NewsBlues mrsbgrammar Page 129
Chapter 2 Word Choice
119
astrological/astronomical
Mrs. B's sign is Libra.
Today's lesson is somewhat related.
Read this letter from the West Coast:
"I heard something on local TV that floored me. The tease was,
`a big astrological event coming up: details next.' Well, there I
was awaiting news of the moon moving to the seventh house and
Jupiter aligning with Mars. I was surprised to learn of a meteor
shower that, again, was heralded as an `astrological' event."
Let's go back to the root word of "astrological."
"Astrology" is the study of the positions of them moon, the sun, and
other planets in the belief that their motions affect people.
We're talking horoscope here, as in "what's your sign?"
"Astronomy," on the other hand, is the scientific study of planets and
other objects and matter outside the earth's atmosphere and of their
physical and chemical properties.
So a meteor shower is an astroNOMICAL event, not an
astroLOGICAL one.
The tease should have been:
v
A big ASTRONOMICAL event is coming up; details next.
An ASTRONOMER could tell you about Saturn's rings and why
Mars is called "The Red Planet."
An ASTROLOGER could tell you what it means when Mercury is in
retrograde and how that might affect you.
