The Mars Effect is the name of a phenomenon discovered by French scientist and statistician Michel Gauquelin. Gauquelin, together with his partner Francoise, originally set out to disprove the efficacy of astrology. He created a database of over 100,000 timed birth charts, which allowed them to run large-scale statistical studies of astrological data with large sample sizes.
As a result of the study, Gauquelin discovered a significant correlation between planets on certain angles and vocation. Of these correlations, the placement of Mars was most notable—correlating with individuals who were successful athletes or involved in careers requiring significant physical aptitude and prowess. This was most likely to occur when the individual was born just after Mars’ daily rising, or just after it passed the midheaven. His findings, called the “Mars Effect,” led other skeptical scientists to attempt to recreate the study in order to disprove it, but to their surprise, they reached the same conclusions.
Further Listening:
The Astrology Podcast, Episode 173, Michel and Francoise Gauquelin and the Mars Effect, Chris Brennan & Kenneth Irving, September 27, 2018.
Article Information
- Author(s): Claire Rootjes
- Editing or additional contributions: Chris Brennan
- Originally published: December 1, 2020
- Last updated: December 1, 2020
- Cite this article: Claire Rootjes, “Mars Effect,” The Astrology Dictionary, December 1, 2020, http://theastrologydictionary.com/m/mars-effect/
