
''This article is about the astrological concept. For other uses, see zodiac (disambiguation)'' ---- The zodiac (from Greek language ''zoon'', "animal") is an imaginary belt in the heavens extending approximately 8 degrees on either side of the Sun's apparent path (the ecliptic), that includes the apparent paths of the Moon and the planets Mercury (planet), Venus (planet), Mars (planet), Jupiter (planet), Saturn (planet), Uranus (planet), and Neptune (planet). Pluto's Eccentricity (orbit) is so great that it does not travel along the ecliptic like the other planets. Divisions of the zodiac represent, in astronomy: constellations, and in astrology: astrological signs. There is a zodiac in western astrology, a different one in jyotish, and a very different one in Chinese astrology. ==Historical origin== The origins of the zodiac lie in Sumer in Mesopotamia. See the History of astrology article for a detailed discussion. ==Astronomy== In astronomy, the zodiac is the region of the sky close to the circle on which the plane of our solar system intersects the celestial sphere. It includes the ecliptic. It is a useful region of the sky to define, because it has practical implications for observations from the earth's surface. A bright object lying outside of the zodiacal region cannot be a planet. Polar observatories cannot easily observe the planets, because the zodiac is too close to the horizon. The zodiac is traditionally thought of as comprising a certain set of constellations. The constellations of both zodiacs are shown in the table below, including Ophiuchus, which was recognised as a zodiacal constellation at least as far back as Ptolemy's Almagest in the 2nd century - why he decided to omit Ophiuchus from his list of zodiacal constellations is a mystery. Most of Ophiuchus is north of the ecliptic - however, there are a few stars of Ophiuchus which are south of the ecliptic. Ptolemy recognised 4 of them, which are today known as 36 Oph, 42 θ Oph, 44 Oph and 51 Oph, and he recognised that they were south of the path of the sun through the sky. Thus, Ophiuchus as a recognised zodiacal constellation predates the 1930 decision by the International Astronomical Union to adopt constellation boundaries by at least 1,700 years. This IAU decision is a common reason given by astrologers for the inconsistency. In modern astronomy, the zodiacal constellations, like all constellations, are recognized as chance visual groupings of stars, with no natural significance. In most cases they are not groupings of stars in three-dimensional space. In a few cases, parts of constellations are made up of stars that are close in space as well as in the sky. We see the sky without any perception of its depth; two stars that are neighbors in a constellation are usually three-dimensionally not close to each other. Star clusters and star systems are exceptions. ==Astrology== In western astrology the zodiac is a band on the celestial sphere which contains the perceived paths of the Sun, Moon, and principal planets and is divided into twelve equal parts of 30° each, called "signs of the zodiac" or astrological signs, each named for a constellation. At the center of this band is the plane of the ecliptic. The width of the zodiac allows for the fact that the orbits of the other bodies are inclined relative to plane of the ecliptic, and thus extend about degree (angle) above and below the ecliptic. The zodiacal year begins at the point where the plane of the ecliptic intersects with the earth's equatorial plane at the vernal equinox when the Sun moves into the northern hemisphere of the earth's equatorial plane. In western Tropical zodiac, although the signs derive their names from the constellations, they are not the same thing. For example, although the Sun always enters the ''astrological'' sign of Aries at the vernal equinox about March 20, it will not cross into the astronomical constellation of the same name until nearly a month later. In Sidereal Astrology the signs are more aligned to their correct stellar constellations. However, the alignment still isn't exact, because the constellations all take up varying amounts of space along the ecliptic, whereas the signs each take up exactly 30°. ==Zodiacal Constellations== The zodiac includes twelve of the constellations that the ecliptic crosses. It actually crosses a thirteenth, Ophiuchus, but this constellation is not considered part of the zodiac (see above). Because the ecliptic lies in the general plane of the solar system, the Sun, Moon (astrology), and planet seem to move through the zodiacal constellations. A traditional mnemonic: : The