Opposition
Seen from the Earth, two celestial bodies stand opposite each other, 180 degrees apart. In the biodynamic calendar the opposition of a tree’s planet marks the sowing time for that tree.
What is an opposition?
Two celestial bodies are in opposition when their ecliptic longitudes are 180 degrees apart. Seen from the Earth, they stand on opposite sides of the sky. Full Moon is the opposition of Moon and Sun.
With conjunction and the trine, opposition is one of the positions the biodynamic calendar records.
Opposition to the Sun
When an outer planet is in opposition to the Sun, the Earth lies between the two. The planet rises at sunset, stands in the south at midnight and can be seen all night. It is then close to the Earth and shines brighter than at any other time of the year. Around opposition it is retrograde.
Mercury and Venus never come into opposition to the Sun. They move inside the Earth’s orbit and never stray far from the Sun in the sky.
Opposition in the tree times
Biodynamic practice assigns trees and shrubs to individual planets. When a tree’s planet stands in opposition to another wandering star, the Dyyna calendar records a sowing time for that tree. The wandering stars are the Sun and the planets. The felling times depend on the trine.
Both apply only on days without an unfavourable window, that is without a lunar node, perigee, planetary node, lunar occultation or eclipse.
Oppositions to the Sun 2027
| Date | Time | Planet | Planet in front of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb | 1:13 | Jupiter | Leo |
| 19 Feb | 16:39 | Mars | Leo |
| 28 Sep | 16:06 | Neptune | Pisces |
| 18 Oct | 2:15 | Saturn | Pisces |
| 30 Nov | 10:06 | Uranus | Taurus |
Times for Central Europe (CET, CEST in summer). In addition there are 18 oppositions of the planets with one another in 2027.
Sources
- Opposition (astronomy), Wikipedia
- Planetary positions: VSOP87 (Bretagnon and Francou 1988)
Frequently asked questions about opposition
What does opposition mean in astronomy?
Seen from the Earth, two celestial bodies stand opposite each other, 180 degrees apart.
When is a planet best seen?
Around its opposition to the Sun. Then it is above the horizon all night and especially bright. In 2027 Jupiter is at opposition on 11 February, Mars on 19 February.
What does opposition have to do with trees?
In the biodynamic calendar the opposition of the planet to which a tree is assigned marks a sowing time for that tree.