THe Annular
Creator
Waxing Gibbous Ascending over the Superstition Mountains in Phoenix
Brandon Hansen is a modern Renaissance Man from Phoenix, Arizona; a professional and award-winning Aerial Acrobat, with a background in music (piano, French Horn, voice, composition), gymnastics and dance, theater and acting, massage and bodywork, psychology and philosophy, astronomy and astrology. He designed the first Annulus during Quarantine 2020, which was printed just after Noon on the Southern Solstice of that infamous year (beneath the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn). He is filled with an immense passion for understanding the beauties of life, and passing on that knowledge to others.
Annular Solar Eclipse setting over Phoenix
What are the Annuli?
The Annuli are a collection of celestial displays. Each Annulus is a reversible disk, with a pattern of divots which can hold spheres, as representations of the objects in the sky in their locations. They were designed to make circle-charts tangible. An Annulus is tactile, customizable, elegant, and most importantly, useful, as to learn to use one grants deeper understanding of the cycles of the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars. They can teach children about and ignite their interest in space, foster a person’s internal sense of direction and navigation, assist in following the Moon around the sky through its phases, and to help one recognize the constellations as they stargaze, as well as many other activities. To learn more about what “Annulus” means, read this blog post!
While circle-charts are famously used by Astrologers to “interpret” various alignments of the planets, being able to predict when you can go outside and see Venus is as scientific (and human) an experience as someone can have. That is the skill gained by learning to use an Annulus. The Annuli allow everyone to gain a better relationship with the true observable mechanics of nature, things you can prove to yourself to be true with just a bit of careful observation, while also allowing anyone to find a deeper meaning in the heavens, as they might choose to.