Ram, the Bull, the Heavenly Twins, : And next' the Crab, the Lion shines, : The Virgin and the Scales. : The Scorpion, Archer, and the Goat, : The Man who holds the Watering Pot, : And Fish with glittering scales. The following table compares the dates that the sun enters a sign in tropical (Ptolemaic) and siderial (Vedic) astrological systems, and the date when it enters the astronomical constellation by the same name. The dates can vary by as much as 2 days, from year to year, depending on the cycle of leap years, and the precession of the perihelion of the Earth's orbit over many centuries. {| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" |- ! rowspan="2" | Sign ! rowspan="2" | Symbol ! colspan="2" | Astrological Dates ! rowspan="2" | Astronomical Dates
(as of AD 2000) |- ! Tropical ! Sidereal |- | Aries | align="center" | ram (sheep), ♈ | align="center" | March 21 - April 19 | align="center" | April 14 - May 14 | align="center" | April 19 - May 13 |- | Taurus (constellation) | align="center" | bull, ♉ | align="center" | April 20 - May 20 | align="center" | May 15 - June 14 | align="center" | May 14 - June 19 |- | Gemini | align="center" | twins, ♊ | align="center" | May 21 - June 20 | align="center" | June 15 - July 16 | align="center" | June 20 - July 20 |- | Cancer (constellation) | align="center" | crab, ♋ | align="center" | June 21 - July 22 | align="center" | July 17 - August 16 | align="center" | July 21 - August 9 |- | Leo | align="center" | lion, ♌ | align="center" | July 23 - August 23 | align="center" | August 17 - September 16 | align="center" | August 10 - September 15 |- | Virgo | align="center" | virgin, ♍ | align="center" | August 23 - September 22 | align="center" | September 17 - October 17 | align="center" | September 16 - October 30 |- | Libra | align="center" | Weighing scale, ♎ | align="center" | September 23 - October 22 | align="center" | October 18 - November 16 | align="center" | October 31 - November 22 |- | Scorpio | align="center" | scorpion, ♏ | align="center" | October 23 - November 21 | align="center" | November 17 - December 15 | align="center" | November 23 - November 29 |- | ''Ophiuchus'' | align="center" | snake wrestler | | | align="center" | November 30 - December 17 |- | Sagittarius | align="center" | archery, ♐ | align="center" | November 22 - December 21 | align="center" | December 16 - January 14 | align="center" | December 18 - January 18 |- | Capricornus | align="center" | goat, ♑ | align="center" | December 22 - January 19 | align="center" | January 15 - February 12 | align="center" | January 19 - February 15 |- | Aquarius | align="center" | water, ♒ | align="center" | January 20 - February 18 | align="center" | February 13 - March 14 | align="center" | February 16 - March 11 |- | Pisces | align="center" | fish, ♓ | align="center" | February 19 - March 20 | align="center" | March 15 - April 13 | align="center" | March 12 - April 18 |- |} The "tropical" zodiacal dates (those that divide the zodiac starting with the vernal equinox) are used primarily in the United States and western Europe. The "sidereal" dates (those that divide the zodiac starting with the alignment of the Sun with a distant star in Aries) are used everywhere else. Many people who don't know anything about constellations have heard about the signs of the Zodiac in an astrology context. Astrologers would use astronomical observations of the movements of the night sky for divination purposes. Some of these applications were founded on correspondences between practical knowledge and celestial observations (for example, the relationship between solar position and stellar positions depends on the season, which has practical implications for agriculture), whilst others were completely unfounded. The familiar "star sign", or more precisely the "sun sign", under which a person is born refers to the position of the sun in the signs on the tropical ecliptic at the time of his or her birth. Because of the precession of the equinoxes over the last three thousand years or so, the signs are out of phase with the astronomical constellations for which they are named by about a month. A few modern western astrologers, in common with those of India, cast horoscopes with reference to the actual constellations, rather than the signs. This is known as Sidereal Astrology. The idea of an astrological sign is that the person would have some characteristics of the mythic symbolism that the ancients identified with that constellation; so, for example, a "Libra" (the scales) will be balanced and stable. Also, because the planets are all found in the zodiac, the position of