star in scorpio

BRATT HONOURED AT PRESTIGIOUS TOCA AWARDS CEREMONY

Will Bratt, third placed finisher in this year's Formula Renault UK Championship, joined the cream of national motor racing talent in London on Saturday evening, 17th November, as part of the British Touring Car Championship's 2007 'TOCA Night of Champions'.

The 19-year-old BRDC Rising Star, who is set to graduate up the single-seater ladder in 2008, received his third-placed trophy from the Chief Executive of the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), Dennis Carter, at the star-studded ceremony, a suitably prestigious end to what has been an outstanding season for the Banbury racer.

Formula Renault UK, of course, is a key support category on the BTCC package and this year Will performed brilliantly in the ultra-competitive series at the wheel of his Apotex Scorpio Motorsport-run car to secure four race victories, three other podiums and three pole positions on his way to third place in the championship.

Joined at Park Lane's InterContinental Hotel on Saturday evening by his parents Rowland and Diane, team boss of the Apotex Scorpio Motorsport squad Jon Pettitt and Apotex UK's Colin Darroch, Will had a thoroughly enjoyable time.

He commented: "It was a really good evening, everybody had a great time and we're delighted Jon and Colin were able to join us. We're all very proud of our achievements this year in Formula Renault UK but now we're looking ahead to 2008 as we start to make plans for our next step on the single-seater ladder. "

Summer begins to wind down in August: Each August day has less daylight than the previous one and each August night is a bit longer. However, Summer's spectacular stars and constellations remain visible nearly all night. Also, the Milky Way reaches high overhead at dusk and presents spectacular opportunities for stargazers in dark locations or ones equipped with binoculars or a small telescope.

HIGHLIGHTS!
The Perseid Meteor Shower: On several mid-month nights Arizona observers may see flaming meteor trails in the sky! These meteors � sometimes called "shooting stars" � are not falling stars at all but small pieces of debris from an old comet striking the Earth's upper atmosphere and burning up. Stranger yet, they appear to radiate from a single point in the sky! If you follow back the paths of these meteors, August's Perseid meteors all seem to come from the direction of the northern constellation of Perseus. This year, the Moon will NOT interfere with meteor viewing. So, if the skies are clear, you may see several dozen meteors per hour the nights of August 11th - 12th and August 12th �13th when the shower is at its peak. Fewer meteors per hour are predicted for the two prior and one following nights! City lights can seriously interfere with meteor watching (just as does a bright moon), so observers in dark-sky locations should see more meteors. Although a few meteors may be seen before midnight, Perseus will be highest in the sky between midnight and dawn during August.

Total Lunar Eclipse: August's Total Eclipse of the Moon is another morning event, occurring early on Tuesday August 28th. The eclipse is visible from all of Arizona.
During a lunar eclipse, the Full Moon travels through the Earth's shadow. This is the first total lunar eclipse visible from Arizona since October, 2004, so make the most of it! The show begins about 1:53a.m. and ends approximately 5:22a.m.. The Moon takes about 1 hour to enter (and about another hour to exit) the Earth's shadow. That leaves nearly one-and-one-half hours during which the Moon will be in eclipse and the sky much darker than usual � AT FULL MOON! The first hour, between about 1:53 and 2:53 a.m., the Earth's shadow line gradually creeps across the Full Moon and darkens it!! From 2:53 to 4:20a.m., the Moon will be completely inside the Earth's shadow. If past eclipses are a guide, the Moon will still be noticeable in the sky, but appears a coppery red color! The final hour sees the Moon exit the Earth's shadow and appear Full again. These events end about 35 minutes before sunrise and about 50 minutes before moonset.

(ECLIPSE WATCHERS: SEE MORE INFORMATION BELOW on this rare event.)

The Sun: The SUN begins August in the constellation of CANCER the zodiac crab. It moves into LEO on August 10th and spends the rest of August within the Zodiac lion.

The Moon:
3rd QUARTER Moon occurs the afternoon of August 5th in ARIES.
August's NEW MOON occurs the afternoon of the 12th in LEO.
The 1st QUARTER MOON occurs August 20th in LIBRA.
August's Moon is exactly FULL at the midpoint of the lunar eclipse the morning of August 28th in the constellation of AQUARIUS. This means the Moon will appear nearly full on both the evenings of August 27th and August 28th, when it rises just before and just after sunset respectively.

