.

ALL DATES AND TIMES USED IN THE EARTH CHANGES BULLETIN ARE NOW UTC = Universal Time Constant, previously known as Greenwich Mean Time.

HOUSEKEEPING

MANDEVILLE IS ON THE RADIO EVERY WEDNESDAY WITH

Alex Merklinger (Millennium Radio) show at 7 PM Arizona Time (also 6 PM Pacific Time). Regular Weekly Update For The Earth Changes Bulletin. To find Iway archives and stations, see Millennium Radio Network.

MANDEVILLE WILL BE INTERVIEWED ON THE LOU GENTILE SHOW: Fri. Jan. 7, 2005 - 5 PM to 7 PM PACIFIC TIME

(Eastern Orthodox Christmas)

TOPIC: Predictions and Prophecies 2005 and Beyond

· Updating Cayce's Earth Changes and Economic Depression Cycle

· Political/Economic Consequences of Bush's Empire Building

· How all this in 2004/2005 may connect with the Nostradamus prophecy as seen through Dolores Cannon.

Through Gentile's questions I will talk out a lot of predictions and interconnections of prophecies which I have not had time to keyboard into the computer.

Begin Synopsis

As stated in the “Coming Economic Collapse of 2006”, the nature of human politics reflects the communication abilities of the human species. As we transform the media, as we have been on the Iway, we will transform human politics and the entire Earth. Making the way for the New Earth is operationally equivalent to making a new Media on the Iway. Not that that is all that there is to it. Not by a long shot…but IT IS one of the essentials we need to dissolve the blockages and dance around the tyrannies.

SPIRITUAL WATCH

How to converge and express the spirit of mass transformation into manifestation, HOW to be, IS the question. How to do is the praxis of the time. Examining this question, probing it, is the chief trendline of this year.

NO CHANGE THIS WEEK FOR THE REMAINDER:

UNDERTAKE A RESOLUTE FOCUS

WALK AWAY FROM THE COMING WARS AND THE LEADERS WHO ARE PUSHING US INTO THE WARS OR INTO THEIR INDIRECT SUPPORT.

UTTERLY REFUSE THEM IN EVERY WAY THAT YOU CAN.

A great turning towards peace is underway in the hearts and minds of a great mass of humanity,

REGRETFULLY, A LARGE PROPORTION OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE STILL SOUND ASLEEP UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF UGLY EMOTIONS AND A THOUSAND NIGHTMARES OF SELF-DOUBT AND ACUTE DENIAL OF SELF-WORTH. IT APPEARS THAT AT LEAST A THIRD OF THE POPULATION IS BARELY ABOVE AN EMOTIONAL AGE-LEVEL OF 8 AND CAN OFFER LITTLE MORE THAN SERVING AS FASCIST FODDER.

Accordingly, America will remain under the thrall of lies and conceits while the merchants of dominance, hate, revenge, empire-building, violence, and conquest crow even more loudly on the world stage.

But even as they initiate to undertake a great militarization of North America for an ambitious expansion of empire-building over the Arab oil producing states, a consciousness is gathering greater focus to dissolve away the entire Bush-Alqaeda continuum of absolutism and militarism and replace its brutalities with profound movement en masse towards peaceful solutions.

The gathering movement did not wax strong enough to end the Bush Presidency, but perhaps the movement will never function successfully with the corrupted, archaic forms of the old United States.

Perhaps the movement has a greater destiny. Look for it. Greet it. Nourish it with love.

BREATH FREE. Let go of everything which is disturbed, distorted, or weird. Let go of everything which is forced, contrived, hidden, manipulative, and/or constrictive. Keep flowing with the rising tide of spiritual energies which are filling many thirsty souls. The old patterns are falling away. Transition continues. Embrace new relationships which are trying to form in your life if they are honest and straightforward and provide a new openness. Forget the fears of the unknown, embrace all that which lifts your life into the light of a greater understanding and relationship with the all.

EVERYTHING IS WORKING OUT DIFFERENTLY THAN PEOPLE ARE CURRENTLY FEARING OR PROJECTING. IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE SO. In a short while, some will come forth giving witness to a great energy which has come into their lives, literally, as if the hand of God was upon them. This is becoming more and more apparent and these words will have greater meaning by the end of the year.

