2008: Year of the Earth Rat
In the Chinese sexagenary calendar, 2008 is 戊子 — Yang Earth over the Rat branch.
The Heavenly Stem: 戊 (Earth)
Yang Earth is the mountain — steady, dependable, and slow to change position once it's found solid ground.
The Earthly Branch: 子 — Year of the Rat
The Rat is quick-witted and resourceful — good at spotting an opening and moving on it before anyone else notices it's there.
What 2008 holds in the sky
Computed from the same ephemeris as the charts: every date below is a position, not a prediction, and can be checked against any astronomical almanac.
Eclipses
- February 7Solar eclipse
- February 21Lunar eclipse
- August 1Solar eclipse
- August 16Lunar eclipse
Retrogrades
- November 15, 2007 – January 30Mars retrograde
- January 28 – February 19Mercury retrograde
- May 26 – June 19Mercury retrograde
- September 24 – October 15Mercury retrograde
Slow planets changing sign
- January 26Pluto enters Capricorn
- June 14Pluto enters Sagittarius
- November 27Pluto enters Capricorn
This is the story every Rat year shares
The stem and branch of 2008 describe the year itself, so they read the same for everyone born into it and everyone living through it. That is the group-level half. Your own chart also weighs your exact birth date, time, and location, which is what turns this into something specific to you.
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