The Moon is seen near two naked-eye planets in August:
MARS: Near the thick crescent Moon the mornings of the 6th in ARIES and the 7th in TAURUS.
JUPITER: The waxing Moon is below Jupiter the evening of the 21st in SCORPIO.

The Moon will be seen close to these prominent stars:
Near the Pleiades star cluster & Aldebaran in TAURUS the morning of the 7th.
Near Castor & Pollux in GEMINI at dawn on the 11th.
Close to Spica in VIRGO the evening of the 17th.
Near Antares in SCORPIO the evening of the 21st.

The Evening Sky:
August 1st's sunset is about 7:20p.m.. However, the Sun sets 25 minutes earlier, at about 6:55p.m., at month end.

Evening Planets. Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter.
MERCURY begins August as a morning planet, but passes the Sun heading Eastward on August 15th and on into the evening sky. For the rest of August Mercury stays low to the horizon and is very poorly placed for viewing. It will be extremely difficult to spot, even with powerful binoculars or a small telescope.

VENUS begins August very low in the West, and rapidly approaching the Sun. Now in "retrograde motion", Venus is temporarily moving Westward through the stars. Venus passes the Sun on the 16th and moves into the morning sky to become by month end, a brilliant "Morning Star" low in the east before dawn.
Venus begins August in the constellation of SEXTANS the astronomical sextant, moves into HYDRA the water snake on the 16th, then into a corner of LEO the zodiac lion on the 23rd, and finally into CANCER the zodiac crab on the 24th, where it remains the rest of the month.
Although Venus remains very bright, it is quite close to the Sun, so is best viewed with binoculars or a small telescope. Note that since Venus is now between Earth and the Sun, binocular or telescope observers may see it in a very thin crescent phase all month.

SATURN begins August very low in the West at sunset but is also too close to the Sun to be observed. Like Venus, Saturn also moves westward past the Sun and into the morning sky on August 21st. However, the ringed planet � unlike speedier Venus � will not rise in a dark morning sky until at least mid-September. LEO is home to Saturn all month.

JUPITER, the 2nd brightest nighttime object after the Moon and Venus, remains in OPHIUCHUS the zodiac Serpent Bearer, all month. The giant planet remains fairly low in the sky in August because the Sun's path in the sky three months hence is also low in the sky this month. Jupiter sets at 1:30a.m. on the 1st, and two hours earlier at 11:30p.m. on the 31st.

What Else to See?
The Perseid Meteor Shower: Evening observers are at a disadvantage compared with morning observers, since the constellation Perseus is much higher in the sky after midnight. If you must view the shower during the evening, look northeast between the horizon and the zenith (overhead) point for to meteor to rise from the northeast direction. As the evening gets later, and Perseus is higher in the sky, more meteors should be visible in all directions in the sky each hour until dawn.

Dark-sky lunar occultations of several naked eye stars during August are listed here.

Summer Milky Way: August is an excellent month to view star clusters and star/gas clouds in the Milky Way. Look to the South starting with zodiac constellations SCORPIO and SAGITTARIUS. (Scorpio's stars appear as curved tail and stinger.) Just left of the stinger stars are two! compact star clusters, #6 & #7 in Messier's famous catalog of non-stellar objects. Above these clusters and along the Milky Way, even small pairs of binoculars will reveal a half dozen more fuzzy star and/or gas clouds in the constellations of OPHIUCHUS, SCUTUM, DELPHINUS, AQUILA and CYGNUS.

High overhead at dusk in HERCULES is the bright Messier #13 globular cluster. Hercules is a faint constellation, but M13 is found on the Western side of a rough square of stars in the middle of HERCULES.

Looking South at dusk, you will see the the red Supergiant star ANTARES in the scorpion's heart. Just a Moon diameter to the right of Antares is Messier's object #4", another large "Globular Cluster" with over 100,000 stars packed into an area of the sky about the size of the Full Moon. Fuzzy in binoculars, a telescope of 4-inches diameter or larger will show M4's dozens of individual pinpoint red giant stars surrounded by a "cotton ball" of thousands of unresolved fainter stars.