Don’t react, go to center, get clear, release, and grieve…the Fourth Age is dying rapidly now… much more rapidly than we thought, its institutions and identities are beyond saving… let it go, let go, get to center…flow into God, let God flow into you…don’t speculate, don’t analyze, don’t react to the shtuff…clear…clean out the past four years…we are now free to grieve the death of everything we detested…let it go…let it go…let it die. As you re-center in God, find the realization that this is the final moment you have been waiting for to end your connections and involvements with the illusions and delusions of all that which has betrayed the divine within each and brought greed, war, and destruction over the Earth.

The destroyers belong to each other, this is now the final time of their fatal embrace. Let them love their wars…they have greatly desired the bitter wines of their hatreds and violence, they have lusted greatly for their Armageddon, and they shall have it.

The die has been cast with a thousand artifices and illusions. With the excellence of its manner of casting, God has delivered to you your own freedom from the delusions and spells of the Mass Sorcerers, indeed, from the entire age, if you will but realize it. Clear yourself and your life to find now the sense of movement and direction to separate your life from the dying culture which is putrefying all around you. There is no saving it…as Buckminster Fuller observed many decades ago, the old order is never saved, the new order merely grows up around it to eventually takes its place. So it will come to pass now in an intense period of vast change during the next twenty years.

The “Great Purification” predicted by the Hopi, Maya, Q’ero, and many others continues. How amazing that these ancient oral traditions could tune into last year and this one to advise us that this was a period of profound historical turning involving

The Great Purification

of the Earth? For additional discussion, see the commentary of May 19, 2004 and the commentary of June 16, 2004.

THE NEW BASIS IS GESTATING….

THE time to link the spiritual communities of the Earth. The Whole Earth. IT HAS BECOME URGENT TO LINK THE SPIRITUAL COMMUNITIES WITHIN A BROAD MOVEMENT WHICH PROVIDES NEW CURRENTS OF SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP.

FOR THE MOST PART: Steady as she goes. A slow acceleration in the shifting of the poles has been underway for perhaps the past 100 years and the last three decades has shown an increase in the rate of acceleration. This has appeared to accelerate even more during the past decade.

POLAR MOTION

What is happening to the motion of the Earth. For the overall summary of the status of polar motion CLICK HERE. To see the current graphs of polar motion, CLICK HERE. Scroll down the page until you get to the black and white graphs with show the x and y coordinates of the North Spin Axis on two separate graphs.

Polar motion is returning to its more normal spiral track.

THE PANCAKING OF THE X MAX PEAK WHICH WE OBSERVED in previous weeks dissolved rapidly during the past two weeks (See the URL’s below for the xplot). CONFIRMED: I EXPECT A STRONG, SHARP REBOUND, quite possibly in connection with the New Moon Perigee of December 12.

The rebound happened but without producing a lot of seismic shocks in the Earth. Currently the spiral track is tightening up at a very rapid rate and I believe that it may be in a track which is consistent with a noticeable, anomalously large displacement of the average drift of the location of the North Spin Axis. In other words, the current rapid tightening of the track into the Minima phase of the seven year wobble cycle is consistent with the idea that the average location of the North Spin Axis “jumped” more than normal (at a faster rate) this past six years than during the preceding 100 years.

Or, more succinctly still, a micro “pole shift”. Very micro.

I don’t think this can be computed with confidence until sometime very late in 2005 when the current cycle of the wobble is clearly complete.

AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED THIS PAST FEW MONTHS: THE X WAVE MAX, which we are in for the current 14 month spiral track, HAS BEEN showing some pancaking (see the xplot links below). Rather than a smooth bell-shaped curve, the X plot HAS BEEN currently plateauing. The Earth is showing some hesitancy to continue the spiraling wobble and is favoring slightly a motion at a vector which is keeping the Atlantic Hemisphere pushing towards the North. This is now apparently going to rebound during the next two weeks.

KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS WATCH HAS BEEN SET TO LOOK EXACTLY FOR THIS TYPE OF DEPARTURE OF THE EARTH FROM ITS PREVIOUS SPIRALING WOBBLE TRACKS. Seeing the slight tendency of the Atlantic Hemisphere to continue pushing to the North CONFIRMS THE DEDUCTION FOR THE PROJECTED AVALANCHE OF THE CRUST WHICH WAS CALCULATED IN THE “RETURN OF THE PHOENIX”.

In general, the Wobble Track is showing continued tightening of the Chandler’s Wobble Spiral, as should be at this time in its 7 year Wobble Cycle, and the track seems to be conforming with a continued acceleration in the rate of drift, but this can be by no means certain until this 7 year cycle is over. In about two years we will be able to locate the minimum spiral of motion and then look for the average 7 year "location" of this past seven years for comparison with previous cycles.

http://maia.usno.navy.mil/xplot2.gif

http://maia.usno.navy.mil/yplot2.gif

MAGNETIC POLES – SHIFTING

What is happening to the magnetic fields of the Earth. No real change during the past year: a magnetic pole shift is not something to be very concerned about within this decade at least.

