VMs: Re: Regulus

[Rene Zandbergen <r_zandbergen@xxxxxxxxx>]

Rafal wrote,

> Well, this inspired me and maybe I have found
> something.
> Regulus is the _figura_ of 7 Leo. When we look at
> the Leo
> diagram in the VMS and start counting the nymphs
> from the
> one on the ascendant (slightly higher, actually) in
> the inner
> circle, and then down (just as in the _Astromagia_
> diagrams),
> the seventh nymph seems to have a crown on her head.
> And Regulus means "little king"!

There is much more to this, which makes me 
believe that the zodiac section has some 
meaning to it. For example: there are about 20
9-pointed stars in the 10 charts we have. There
are further 8-, 7- and 6-pointed stars.
If the 9-pointed stars represent stars of magnitude
1, then we have 2 depictions for each star.
By coincidence (??) there are two crowned stars,
one in Leo and one in Cancer. Both have 9 points,
and Regulus is indeed magnitude 1.

What are the odds that this is a coincidence?

So, I reiterate my bold statement that both
represent Regulus, but I don't know why it is
there two times.

The neat part is that there is actually a third
nymph with a crown, in Libra. This has a small
star (7 points). Regulus culminates when some
of the higher-numbered degrees (20++) rises.
Now look at the crown. Does it have a culminating
star?
I think so.
But I have not yet been able to convince anyone
of this before.
I have tried to match the pattern of 9-pointed
stars with the known magnitude-1 stars of Ptolemy's
list. There are some interesting things: two
mag-1 stars next to each other (I forget what
they are called). But in general the picture is
not very good. So is this another look-alike
star catalogue, just like the herbal section 
is a good look-alike of a real herbal, yet fails
to match to any real one?

The problem is that there could be any combination
of things in there: degree of rising, degree
of setting, longitude, right ascension, culmination.

The two labels for Regulus are very different.
I still think that these have a 'feel' of numbers.

About the origin of the word Regulus, I have a
strong feeling that this is actually much 
older than Copernicus. The special feat about
Regulus is that it is so close to the ecliptic,
and therefore provides regular close visits by
the planets.

Food for thought, isn't it?

Cheers, Rene

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