the Moon or a planet in a particular sign would have an effect on the life of that person. For example: A person may be born on June 1st. This is near the center of the sign of Gemini, and so Gemini would be his sun sign. Any planets also observed near the center of Gemini, would be in "conjunction" with the sun, and said to have a particularly strong effect on the destiny and personality of the person. At the same time, other planets are in other signs of the zodiac, and their effects would be felt on the portions of a person's life "ruled" by that sign. Significance is also associated to the angular positions of planets and signs relative to each other at the moment of a birth or other significant event. ==The zodiac as a calendar== The concept of the zodiac was originated by the Babylonians certainly before 2000 BC as a method of visualizing the passage of time. The zodiac worked as a symbolic calendar. It was divided into twelve parts as suggested by the appearance of 12 moons in a year. The signs are geometric divisions of the celestial sphere, each corresponding to one twelfth of a year. The signs of the zodiac, as enumerated by Egyptian astronomer, Ptolemy, in the 2nd-century AD, are the ones we know today. The same names are used for both signs in astrology and for constellations in astronomy, but it's important to make a distinction between signs and constellations. Signs are geometric sections, each 30° wide, corresponding with particular periods of time of the year, but which don't necessarily physically correspond with the constellations of the same name. By the time of Ptolemy the zodiac was already at least two thousand years old. But together with its burgeoning astrological use the basic function and structure of the "calendar of the zodiac" remained. The sign of Aries marks the beginning of the year at the vernal equinox. The retreating crab in Cancer represents the retreat of the Sun from its farthest northern point at the time of the summer solstice. Leo, the symbol of fire, represents summer heat. The scales of Libra signify the balance between day and night at the autumnal equinox. The decline of the sun's power is represented in Scorpio by the scorpion, the symbol of darkness. The water-bearer, Aquarius, represents the rainy season which, in Egypt, meant the yearly flooding of the Nile. The fishes of Pisces, symbolize the return of life and the resumption of agriculture. The concept of the zodiac spread form Babylonia to Greece and, from there, to Egypt where the Egyptians substituted their own symbolism. Aries became the Fleece. Two Sprouting Plants replaced the twins of Gemini. Cancer was re-named ''Scarabaeus''. Leo became the Knife and Libra the Mountain of the Sun. Sagittarius was reduced to just an arrow. Capricorn became the image of life, represented by a mirror. Scorpio became a serpent. Aquarius became simply water, while Taurus, Virgo and Pisces were not changed. ==See also== *angels of the zodiac *elements of the zodiac *astronomical symbols *Chinese astrology ==External links== * [http://www.shadowdrake.com/celtic/celticzodiac.html Celtic Zodiac] — Folklore and history of the Celtic zodiac. * [http://www.astro.com/ Astro-Intelligence: The World's Best Horoscopes] — A comprehensive free site. * [http://www.geocities.com/astrologyzodiacs/ Zodiacs] — A site detailing the various zodiacs in depth. * [http://www.geocities.com/astrologyconstellations/ophiuchus.htm Ophiuchus] — The problem of Ophiuchus - the so-called 13th sign of the Zodiac. * [http://free-horoscopes.typepad.com A guide to free horoscopes] with selected sites, lessons for beginners and horoscopes freeware. * [http://www.griffithobs.org/SkyOphiuchus.html Born Under Ophiuchus and Ignored by the Horoscopes: A Modern Dilemma] — An article discussing the omission of Ophiuchus from the Zodiac by astrologers. Constellations Astrological factors Occult ka:ზოდიაქო la:Zodiacus th:จักรราศี
"actually it crosses a thirteenth, Ophiuchus, but this is traditionally excluded from the list." I see absolutely no need to include Ophiuchus in the list of zodiacal constellations. True as the astronomical fact may be, astrology and its traditions do not depend entirely on them. For the purpose of astrology the ecliptic is divided into 12 equal sectors of 30º each whose positions need not correspond exactly with those of the astronomical constelations. ---- :Be that as it may, I still object to the removal of Ophiuchus from the table. The rightmost column lists what actual current-day constellations the sun passes through, and removing Ophiuchus from the table either leaves an unexplained gap