Currently, there is little of note. Despite many claims, there are no apparent trends which will hold up to historical analysis of many different regions of the Earth.

Asteroids

As of June 04,

NASA’S

ESTIMATE:

“Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are space rocks larger than approximately 100m that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the known PHAs (asteroids) are on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time.”

PLANETS & ALIGNMENTS
(all time coordinates here and elsewhere are in UTC unless otherwise noted, dates for planetary alignments are derived from Home Planet Software using PC graphics, due to limitations of software and graphics display, actual timing may be off as much as three days, for scientific work, use a professional ephemeris for exact dates). For background and the current information on planetary alignments go to the Earth Changes Almanac Calendar. The Almanac lays out the planets and the lunar phases for entire year in advance to allow you to find the best and worst periods of weather, earthquake activity, ethereal “lunar” influences, etc.

Daily Planet – click here for sheer artistic pleasure

Every day John Walker’s (Home Planet Software) computer creates a new image of hypothetical habitable planet, just one every day for the estimated 2 billion potential habitable planets in our Galaxy, which the Egyptians more or less named Nun, a mother Goddess from which all life flows. Euro people nursery tales converted the name into the Milky Way. http://www.fourmilab.ch/terranova/terranovag.html

Moon Perigee/Apogee/Phase Data - click here to be always up to date

Earth/Moon Viewer by John Walker
http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/pacalc.html

Daily Solar System – click here to view Planet Alignments

The Home Planet software computes in real time the exact relative positions of the planets. Go here to view today’s image of the solar system as seen from a heliocentric view (the sun in the center, you looking at the entire solar system as if it were a big pancake. You can set any date and time. You should generally ask the form to give you the “equal orbits” view so you can see all the planets.

http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/uncgi/Solar

LUNAR PERIGEE/APOGEE/PHASE TABLE FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2004

Distance

Perigee 12-Dec 21:31 357985 km N+ 20h

New 12-Dec 1:29

Full 26-Dec 15:07

Apogee 27-Dec 19:16 406487 km F+1d 4h

For 2005, see the August 25 EC Update

TODAY’S MOON

We are in Lunation #1014 and we are now 4 days past the New Moon of December 12 at 1:29 UTC. As of December Day 15, the Moon this day is now in its South Node (orbiting South of the Equator). It is now approximately 366,000 KM from the Earth. It is 20% of the Full Moon (visibility or phase) now waxing into the Full Moon of December 26.

SEISMIC SYZYGY WINDOWS

QUALIFER: As we have seen at least three times this past year, most dramatically with the recent outbreak (Oct 23-26 2004) of large Earthquakes on the West side of Honsho Island (Japan), the Syzygy Window and Perigee principles DO NOT WORK CONSISTENTLY TO FORECAST AN INCREASE IN MAGNITUDE NOR FREQUENCY OF EARTHQUAKES. Using strictly an intuitive view of the past 12 months, the rate of accuracy is definitely larger than random but probably not larger than about 70% for any given area.

We have just left the seismic New Moon Perigee syzygy of December 12 which occurred within 20 hours of each other. This syzygy should have produced more seismic energy release (earthquakes) than during most of the other syzygies of the preceding year. And in fact it did provide substantial activity on the Carib Plate, including a 6.8 in the Cayman Islands and a 6.0 quake in El Salvador.

BUT, TRUE TO THE PAST 90 DAYS, the “window” was a BUST overall. All around the world in most places, tectonic activity was down and both frequency and magnitude of quakes were LOW compared to the less focused seismic period in November.

AS WE HAVE OBSERVED DURING THE PAST 90 DAYS, the syzygy window concept has not worked very well to “contain” the major quakes during this latter part of 2005. THIS MAY BE BECAUSE OF THE “PANCAKE ANOMALY” we have observed during the past 90 days in the motion of the North Spin Axis (on the IERS Xplot). This anomaly may have generated unusual stress on the Earth’s crust and it may have profoundly affected the syzygy windows.

Unfortunately we may not be able to determine this for a substantial time.

Jim Berkland, the originator of using syzygy to define the most active periods of seismic activity has a more complex method for computing dates and you may want to use his methods for greater precision. For details see the Syzygy website

(Perigee = the Moon’s closest approach to the Earth during its monthly orbit which increases gravitational influence of the Moon by as much as 15%; Apogee = the Moon’s greatest distance from the Earth during its monthly orbit). (Berkland has a more complex formula for syzygy and his dates are often different.) For details see the Syzygy website.

