An ongoing program of computational research testing astrological hypotheses against empirical data — with full transparency on methodology and outcomes, including null results. Published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at academic conferences.
Renay Oshop's research program asks a deceptively simple question: does astrology actually predict anything? Not with anecdote or client testimonials — but with data, control groups, effect sizes, and statistical inference.
The 47 experiments span a wide range of astrological hypotheses — from birth chart correlates with wealth and personality, to market volatility, weather, career patterns, genetic traits, and the performance of mundane predictions. The methodology is drawn from computational biology and data science. The results are reported honestly.
Some experiments return positive results. Some return null. Some are mixed. All are published. This is what distinguishes rigorous inquiry from advocacy — and it is what gives the positive results their weight.
Full details at bigastrologybook.com ↗| # | Project / Keywords | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Births / Wealth — correlation between birth chart factors and economic outcomes | Positive |
| 02 | Economic Cycles — planetary cycles and macro-economic indicators | Positive |
| 03 | Hospital / Moon — lunar phase and hospital admissions / emergency room visits | Null |
| 04 | Gauquelin Replication — geographic / Mars effect and athletic achievement | Positive |
| 05 | Retrograde / Bias — retrograde planets and cognitive or behavioral bias | Null |
| 06 | Aspects / Harmonics — harmonic aspect patterns and personality measures | Mixed |
| 07 | Machine Learning / Personality — ML models predicting personality from natal data | Positive |
| 08 | Precession — tropical vs. sidereal zodiac performance in predictions | Null |
| 09 | Solar / Quality — solar position and quality-of-life self-report measures | Positive |
| 10 | Synastry / Longevity — chart compatibility and relationship duration | Positive |
| 11 | Health / Cohort — natal indicators and health outcomes in cohort datasets | Positive |
| 12 | Market / Volatility — planetary configurations and stock market volatility | Positive |
| 13 | Circular Statistics — methodological study of circular/angular data in astrology | Positive |
| 14 | Ancient Mechanics — testing classical Jyotisha rules against modern datasets | Positive |
| 15 | Birth Order — astrological indicators and sibling birth order effects | Positive |
| 16 | Creativity / Generations — generational patterns and creative output metrics | Null |
| 17 | Transits / Predictions — predictive accuracy of transit-based forecasts | Positive |
| 18 | House Systems — comparative performance of tropical vs. whole-sign houses | Positive |
| 19 | Mundane / Events — chart-based predictions for geopolitical or world events | Mixed |
| 20 | Genetic / Rules — classical astrological rules and genetic outcome data | Success |
| 21 | Eclipse / Mood — solar/lunar eclipses and population-level mood measures | Positive |
| 22 | Astro / Weather — planetary indicators and meteorological outcomes | Mixed |
| 23 | Career / Similarity — chart patterns shared among people in the same career | Positive |
| 24 | Electional / Decisions — electional astrology and decision outcome quality | Null |
| 25 | Fixed Stars — fixed star parans and biographical correlates | Positive |
| 26 | Compatibility — synastry indicators and reported relationship satisfaction | Mixed |
| 27 | Horary — accuracy of horary astrology answers vs. outcomes | Mixed |
| 28 | House / Life Domains — house placements and corresponding life domain outcomes | Positive |
| 29 | Asteroids / Psychology — minor planet positions and psychological measures | Positive |
| 30 | Culture / Zodiac — cross-cultural comparisons of zodiac trait associations | Positive |
| 31 | Disease / Pattern — astrological indicators in disease onset pattern studies | Mixed |
| 32 | History / Predictions — retrospective accuracy of historically documented predictions | Low |
| 33 | Dignities / Character — planetary dignities and character trait correlations | Positive |
| 34 | Solar Returns — solar return chart accuracy for annual life themes | Positive |
| 35 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
| 36 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
| 37 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
| 38 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
| 39 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
| 40 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
| 41 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
| 42 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
| 43 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
| 44 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
| 45 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
| 46 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
| 47 | Project in progress | Coming Soon |
For detailed methodology, datasets, and extended discussion of each experiment, visit bigastrologybook.com/2/research.
The research program is built on principles drawn from empirical science. These are not incidental — they are what separates genuine inquiry from motivated reasoning.
Every experiment starts with a hypothesis that can, in principle, be disproved. If no possible outcome could count as evidence against a claim, the claim is not scientific. Renay's experiments are designed to be losable — and some of them have been lost.
Where possible, astrological test groups are compared against matched control groups drawn from the same population. Effect sizes are calculated against baseline rates, not just internal patterns. This prevents confirmation bias from skewing interpretation.
Null results are published alongside positive ones. This is unusual in the astrological literature — and essential for credibility. A research program that only publishes hits tells you nothing. Publishing misses is what gives the hits their evidential weight.
Results are evaluated using standard statistical methods — chi-square, effect size, significance thresholds, confidence intervals. The goal is not impressive numbers but reproducible methods that other researchers can audit and attempt to replicate.
Where feasible, experiments use large naturalistic datasets — public records, news corpora, financial data — rather than small laboratory samples. This increases statistical power and reduces the risk of idiosyncratic findings.
The research does not prove astrology universally true or false. It provides evidence about specific hypotheses. Some astrological claims appear to have measurable correlates. Others don't. That distinction matters — and it is honored.
The Big Astrology Book of Research is the primary publication for this work — with full experiment descriptions, datasets, and extended analysis available at bigastrologybook.com.