By 11p.m., CYGNUS (AKA the Northern Cross) will be nearly overhead. The three brightest stars there are the "Summer Triangle" (VEGA in Lyra & farthest West, DENEB in Cygnus lower to the East, and ALTAIR, in Aquila to the Southeast).

To better find these summertime sky objects, below are links to free star maps you can download over the Internet!

The Morning Sky
August 1st's sunrise is at 5:45a.m. Each morning afterward the Sun rises a bit later. August 31st's sunrise occurs at 6:05a.m.

Morning Planets: Mercury, Venus, and Mars.
MERCURY begins August on the far side of the Sun and only 12 degrees from the Sun in the morning sky. It is a very difficult object to spot on the 1st, but each day moves closer to the Sun and is even more difficult to view. On August 15th, Mercury passes the Sun and moves into the evening sky as an evening planet.

VENUS, in between the Earth and the Sun, appears to move very quickly from day to day. Venus begins August as an evening planet, but moves into the morning sky on the 16th and rapidly distances itself from the Sun. In CANCER for the 2nd half of August, Venus rises in a nearly dark sky on the 31st and is well placed for viewing each day thereafter. Venus will stay in the morning sky as a brilliant Morning Star for about 9 months, until May, 2008.

MARS is found in TAURUS the zodiac bull all month. It rises at about 12:30 a.m. on the 1st, and each day rises earlier until on the 31st Mars rises at 11:40p.m. Closer to the Sun and moving faster, Earth is slowly "catching up" to slower Mars as both planets orbit the Sun. In December, the red planet will be closest to Earth and brilliant in the winter sky.
Since Mars lies near the Milky Way, it also near several stars during the month (including 5th magnitude Omega Tauri between the 15th � 20th). A small telescope will show these faint stars and allow telescopic observers to follow the planet's Eastward progress through the stars and note Mars motion as it wanders around the the background stars of the zodiac.

What Else to See?
Moon and Pleiades: The morning of the 13th, the Moon rises just below the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus the Zodiac bull. Since the Moon is near the winter Milky Way, quite a few faint stars will be eclipsed by the Moon that morning.

Occultation of Mercury by the Moon: Careful and very experienced telescopic observers can watch the New Moon occult (eclipse) the planet Mercury in CANCER after sunrise the morning of August 12th. Mercury and the Moon will be ABOVE the Sun during this occultation, less than 10 degrees from the Sun, and only about 14 degrees above the horizon at the start of the event. Mercury, on the far side of the Sun, appears in its full phase at this time. Telescopic observers should setup to keep the telescope in the shade if possible and begin watching a few minutes before 6:30 a.m. Mercury will reappear from behind the Western edge of the Moon between about 7:45a.m. and 8:00a.m. If you choose to observe this event, be extremely careful:

BE VERY CAREFUL HOWEVER TO NOT POINT YOUR TELESCOPE AT THE SUN!
VIEWING THE SUN DIRECTLY IN A TELESCOPE WILL CAUSE BLINDNESS!

Occultation of Regulus by the Moon: Careful and very experienced telescopic observers can watch the Moon occult (eclipse) the 1st magnitude star Regulus in LEO after sunrise the morning of August 13th. Regulus and the Moon will be BELOW the Sun during this occultation, about 9 degrees from the Sun and about 25 degrees above the horizon at the start of the event.
The Moon's Eastern edge covers Regulus at about 8:40a.m. and Regulus reappears from the Western edge of the Moon between about 9:50a.m. and 10:05a.m.
If you choose to observe this event, be extremely careful:

BE VERY CAREFUL HOWEVER TO NOT POINT YOUR TELESCOPE AT THE SUN!
VIEWING THE SUN DIRECTLY IN A TELESCOPE WILL CAUSE BLINDNESS!

Dark-sky lunar occultations of several naked eye stars are listed here.

