God's Clock

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. Gen 1:14

One of the first questions I had when I saw the beautiful loop that Venus makes around Spica was the following...  How often does this happen?   I quick study satisfied me that is wasn't a common event, but I wanted to know exactly so diligently studied Stellarium to find the answer.  Below is the outcome of that study for any of you who are curious....>Before I get into the exact figures... you should have a bit of background.   I am thoroughly convinced that God designed the heavens as a giant clock.  When you see the orbits of the moon (second hand) and the planets (hour hand) and how they interact with the stationary Stars (the numbers around the outside) you can't deny it.  But unlike the standard clock we are used to, God's clock has multiple levels and layers.  For example, sometimes the planets (hour hand) will go backwards to highlight something important.  Imagine if you will that you are looking at a standard clock, and the hour hand starts moving backwards for a couple hours and then starts going forward again.  That would catch your attention right?  Well that is what is happening with Venus going retrograde looping around Spica.   It also happened back at the 1st Christmas when the Wise Men saw the star of Bethlehem.  We shared this video a lot back in 2017 but if you missed it please check out "The Star of Bethlehem" documentary by Rick Larsen.  It is now free on YouTube.  Here is a clip showing the retrograde of Jupiter and Regulus which caught the Wise Men's attention back then, illustrating some of the ways God uses His clock...

And this time, the planet Venus is highlighting the star Spica very closely, telling another story that should be catching our attention. So how often does that happen?  The answer is very rarely. The last time Venus looped around Spica similarly to how it does this year was in 1548.    In 1305 it got very close to Spica, but did not quite go around it.  In 1783, Venus when practically right over Spica.   All, in all, there is a pattern where Venus and Spica have an interaction somewhat similarly to what we see now about every 235 or 243 years.  Venus is on a 8 year pattern, so it retro grades in roughly the same place in the sky every 8 years.  So as it works it's way around if you fast forward 8 years you will see the retrograde loop.  For that reason, there are a few conjunctions grouped together separated by 8 years, before you see the larger gap. The pink years are years were Venus loops around Spica.  The gray years are when it comes up short and does not wrap around it. 

2050

2042

2034

2026 - This Year occurring around 11/6 - 11/20

2018

2010

2002

(243 Years)

1807

1799

1791

1783 - Basically overlaps on 11/10/1783

1775

1767

1759

(235 Years)

1572

1564

1556

1548 - Occurs around 10/21/1548 - 11/4/1548

1540

1532

1524

(243 Years)

1329

1321

1313

1305 - Nearly overlaps but comes up just short on 10/28/1305

1297

1289

1281

(235 Years)

1094

1086

1078

1070 -  Occurs around 10/19/1070 - 11/2/1070

1062

1054

1046

Now you can see the pattern, other years back to the time of Jesus are as follows: 827, 592, 349, 114, -129, -369, etc.

Hoping someone can uses this information to maximize there study time in Stellarium and appreciate the precision and wisdom of God in all of His creation.

Lastly, the pattern of Venus is very beautiful in the sky.  I wish I could share a picture of it but am still unable to.  But I do encourage you to check out the following links to learn more!  God is so Awesome!  Abba Up!

https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/five-petals-of-venus/

https://www.universalworkshop.com/2016/06/07/five-petals-of-venus/