Distance Aspects

Astrology aspects that consider the 3rd dimension of distance

Astrolog aspect/midpoint grid

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Standard Aspects

The standard definition of an aspect is an alignment between planets based on their positions around a circle. This circle is usually the plane of the ecliptic, which means aspects compare zodiac position longitudes. For example, two planets exactly 90 degrees apart form a Square aspect, and will have zodiac positions such as 15Ari and 15Can. Aspects can be measured along other planes, such as the celestial equator, but that's much less common. Another variation on standard aspects is the 3D aspect, which is measured along the shortest great circle connecting the two planets in space, which means it takes planetary latitude into account.

Astrolog supports 24 different aspects. Any of these 24 aspect slots and their orbs can be redefined to be other angles that one might want to consider. The default aspects and orbs used in Astrolog are listed below:

A "vertical aspect" is an alignment based on latitude above or below a reference plane, such as the celestial equator. Parallel and Contraparallel aspects are the most common vertical aspects. Parallel is when two planets both have the same vertical declination distance above the celestial equator, or both have the same vertical distance below it. Contraparallel is when two planets have the same declination distance, however one is above the celestial equator while the other is below it.

It's possible to have vertical aspects relative to the plane of the ecliptic too. Note that standard aspects are relative to the ecliptic, so vertical aspects relative to the ecliptic as well are nicely symmetric to standard aspects, while standard Parallel and Contraparallel aspects are on a plane skewed relative to the ecliptic. However, since most planets orbit on or near the plane of the ecliptic, that means very narrow orbs are needed to avoid Parallel or Contraparallel aspects being continually in effect. Even with narrow orbs, note that some vertical aspects will eternally be present, such as the Sun and Moon's Nodes are always at ecliptic 0, so are always Parallel. In Astrolog, vertical aspects will be relative to the ecliptic instead of the celestial equator if the -AP switch setting is in effect.

In addition to Parallel/Contraparallel (which correspond to Conjunction/Opposition), vertical versions of other standard aspects can measure different vertical proportions. Each aspect's normal angle indicates the proportion compared to 180. For example, a "Square" aspect in this context means one planet has half the declination of the other (90/180), while a "Trine" means one planet has 2/3 the declination of the other (120/180). For these vertical aspects, "waxing" means they're on the same side of the baseline, while "waning" means they're on opposite sides. (Because of this, standard Parallel aspects are always waxing, while Contraparallel are always waning.)

In Astrolog, show vertical aspects with the -gp or -ap switch setting, or the "Parallel Aspects" menu command. Show additional vertical aspects beyond Parallel/Contraparallel with the -gd or -ad switch setting, or the "Aspects Measure Distance" option in Display Settings.

A "distance aspect" is an alignment based on distance from the observer. Just as standard aspects compare position along X-axis of horizontal zodiac position, and Parallel/Contraparallel aspects compare position along the Y-axis of vertical declination, distance aspects consider the third dimension of distance along the Z-axis. For example, two planets that are both equally distant from the observer form a "Distance Equal" event. Distance aspects are related to apogee and perigee events, which are when some body reaches it's most distant and closest points to the Earth or other central object.

Astrolog supports "distance aspects", or events that compare distances of planets from the observer. Distance aspects compare proportions or ratios of distance, in which each aspect's normal angle indicates the proportion compared to 180. For example, a "Square" aspect in the distance context means one planet is 90/180 or 50% of the distance from the observer as the other, while a "Sextile" means one planet has 60/180 or 33.3% the distance of the other. The "Conjunction" aspect is used to represent distances being equal, which means there's never an Opposition distance aspect in charts (because 180/180 would be redundant with Conjunction, and 0/180 is impossible without some planet colliding with Earth).

For example, Astrolog can calculate that Pluto was closer to the Sun than Neptune, for 20 years between the dates of Feb 7, 1979 and Feb 11, 1999 (and that they were equidistant on those two dates). However, note the equidistant aspect will only ever involve inner planets, or those whose orbital periods are relatively close to each other. For example, both Jupiter and Mars can be equidistant with asteroids, but Jupiter and Mars will never be equidistant with each other, because Mars at its most distant apogee point is still closer to Earth than Jupiter at its closest perigee point. When two planets are both classic Conjunct and Parallel there's an eclipse taking place, and if two planets are all three of Conjunct, Parallel, and Equidistant at the same time, then they have just collided in space! ;)

With distance aspects, aspect orbs become percentages of distance. For example, a 5 degree standard aspect orb setting means that planets forming distance aspects are allowed to be up to 5% different from the exact proportional distance. (One way to distinguish a chart of distance aspects is that orbs are expressed as percentages instead of degrees.) For these distance aspects, "waxing" means the nearer planet is moving away from the observer, while "waning" means the nearer planet is moving closer.

In interpretation, similar to Conjunction (longitude axis matching) and Parallel (latitude axis matching), Equidistant or "distance Conjunction" (distance axis matching) should have a similar meaning to the Conjunction. However, since equidistance is less apparent from our perspective, the connection can be more subtle or spiritual in nature. Also, since it can involve planets at any zodiac position, it can be an unexpected coming together between different energies (e.g. a chance meeting with a stranger on the road that changes your life). These events can be deep and long lasting in effect, since any Equidistant event changes the order of planets when sorted by distance, and therefore swaps the order of the nested energetic planet "spheres" or layers around us.

In standard aspects, those that are multiples of 30 degrees are the most prominent, since they match equivalent degrees of signs. However, for distance and vertical aspects, since they don't measure around the 12 signs of the zodiac, other harmonics may be just as if not more prominent. For example, a 1/4 distance or vertical aspect (SemiSquare) might be stronger than a 2/3 aspect (Trine), even though that's not the case for standard aspects.

In Astrolog, enable distance aspects with the -gd or -ad switches, or the "Aspects Measure Distance" option in Display Settings. Distance aspects can be seen in Astrolog's aspect grid, aspect list, transit influence, and transit graph charts (both single chart and transit/relationship comparison charts).

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