THE NEXT PLANETARY ALIGNMENTS

For any “Home Planet Software” charts of the planets which are shown here or through URLS which are provided on this page, you can decipher which planet is which by counting the orbital rings if you do not know the signs which denote the planets. Mercury is 1 closest to the Sun, Venus is 2, Earth is 3, Mars is 4, Jupiter is 5, Saturn is 6, Uranus is 7, Neptune is 8, Pluto is 9, and both Planet X and Nibiru are bogus.

LIST OF ALIGNMENTS THROUGH TO DECEMBER 21, 2004

At the current time the outer planets are widely distributed and no new alignments are forming up between them. But now many new alignments will be forming up during the next two months mainly as a result of Mercury’s rapid rotation around the Sun, which enables it to catch up and pass by the planets about every three months.

Here is the last alignments during December 2004:

December 30, 2004 Mercury | Jupiter
Venus and Mars still close together and Earth near Saturn alignment

SO FAR, WITH THE FAILURE OF ALIGNMENTS IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER TO PRODUCE LARGE PEAKS IN THE SUNSPOT COUNTS, it looks like Solar Cycle 23 is definitely deflating rapidly and it looks like most of the planetary alignments will now be producing only small fluctuations in the counts, probably in the range of 10 – 60 for the most part during 2005. This probably means that marine storm fronts will be driven less by solar induced atmospheric shifts and more by Earth’s geophysics and atmospherics.

CAUTIONARY NOTE: major sunspot peaks, big flares, coronal holes, and powerful CME’s will still occur once in a while, as the graphs of previous sunspot cycles definitely show, but it looks to me that these will be a lot less predictable than during the past four years.

PLANETARY ALIGNMENTS FOR LATE DECEMBER 2004 – JUNE 2005

For late December through to June 2005, four particular periods stand out for their potential to induce major reactions in the solar atmosphere and pull out huge ionic storms, high sunspot counts, and major effects on the Earth’s weather.

The Aphelion Six Way Cluster Bomb

At or near the Earth’s Apogee (closest approach to the Sun) Mercury will once again align progressively with the inner planets during a 30 day period. Expect an INTENSELY STORMY WINTER.

December 30, 2004 Mercury | Jupiter
Venus and Mars still close and Earth near Saturn alignment
January 13, 2005 Mercury & Mars close couple to
Venus | Pluto and Earth | Saturn
January 27, 2005 Mercury | Venus with Pluto close couple

The Spring Grand Alignment

Jupiter | Earth | Mercury | Sun | Venus

Beginning by about March 7, at least major peaks in the sunspot count should produce three major waves of early Spring storm fronts. The largest peak should form up about the Spring Equinox and the largest storm front should blow in about the time of the Grand Alignment

March 14, 2005 Mercury | Saturn
Spring Alignments begin in three main spirals
March 21,2005 Mars | Pluto with a spiral forming in
Mercury | Earth | Jupiter and another in Venus | Uranus
March 30, 2005 Jupiter | Earth | Mercury | Sun | Venus
form a virtual straight line through the solar system with Mars and Pluto still closely coupled. Observers on Earth will only be able to physically see Jupiter rising on the Eastern horizon just after sunset and Saturn close to the Mid-heavens in the Western half of the sky. In the very early morning Mars and Uranus visible

Summer Ping Pong

June 7, 2005 Venus | Saturn with Mercury moving up in close alignment, followed on June 10 , 2005 with Mercury forming a triplet with Venus and Saturn as Earth couples with Pluto and
Mars | Neptune. The timing of these alignments between these planets is not exact, the electromagnetic balances of the solar system will shift in a complex way, probably producing a number of ups and downs in the sunspot count.

PLANET WATCHING

For background and the current information on observable planets.

NASA REPORTS: Comet Machholz (C/2004 Q2) has been nearing Earth for weeks, brightening day by day, and now it looks like a fuzzy 5th-magnitude star near the feet of Orion. Look for it in the southeastern sky a few hours after sunset: sky map. Astronomers expect Comet Machholz to reach peak brightness (3rd or 4th magnitude) in January 2005--an easy target for Christmas telescopes. [ephemeris]

NASA'S DATA ON NEAR EARTH ASTEROIDS: "Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are space rocks larger than approximately 100m that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the known PHAs are on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time.”