by Claus Larsen

Astrologers have a hard time explaining what really is making astrology “work”. Most claim it is gravity, based on the old analogy of the Moon causing the tides: If the Moon can cause the waters on Earth to move, then why not the water in our bodies? After all, we consist of about 70% water, so it follows that the Moon has a similar effect on us. So should the rest of the planets, the logic goes.

Isaac, the stage is yours!

How much of a pull is this anyway? It is fairly easy to calculate the exact force any planet exerts on us. We only need to know Newton’s law of Gravity that states:

We need the distance and mass of two objects to find the gravitational pull between them.

As we can see, the pull from the planets is very weak. In fact, most of the pull comes from objects very close to us. Your car pulls at you 10 times more than Mars does. But you wouldn’t include your car in your horoscope, would you?

Conclusion

If astrology “works” at all – and nothing points in that direction – it sure isn’t because of gravity.

The water in human bodies shows no sign of tidal behaviour. This is because tides are caused by the change in gravity over distance. The Earth’s diameter is big, and the gravity from the Moon changes across the Earth’s diameter. But people are tiny compared to the distance to the Moon. The change in gravity from the Moon of our head and our feet is incredibly small, so there are no appreciable tides across a human being.

But if you are afraid of upcoming bad astrological effects, just stand on your head and reverse the effect! And if you are worried about the Moon pulling at you, just remember that people on the other side of Earth are pulled in the opposite direction!