Patterns

This page introduces the geometric patterns formed by the giant planets in their cycles around the sky. 

Three kinds of patterns

The basic patterns created by the giant planets in their movement around the sky are the following:

1. The synodic cycles between them: six different synodic cycles are associated to each pair of giant planets;

2. The stellia when three or more planets gather together near the same longitude in the ecliptic within a certain orb, which can vary from a few degrees to 15 degrees or more; 

3. The aspect figures between three or four giant planets, such as T-Squares, Grand Trines, Oppositions or Squares.   

This wide spectrum of patterns created by the intertwined movements of the planets around their orbits are the key to a better understanding of long-term planetary cycles. 

It's also important to understand other remarkable patterns, such as the periodicity of about 179-180 years for the aspect figures of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and the long cycle between their stellia which has a variable periodicity of 1500 to 2000 years. 

Four different speeds

The giant planets have the following orbital periods: 

• Neptune: 164.8 years

• Uranus: 84.01 years

• Saturn: 29.46 years

• Jupiter: 11.86 years

Six synodic cycles

The four giant planets draw six different synodic cycles with synodic periods ranging from 13 years to 172 years:

1. The Uranus-Neptune synodic cycle: 172 years

2. The Saturn-Uranus synodic cycle: 44 to 47 years

3. The Saturn-Neptune synodic cycle: 35 to 37 years

4. The Jupiter-Saturn synodic cycle: 19.5 to 20.5 years

5. The Jupiter-Uranus synodic cycle: 13.5 years

6. The Jupiter-Neptune synodic cycle: 12.7 years

The patterns of the six synodic cycles around the zodiac

The timelines of the conjunctions of each synodic cycle form different patterns:

1. 1. the conjunctions of Uranus and Neptune, every 170 years, move forward around the zodiac in "small steps" of about 17 degrees, so that they either occur on the same sign or in the following sign.

   2. the conjunctions of Saturn and Uranus, every 44.1 years, move in "big steps" of 190 to 200 degrees, so that they occur in the opposed sign or in the inconjunct sign.

   3. the conjunctions of Saturn and Neptune, every 36.4 years, move forward about 80 degrees, so that they move to the 3rd or 4th sign relative to the previous sign.

   4. the conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn, every 20 years, move backwards about 130 degrees, so that three successive conjunctions form a triangle, and the 4th conjunction occurs about 10 degrees further from the 1st conjunction (see the visualisation below). 

   5. the conjunctions of Jupiter and Uranus, every 13.5 years, move forward 55 to 62 degrees, so that they occur in sextile to one another.

   6. the conjunctions of Jupiter and Neptune, every 12.7 years, move forward 27 to 29 degrees, moving steadily through every sign of the zodiac.

The five stellia of the giant planets

During the 10-year timeframe of a Uranus-Neptune conjunction: 

• • Jupiter-Uranus-Neptune stellia: Jupiter speed allows it to catch up with Uranus and Neptune to form one or two stellia. 

  • Saturn-Uranus-Neptune stellia: Saturn sometimes, but not always, joins Uranus and Neptune. When it doesn't form a stellium, it forms a square or an opposition aspect figure, described below. Every a few thousand years, Jupiter joins the Saturn-Uranus-Neptune stellium, forming the extremely rare stellia of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune✨. 

During the 2-year timeframe of Saturn-Uranus conjunctions: 

• • Jupiter-Saturn-Uranus stellia: Jupiter sometimes joins Saturn and Uranus. When it doesn't form a stellium, it forms a square or an opposition aspect figure, described below. 

During  the 1-year timeframe of Saturn-Neptune conjunctions: 

• • Jupiter-Saturn-Neptune stellia: Jupiter sometimes joins Saturn and Neptune. It may also form major aspect, as described below. 

👉The page about the stellia of the giant planets✨ includes timelines of those remarkable alignments. 

The aspect figures formed by the giant planets

Five sets of aspect figures

During the 10-year timeframe of Uranus-Neptune alignments: 

• Jupiter-Uranus-Neptune aspect figures.

• Saturn-Uranus-Neptune aspect figures, and the very rare aspect figures between Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune✨.  

During the 2-year timeframe of Saturn-Uranus alignments:

• Jupiter-Saturn-Uranus aspect figures: the sextiles, the waxing squares, the trines, the oppositions etc... in the Saturn-Uranus cycle last for about 1 year, but sometimes up to 2 years. If, during that timeframe, Jupiter reaches a major aspect with Saturn and/or Uranus, then the three planets form an aspect figure.

During  the 1-year timeframe of Saturn-Neptune alignments:

• Jupiter-Saturn-Neptune aspect figures.

Geometrical shapes

Aspect figures can take different geometrical shapes, generated by the many possible combinations of two or more major aspects between the planets. The simplest aspect figures between three or more giant planets are the following: 

• an Opposition, with 2 planets conjunct each other and making an opposition to the third planet.

• a Square, with 2 planets conjunct each other and making a square to the third planet.

• a T-square, with 2 planets in opposition, and the third planet making a square to the other two.

• a Trine, with 2 planets conjunct each other and making a trine to the third planet.

• a Grand Trine, with each planet making a trine to the other two, forming an equilateral triangle. 

• a "Double Sextile", with 2 planets configured by trine, and the third planet at the mid-point, making two sextiles to the first 2 planets. An example of such pattern occurred in October 1957. 

👉The timeline of planetary alignments (1805-1993)🗓 lists some remarkable aspect figures formed by the giant planets. 

The periodicity of 179-180 years

Astronomers have observed a remarkable periodicity of about 179-180 years for the patterns of the giants planets: 

• 14 Jupiter-Neptune conjunctions have a mean period of 178.95 years

• 13 Jupiter-Uranus conjunctions a mean period of 179.55 years

• 9 Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions: 178.73 years

• 5 Saturn-Neptune: 179.35 years

• 4 Saturn-Uranus: 181.44 years

• 1 Uranus-Neptune: 171.44 years

This explains why the stellia and the aspect figures of the giant planets tend to repeat every 179 to 180 years. 

Important nuances

The length of each heliocentric synodic cycle is not constant for several reasons: 

• the orbits of the planets are elliptical,

•  orbital speed is minimum at aphelion and maximum at perihelion,

• the axis of their orbits are not aligned.

Because astrology uses a geocentric perspective, it's important to distinguish a geocentric synodic cycle from a heliocentric synodic cycle. The geocentric perspective implies that every outer planet goes into apparent retrograde motion once a year, and that some conjunctions appear as triple conjunctions from the earth's point of view. 

Recommended resources🔗

• The Solar System - Wikipedia

• Aspect figure - Astro Wiki

• Aspect pattern - Astro Wiki

• Outer planet synodic cycles - Nick Anthony Fiorenza

• Synodic periods of planets relative to each other - Wikipedia

• Synodic Astrology, Synodic Cycles and Planetary Retrogrades - Nick Anthony Fiorenza

• Heliocentric Conjunctions of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune - Jim Decandole

• The "alignment" of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune that was used for the Voyager program - Wikipedia

See also the page about recommended tools, articles, books and podcast episodes.