The Perseid Meteor Shower: Morning observers have a much greater chance of seeing Perseid meteors, since Arizona skies are more often clear between midnight and dawn. The occasional random meteors you ordinarily see at night are tiny fragments of Asteroids, inner solar system materials which never formed into planets. By contrast, predictable shower meteors come from debris evaporated from comets. If the Earth crosses a comet's orbit path, we may see a meteor shower. Most meteor showers occur each year on the same nights, and are named not for their parent comet, but for the constellation that hosts them. The mid-August meteor shower event occurs each year and is strongest between the 9th and 14th of the month. Although these shower meteors may be seen in all parts of the sky, when traced backwards the paths intersect in the constellation of Perseus. That is the direction in the sky where the Earth crosses the comet path.

This year the Moon is very close to the Sun between August 9th to the 14th and will NOT interfere with observing the Perseid meteor shower. So, if the skies are clear, take a few minutes (or a few hours) to marvel at the Perseid Meteor Shower. Although you may see several Perseid meteors per hour on the evenings of August 9th, 10th and 13th, dozens may be visible per hour on the evenings of August 11th and August 12th. That is when the Earth crosses nearest the center of the comet's orbit path. As usual, dark-sky observers have the best chance to witness this event.

Summer Milky Way: As mentioned earlier, the Summer Milky Way is easy to see after midnight, as it reaches high overhead. It is also cooler in the wee hours, so morning observers are more comfortable outdoors in August. Binoculars or a small telescope will help you pick out many star clusters, star clouds and star/gas clouds by sweeping along the arc of the Milky Way from Cassiopeia in the Northeast to Sagittarius in the Southwest. (Note the free online star chart below.)
Astrology is a complex, multifaceted subject, but the basics of which are easy to understand.

Most of the astrological information available through the Internet, astrology books, and in newspapers and magazines relates to your Sun Sign; knowledge about your Sun Sign is the single most important element in astrology. However, to really appreciate astrology, and to gain the self-knowledge astrology can offer you, it's important to have an understanding of the planets themselves and of their meanings and energies. This information can be gained through the symbology of astrology.

Astrology is symbolic; if you look at the symbols for the twelve signs of the zodiac, for the aspects between the signs, and for the planets that rule or govern these signs, you will learn a lot.

Developed in the era of the ancient Babylonians, astrology employed pictographs to express ideas. When you see the zodiac symbol for Scorpio, you see the sting in the tail of the symbol of the sign, the Scorpion, and when you see the zodiac symbol for Gemini (the Twins), you see two straight lines linked together. Right away you are reminded of a scorpion for Scorpio, and of the concept of duality for Gemini.

When you look at the symbol for a trine, a favorable aspect, you see three lines linked together in a triangle. A sextile, also a harmonious aspect, is a star shape with six points. A square, a challenging aspect, is in a box shape, and the opposition symbol is two circles opposite each other. It's easy to grasp the astrological concepts just by looking at the symbols.

The celebrated psychologist Carl Jung was interested in astrology, and he would actually complete his patient's charts in order to acquire a greater understanding of his patient. Carl Jung dealt in symbols, the unconscious mind, and the way that we can concoct an entire mythology for ourselves, complete with role-playing. His theory of the archetype springs from symbolism, among other premises.

The more you delve into the myths of ancient peoples, the more you realize a recurrent thread operates in the collective unconscious of the universe. You can understand that the same symbols that were important to people two thousand years ago are just as meaningful to people today.

When it comes to understanding the planets, look at the descriptions and you will easily understand the energy involved.

For example, Neptune is the planet that rules fog, mist, and haze. If you have ever been caught in a fog you may have been very disoriented and not able to see what was around you. If you have ever looked at the landscape around you or across the ocean on a humid, hazy day, or when there was a lot of mist, then you know you were not able to see clearly. That's the image you should incorporate when you envision the nature of Neptune.

Neptune rules Pisces, and is the ruler of the oceans and waterways. Neptune deals with liquids, art, film, and creativity. The feet are Neptune's area of the body, platinum its metal, and turquoise, aquamarine, and sea blue are the colors that belong to it.

