2016 was marked by a scandalous statement that the signs of the zodiac have changed once and for all. The reason for this was Ophiuchus - the thirteenth sign of the zodiac, which completely changed everything that people believed in for many centuries. However, is it really so? Was there suddenly another constellation in the sky that was taken into account?
It turns out that everything is far from so simple and transparent. That is why you should read this article, which will tell you in detail what effect the appearance of a new zodiac sign can have on you. You can also understand why you should not be afraid of the appearance of new signs in the future. And if you think that astronomy and astrology are one and the same, then you will find very important information that will help you avoid similar mistakes in the future.
What is the zodiac?
First you need to figure out what the zodiac is. As the Earth moves around the Sun, it follows the same path. From the point of view of people, it looks as if the Sun always rises and sets at specific points, while making its way through the most diverse constellations that are visible to people depending on their location on the planet. Let's say it's September now. The sun at this time is between the Earth and the constellation Virgo, and on the opposite side is the constellation Libra.
This means that in six months the Sun will be between Libra and the Earth, and Virgo will be on the opposite side. Simply put, if at a certain point in time you draw a straight line from the Earth through the Sun, you can find out which zodiac sign is currently active. At least that's what astrology thinks, although astronomy doesn't quite agree with this simplification.
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Who Invented the Zodiac Signs?
Astronomy and astrology are two opposites, however, representatives of both directions of science have come to an agreement that the signs of the zodiac appeared in earthly culture in Ancient Babylon about three thousand years ago. When Babylonian astronomers began to study the sky, they began to mark the patterns of the constellations. It was they who became the people who collected individual stars into specific constellations and gave them names.
The Babylonians already lived on a 12-month calendar, which they based on the movement of the moon, so they divided the sky into twelve sections, each of which had its own zodiac sign. By the fourth century BC, the same signs had been adopted by the Greek, Roman, and Arab worlds, so the idea of a thirteenth zodiac sign does not fit an impressive chunk of history.
What kind of Ophiuchus?
If you are familiar with the traditional zodiac, then you have probably already seen Ophiuchus - it is located between Scorpio and Sagittarius, a little above them.
He is unique as he holds another constellation in his hands. The Sun passes through this constellation between November 29 and December 18, thereby overlapping with the period reserved for Sagittarius.
Ophiuchus has appeared before
Ophiuchus has been known to people for a very long time, and he is not a newcomer to astronomical charts. However, with astrology, everything is different. When the panic about the change in the astrological calendar began in 2016, researchers looked into the past and found that Ophiuchus caused a similar reaction as early as 2000. Then history repeated itself in 2011, and now in 2016. Each time, there was panic over reports that NASA was going to change the horoscope.
However, this is where the mistake already creeps in: NASA has nothing to do with astrology and zodiac signs. All NASA is reporting is that the Earth's rotation changes slightly, so the planet starts looking in a slightly different direction. Ophiuchus has always been in the starry sky, so everything you've heard about NASA changing the signs of the zodiac is just big headlines and blunders.
Zodiac signs always change
When Ophiuchus appeared in 2011, he also caused a sensation, but even then scientists explained that he was always in the starry sky. Astronomer Park Kunkle explained this with the example of a top: when you first launch it, it spins very actively, but as it begins to lose momentum, it begins to twitch along with it. This is exactly what happens to the Earth. Therefore, those constellations through which the Sun passes are different from those observed by the Babylonians three thousand years ago. Thus, the signs of the zodiac were never "correct" in terms of astronomy.
Sidereal zodiac vs tropical zodiac
It turns out that there are more than one zodiac. What you are guided by now to determine your own sign is the tropical zodiac, which was introduced in Ancient Greece by Ptolemy. It was he who created a static, unchanging version of the zodiac, which remains the same, regardless of all changes. However, this is not the only zodiac form. In Vedic astrology, there is a sidereal zodiac, which directly reflects what is happening in the starry sky at the moment.
This is why your zodiac sign has definitely not changed
Most of the Western world uses the Ptolemaic tropical zodiac, and this is the zodiac that does not change under any circumstances. Those people who live in the eastern part of the world and use the sidereal zodiac should just change their sign. So you don't have to worry: the tropical zodiac relies more on the seasons on Earth than on the constellations in the sky, so your zodiac sign has definitely not changed.
From a technical point of view, there should be 21 zodiac signs in total
Ophiuchus has already received his fair share of bad fame as an intruder into the familiar pattern of the zodiac, but now that you know that he doesn't invade anywhere and is always where he is, it's time to ask a couple of questions. First, why aren't other constellations mentioned? Secondly, why didn't Ophiuchus get his zodiac sign in the horoscope? It turns out that the twelve constellations that now correspond to the signs of the zodiac were chosen because they were the brightest and the easiest to find in the sky with the naked eye. And although the sun actually spends only a few days in Scorpio, this constellation is much brighter than Ophiuchus and has a much more recognizable shape in the night sky. If we take into account all the constellations that are on the path of the Sun, then they can be counted 21.
How many people believe that astrology is a science?
So, now you have received the answer to the question of what exactly the appearance of the thirteenth zodiac sign means for you personally: absolutely nothing. However, the question remains: why is there such a fuss again? Why do so many people continue to confuse astronomy and astrology? In 2014, a study found that about 40 percent of people consider astrology to be an exact science. And in 2005 it became known that women more than men believe in astrology. Why do people believe in astrology? The thing is that astrology supports the ideas of fate and fate, offering to look into the future, which is supposedly already written on the stars. Unfortunately, blind faith in astrology is harmful for a person who believes that his fate is a foregone conclusion, and makes such decisions in accordance with the horoscope,who in another situation would never have accepted.
Marina Ilyushenko