Star clusters in which the light of the individual stars, because of their distance, merge to give the impression of a cloud with a more or less well-defined center. Great numbers of them are found in the heavens, and when one of them is rising at birth, or is in conjunction with the Moon, it is said to produce blindness or other ocular defect.
The principal nebulae noted in Astrology are: Praesepe, The Hyades, The Pleiades in 29° Taurus-Scorpio; the Aselli in 61, Leo-Aquarius; and Aldebaran-Antares in 8° Gemini-Sagittarius. Ptolemy refers to the "cloudy spot of Cancer, the Pleiades of Taurus, the Arrow-head of Sagittarius, the sting of Scorpio, the parts about the mane of Leo, and the urn of Aquarius" in reference to blindness. The Ascendant or Moon in any of these positions and afflicted by Mars indicates blindness from an accident or by violence; afflicted by Saturn, by a natural defect, such as the inhibiting or decay of the optic nerve, cataract, glaucoma, or obstructing growths.
