New Moon in Pisces was a Total Solar Eclipse, one of the highlights of the year.

Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, and the Sun was eclipsed by the Moon in the last degree of Pisces. Only about thirteen hours later, the Sun ingressed Aries and entered a new phase on its cyclical journey around the zodiac. The Sun’s ingress into Aries marks the spring equinox, when the length of night and day is equal everywhere on Earth. It is also the beginning of a new astrological year.

The eclipse occurred near another notable event, namely the last of the seven Uranus-Pluto squares, which have taken place between 2012 and 2015. The last square happened on March 17, 2015. Uranus-Pluto square is the long term aspect defining our era.

At the time of the Solar Eclipse, the luminaries were in conjunction with 120347 Salacia. Salacia is a binary Kuiper belt object, named after the goddess of salt water, the wife of Neptune. Salacia is orbiting the Sun at an average distance slightly greater than that of Pluto. The primary body was discovered in 2004 and assigned a name in 2011. The companion was named Actaea. Both bodies in this binary system are named after sea nymphs, nereids, which are said to be sailors’ friends.

I was witnessing the eclipse in the City Port of Kotka, where about 82% of the Sun’s disc was obscured by the Moon. Thin clouds were moving across the sky, but they did not prevent seeing the phenomenon. At the peak moment the color of the light was extraordinary.

The ocean plays a fundamental role in the world’s water supply, as do the major ice fields. The water cycle is powered from solar energy. 86% of the global evaporation occurs from the oceans. When water evaporates, it takes up energy from its surroundings and cools the environment. Today is the World Water Day. It is celebrated around the world every year on March 22. It’s a day to celebrate fresh water.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 22nd, 2015 at 7:27 pm and is filed under Eclipses, Equinoxes, New Moon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.