When Neptune aspects a planet, the above qualities are brought to the interaction. If Neptune is opposite your Moon at birth, you have a tendency to react emotionally at times. You might be prone to seeing only what you want to see when you love or care for someone. If the world becomes too harsh for you, you may be inclined to use a crutch (and as such are susceptible to substance abuse). Knowing you may have these traits can be a great help to you, since you will be aware of them, and can then come up with techniques to overcome them.

If Neptune is trine your Sun at birth you could be strongly creative. Your ability to channel your emotions and life experiences into art is tremendous. You may deal cathartically with your emotions through your artistic work. You may be an excellent dancer, and your love of movement would be a wonderful way for you to release stress.

Even without an encyclopedia of information about the astrological aspects, being aware that you have Neptune, the planet of illusion and delusion, in transit in a challenging aspect to one of your planets gives you some important information.

When transiting Neptune is square or opposite your Venus, you are prone to fall in love quickly and idealistically. You might not see any flaws in the person you believe you love, and you would see this person the way you want them to be, or the way you need them to be. Eventually you will be forced to deal with the reality of who that person truly is, as opposed to who you fervently believe them to be. Initially, this may be difficult. The plus side of a disillusioning love experience is that you will become much stronger and wiser in your estimation of human nature. You may vow never to lose sight of reality, no matter how attracted to someone you are.

Challenging aspects bring lessons to learn. As mentioned, Neptune is the ruler of fog and mist. If you are undergoing a difficult Neptune transit, then it's time to get out the flashlight. Keep a mental image of yourself walking in a hazy atmosphere, and you will remind yourself not to take anyone, or anything, at face value. You will be cautious and careful of yourself and your heart.



Each of the other planets and luminaries has qualities associated with it. Below is a list of keywords and qualities to help you understand the basic qualities of those planets involved in your astrological chart.

Sun: The Sun rules Leo (the proud Lion) and governs the heart. The metal of the Sun is gold, and the colors that resonate to it are orange, gold, and yellow. The Sun is radiant, it illuminates the landscape, and it is the bright center of your identity. The Sun never goes out.

Moon: The Moon rules Cancer (the shy Crab), and the breasts and stomach are its domain. The Moon's metal is silver, and the color that best expresses it is pearl. The Moon is luminous, it hides at times, and it can be so light that you can see in the darkest night. The Moon changes, it is capricious, and it deals with your emotions.

Mercury: Mercury rules two signs, Gemini the Twins and Virgo the Harvest Maiden. As the communicator of the heavens Mercury rules your arms, hands, lungs and tongue. Mercury's metal is quicksilver, and the colors blue and grey belong to this planet. Mercury rules the mind, and the way you communicate and express yourself. Mercury is quick, busy, and active.

Venus: Venus rules Taurus the Bull and Libra the Scales. Venus takes charge of the throat, kidneys, and sense of touch. Soft pastel colors respond to this planet, and the metal that best expresses its energy is copper. Venus is a sensuous planet, and is the ruler of your love nature.

Mars: Mars rules Aries, the forceful Ram. Aries rules the head and face, and its metals are iron and steel. All the shades of red make up the color palette of Mars. Mars is your energy, drive, ambition, and sex drive.

Jupiter: Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius the Centaur. The part of the body that is governed by Jupiter is the thigh, and its metal is tin. Royal purple is the color for this benevolent and judicious planet. Jupiter is good fortune and good luck and is very good-natured in general.

Saturn: Saturn rules Capricorn the Mountain Goat. Bones, teeth, and knees are the body parts of this structurally conscious planet. Its metal is lead and the colors it relates to best are dark brown and forest green. Saturn is karma and lessons learned. Saturn likes to build, as in character, and especially over time.

Uranus: Uranus rules Aquarius (the Water bearer). Ankles and calves are its body parts, and its metal is uranium. When you think of Uranus, think of the colors electric blue and shocking pink. Uranus likes to startle; it is snap, crackle, pop. Sudden change is its specialty.

Neptune: Discussed above.

Pluto: Transformative Pluto is the ruler of Scorpio the Scorpion. The reproductive organs are its part of the body and its metal is plutonium. Pluto's color is black, one of the most symbolic colors of the spectrum. Black stands for mourning, but also