What is a pseudo-science? Astrology | Tangente

Gauquelin, the scientific method and the Mars effect ---------------------------------------------------

Astronomical and astrophysical arguments — such as the precession of the equinoxes, or simply the Earth's speed, which means that its position in the universe differs from one year to the next, even on the same date — are enough to show the inconsistencies that underlie astrology. Yet some have tried to test its predictions with rigorous methods.

This was the case in the 1950s with the psychologist Michel Gauquelin, who carried out statistical studies on the influence of the stars on human destiny. His study focused in particular on the position of Mars in the astrological charts of well-known athletes. He appeared to detect a statistical anomaly: the famous Mars effect. Gauquelin then approached the Comité belge pour l'investigation scientifique des phénomènes dits paranormaux, which "disputed the validity of the various formulas adopted (...) for calculating the frequencies." Nevertheless, Gauquelin's work is still cited by astrologers as scientific proof.