Digital illustration of the Solar system.Photo:Getty

Digital illustration of the Solar system. Sun, Earth and planetary Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and the dwarf Pluto.

Getty

A recent earthquake in New York City and New Jersey could be the result of some astrological activity, according toPEOPLE’s resident astrologer Kyle Thomas.

A4.5 magnitude rattled the East Coastthe morning of April 5, a natural phenomenon that Thomas tells PEOPLE “is all about Uranus in Taurus” — which he says is “building to the big, ferocious beast that’s coming around April 20.”

“Uranus is the planet of transformation, radical change, crisis and freedom,“writes Thomas on his blog. So when Uranus resides within Taurus — which it has been since March 6, 2019 — he says “the things that Taurus rules will be vastly affected.”

So how does this tie into the East Coast earthquake? “Taurus rules the Earth and the physical world,” writes Thomas. He says it’s “likely that we’ll begin to see” more global disasters — particularly “earthquakes, lightning and storms.”

As for that “big ferocious beast” approaching on April 20, it’s known as the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction. Thomas notes that when Uranus interacts with another planet, “shocks and surprises are bound to happen, for better or worse.”

Uranus will reside in Taurus from now until July 7, 2025. Then, it will move into Gemini until it retrogrades back that November and stay there until April 2026 (where it will not return for 84 years!).

Read on for what to know about the upcoming Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, according to Kyle Thomas.

When does the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction start?

Uranus illustration.Getty

URANUS

The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction stars on April 20, 2024. These planets conjunct approximately once every 14 years.

What is the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction?

Comparison showing the relative sizes of the Solar System planets and the Sun.Getty

Comparison showing the relative sizes of the Solar System planets and the Sun.

Jupiter and Uranus will form a powerful conjunction in Taurus in April, said to be one of the most intense days of the 2024 astrological calendar. It’s rare, too, as this particular planetary conjunction hasn’t collided in Taurus since 1941.

Conjunctions are simple to understand. If two planets are very close together, or even in the exact same place in the sky, their energies will merge and we will likely feel its effects as a result.

Depending on the planets, the energies can cause happy effects while others can cause feelings of intensity if the planets don’t blend. These effects are likely to be felt until a new planetary pattern forms.

The frequency of these conjunctions depends on the planet. Some planets unite once a year, while others won’t experience the same conjunction for hundreds of years.

How will the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction affect us?

Taurus symbol.Getty

Taurus symbol on a colorful background light

Jupiter, the planet of luck, will unite with Uranus, the planet of surprises, on April 20 in the fields of Taurus. “This could bring shocking twists of fate, major breakthroughs or breakdowns or wild events to our doorstep,” Thomas says.

Despite its mid-April arrival, Thomas says we likely already felt the conjunction’s effects “building” throughout March and into April. Avoid doing anything “too risky” at this time, he advises, warning that many people “will win big, while others lose big” near this time.

“Also expect rocky energy around finances and the economy on the world stage,“writes Thomas on his blog. To pinpoint when you might have a “stroke of luck,” he advises you to look to see where Jupiter is “dancing through your zodiac sign’s horoscopes.”

Kyle Thomas— who’sknown for his cosmic guidancefor celebrities, business executives and prominent influencers — is a celebrity astrologer who writes PEOPLE’s weekly horoscopes.Learn more about him here!

source: people.com