Hiroshima is being remembered on the 75th anniversary of the bombing which, along with the Nagasaki bomb three days later, killed nigh on 200,000 people. Most casualties were civilians and the two incidents remain the only uses of nuclear weapons in armed conflict. US President Harry Truman said it was necessary to save anywhere up to half a million American soldiers’ lives after Japan refused to follow Germany into surrender and the war in the east threatened to run on.
The Hiroshima bomb was dropped 6 August 1945 at 8.15am when Uranus was exactly (to the same minute of a degree) conjunct the Midheaven. There was a powerful Sun Pluto conjunction; an unpleasant Mars in Gemini trine Neptune sextile Pluto; and a cold-hearted Saturn Moon in Cancer. Like 9/11 it isn’t quite as earth-shattering a chart as you might expect, though into the more finely tuned harmonics it shows up as brutal on the 9th and 18th Harmonic; where 9/11 showed its true colours on the 16H.
The 9 July 1945 Total Solar eclipse in Cancer had Saturn conjunct the New Moon with Jupiter on the Descendant and Uranus on the nadir/IC located to Hiroshima. It also had an expansive Jupiter trine Mars in Taurus sextile New Moon Saturn – so arguably pushing all that inflated Mars Jupiter into an event of great sadness with Saturn in Cancer on the Eclipse. When the bomb was dropped a month later the transiting Moon was just one degree passed the conjunction to the Eclipse – which is relatively often the case as the following Moon appears to trigger the Eclipse chart. Located to Washington, DC, the Total Solar Eclipse had the Midheaven conjunct Mars in Taurus and conjunct the destructive Fixed star Algol.
The partial Lunar Eclipse of 25 June 1945 was even more pointed set for Hiroshima with Moon conjunct Midheaven opposition Sun Nadir/IC square Neptune conjunct Descendant.
The Japan country chart, assuming a start time of 10.44 am is sound, 11 February 1889, had the Solar Arc Pluto conjunct the IC for a moment of great national shame and devastation; with tr Saturn square the Solar Arc Sun and moving to conjunct the North Node in the aftermath; as well as the Solar Arc Mars moving to square the Sun which always brings a shock and a collision of sorts.
The USA chart was more upbeat with Solar Arc Jupiter square the Neptune and tr Jupiter just passed the conjunction to Neptune and square the USA Mars, presumably as they saw the conflict ending. Though the Saturnine Solar Eclipse conjunct the USA Sun might have brought pause for some sober reflection.
Harry Truman, a Sun Neptune in Taurus trine Uranus with a lucky Jupiter in the 10th, would have been less decisive than his comments of the time sounded, since tr Saturn and the Solar Eclipse were sitting on his Solar Arc Sun Neptune for a panicky, high-anxiety phase with a heavy-hearted tr Pluto conjunct his Solar Arc Saturn.
Robert Oppenheimer, 22 April 1904 New York with an unverified time of 8.15am, was an American theoretical physicist, wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory and among those who are credited with being the “father of the atomic bomb”. He was elated at the time of the bombings because of the success of his science but later campaigned against the use of nuclear weapons and was discredited for some years for allegedly communist leanings.
He had his Sun, Mars and Mercury spread out through Taurus; with his Mercury conjunct Algol, and his BML conjunct his South Node; plus an ultra-determined Saturn in scientific Aquarius trine Pluto. By all accounts he had an odd temperament, suffered from depression and was obsessive about his work. In the run up to 1945 he had his Solar Arc Mars conjunct his Pluto, putting him under massive pressure; and in 1945 he had his Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct Algol for the devastating moment which defined the 20th Century.
When he saw the first bomb test in New Mexico in the July 1945 he said he remembered the words from the Bhagavad Gita: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” In purely scientific terms he was a great success; out in the real world of consequences less so.
Thank you, Marjorie. Uranus was also on the angle of the Chernobyl chart too (ascendant iirc) and also Bhopal 1984 has it on the Nadir. Interestingly, both those charts also have Mars in aspect to Jupiter. I notice also that Oppenheimer has Uranus conjunct the descendant as well as a Mars-Jupiter semi-sextile.
Jane, that quote is indeed chilling.
Thanks Marjorie. Oppenheimer was deeply interested in philosophy, and had I believe studied the Bhagavad Gita and used Hindu philosophy to guide him in many ways. The quote he used, in full, was:
“If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One… I am become Death, the Shatterer of Worlds.”
I have always found the “radiance of a thousand suns” part particularly chilling.
Similar lead-up for Nagasaki? Thanks.