What did the 5th Dimension mean by the phrase “this is the dawning of the age of aquarius”? As an amateur astronomer, it has specific meaning to an event that probably preceeds the song and the 1960’s!
I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy - Hawkeye 4077th
I understand that the plain of the ecliptic (earth’s orbit) is slowly migrating through the zodiac. We are now transitioning into Aquarius.
This is a theory that also explans the iconography of Mithraism, which features Mithra subduing a bull - that he was the god who is forcing the solar system into each progressive house. At the time the religion was popular, the ecliptic was entering Taurus.
5th Dimention eh???
well, as long as I get to wear those bell-bottoms and Platforms with fish living in the soles I’ll be happy!!!
Robroy’s understanding is basically the correct meaning in astronomy. It is better known as the precession of the axis since the earth spins through space like a wobbly top. I have only found reference to the “age of aquarius” phrase in a scant few astronomy text books or field guides.
While most people would be unaware, I’m amazed Marilyn McCoo and gang would have known this. Was this a big news event? Did psychics make a big hub-bub?
This is the same reason why Polaris has/will not always been/be the North Star forever.
I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy - Hawkeye 4077th
Didn’t we just have a very similar question?
Since you brought the point up, maybe you could give an exact definition for what the Age of Aquarius means in astronomy (I -think- it means “the zodiacal stars which are rising over the horizon at the vernal equinox are in the constellation Aquarius”, but it would be nice to have that confirmed).
Astrology definitely recognizes the concept, though individual astrologers disagree on exactly where the dividing line between Aquarius and Pisces lies, which is why you’ll hear dates for the beginning of the AofA everywhere from early this (still 20th for another year) century (around the time of the discovery of Pluto, which at least one web site I found argued was a very Aquarian sort of event) to very late 22nd century.
I gather that Aquarius is supposed to be a kind of enlightened, sensitive, new-agey peace, love, and recreational pharmaceuticals for everybody sort of sign.
Torq, you’ve practically got it. At some point, long ago, a similar concept to longitude and latitude was applied to chart the heavens. It’s known as Right Ascension (RA) and Declination (Dec.), respectively. RA is measured in hours and Dec in degrees.
The origin (0hr, 0 dgr) lay within Aries.
However, since the earth is not a perfectly smooth sphere, the earth slowly gyrates as it revolves…kinda like the gyrating of an unbalanced tire or the wobble of a spinning top. (Neither analogy is 100%, but ok here.)
Slowly, due to the gyration, the earth’s orientation in space has changed slightly. This is known as precession of the axis. Any unbalanced spinning body will precess - a term used to describe the gyration action.
Anyhow, over time, the precession has caused the orientation of the earth’s axis to change slightly. Today, the origin (0hr, 0dgr) lies in Pisces.
Now follow me: Somewhere along the line, the constellations along the ecliptic (zodiac) were divided into 12 “bands” called “signs” each 30 degrees wide (12 x 30 = 360).
The signs stayed put, but the constellations didn’t. So when we speak of the Tropic of Cancer, it refers to the sun being in the “sign” of Cancer (not the constellation) since now the constellation of Gemini has shifted into the “sign” of Cancer.
Simply put, say you had 12 framed pictures on the wall with their titles on the frame. And then, one day, someone placed the pictures into different frames. The names on the frames (“signs”) are still the same, but the pictures (“zodiac constellations”) have changed!
I think the shift takes 1,000 years per sign, so it’ll take 12,000 years to complete. This gyration is the same reason why the Earth’s North Pole used to align with Vega (in Lyra, the Lyre) at one time.
As for astrology, I have always heard they go by your “sign”, so no impact!
Whew! Didn’t think the 5th Dim. would have heard this phrase - even if they DID take it to mean free love or free VW buses, whatever!
I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy - Hawkeye 4077th
The song was from the Broadway musical Hair, and covered by the 5th Dimension. The Age of Aquarius was big in astrological circles at the time, similar to the meaning the Millennium has taken with the New Age movement.
I know this doesn’t really answer the OP, but at least the young’uns need to know there was something before the 5th Dimension.
Pardon my young innocence, but I never thought about “Hair” being a play first. So, I guess all the pop songs from “Hair” were remakes from the play?
What about “Tommy”? Exclusive to The Who?
HAIR was an off-Broadway show in 1967, and a Broadway show in 1968, written and composed by Rado and Ragni (forgot their first names, plus it’s always more fun to just say “Rado and Ragni”).
So the “Broadway show tunes” rule applies. Pop performers can record them without breaking the invisible wall of pop performer coolness.
TOMMY, on the other hand, was an “opera,” written and composed in its entirety by the rock group who performed it. So, according to the lights of the late-60s music scene, it was the sole property of The Who.
Persons who appropriated songs from it to record as singles, such as Elton John with “Pinball Wizard,” are to be considered wankers.
Uke
The earlier thread torq refered to is here:
http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/004466.html
However, it had more to do with “when” than “what”.
Mr. K’s Link of the Month:
The precession was known to the ancients and begged an astrological interpretation.
Carl Jung knew about it and the ancient interpretations and he wrote about it. Since Jung was big into interpreting archetypes and myths, he really got into what the new age (of Aquarius) would be like.
http://www.iranian.com/Opinion/Sept97/Mitra/
New Agers and hippies were big into ancient Paganism, astrology, and Jung.
A musical play about hippies tapped into one of their pet theories about a new age of humanity and came up with Age of Aquarius.
And what does that new age symbolize? Just listen to the song, %…sympathy and understanding . . . blah blah blah . . . peace . . . %. It’s as accurate and specific as a horroscope.
Peace.
And what, pray tell, is this current Age of Pisces all about? Wet feet? Gillishness? The rise of Finland?
Tangent time!
Us kids had an old scratchy 45 of that song; unfamiliarity with the lyrics and the poor quality of the record had us singing
this is the dawning of the Age of the Prarie Dog…
so maybe the evil Nazi Groundhogs over in the other thread are actually up to something. 
Cave Diem! Carpe Canem!