in the dates or it leaves an outright lie if the dates are adjusted to fill the gap. The text already clearly states that Ophiuchus isn't used in astrological divination, and besides that this article isn't titled "Astrology," it's titled "Zodiac." user:Bryan Derksen ---- I've added a complete statement to clarify the fact that the signs of the zodiac are not the same as the constelations of the zodiac. I will look later to reconcile what is in Bryan's first paragraph with this without altering his inclusion of Ophiuchus. I also plan to remove some of the more blatantly gratuitous bias in this article. As Bryan has said, this article is about the zodiac rather than about astrology. This means that this is not the place to either support or criticize the practice of astrology. ---user:Eclecticology ---- I came across a very useful piece about this interloping serpent Ophiucus and its insinuation into the modern Zodiac from an official observatory source - [http://www.griffithobs.org/SkyOphiuchus.html]. It might serve as inspiration for the Zodiac page. -- user:JWJM ---- I've reworked the articles for individual constellations. I standardized them and made a separate astrology section, which mentions "astrological signs" as opposed to "zodiac constellations". The article on Aquarius needs more work though. --- User:Zocky ----- I reworded slightly "tried to use ... for divinatory purposes" to "used". They actually DID use them for divination. Whether or not the divination actually gave useful results is another question. - User:Montrealais ---- The attempt to distinguish the zodiac of astrology from the one used in astronomy, tries to make a distinction that doesn't exist. The zodiac was established before the two sciences diverged, and both use it in their own way. '':In astronomy, the zodiac is a certain part of the sky which has no intrinsic physical significance, representing simply the region of the sky close to the circle on which the randomly oriented plane of our solar system intersects the celestial sphere. It includes the ecliptic. It is, however, a useful region of the sky to define, because it has practical implications for observations from the earth's surface. A naked-eye observer knows that a bright object lying outside of the zodiacal region cannot be a planet. Antarctic observatories cannot easily observe the planets, because the zodiac is too close to the horizon. :Dating back to the time when there was no clear distinction between astronomy and astrology, the zodiac is traditionally thought of as comprising a certain set of constellations. The thirteen constellations through which the ecliptic cuts are Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus, Aries, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricornus, Sagittarius, Ophiuchus, Scorpius, and Virgo. (The exclusion of Ophiuchus from the astrological zodiac is on mystical grounds, due to a numerological preference for the number 12, and a belief that 13 was unlucky.) In modern astronomy, these constellations are recognized as chance groupings of stars, with no natural significance. In fact, they are not even true groupings of stars in three-dimensional space. We see the sky without any perception of its depth, so two stars that appear to be neighbors in the same constellation may actually be separated by vast distances.'' **If it has no significance, why even bother with the distinction. :I didn't say "no significance," I said "no natural significance." -- [User:Bcrowell] :::Actually it was "no intrinsic physical significance", but whatever it was if it had no significance why would they bother with it at all. -Ec **"randomly oriented" plane! I don't think the astronomers would agree with this. :My PhD is in physics, not astronomy, although I did quite a bit of undergraduate coursework in astronomy (one course short of a bachelor's degree). It is certainly random; the plane of rotation of the solar system was randomly determined by turbulence in the cloud of gas from which it condensed.-- User:Bcrowell :::And what's the source for your "cloud of gas" theory for making the plane of the solar system "random" **A bright object outside the zodiac isn't a planet for astrologers either. **Antarctic astrologers have the same disadvantage as Antarctic astronomers. :The point of these examples is to show why there is an astronomical reason for defining such a thing as the zodiac. Astrologers have their own completely different reasons for defining a zodiac, which are based on supersition.-- User:Bcrowell :::It certainly doesn't accomplish that point very well. The gratuitous reference to superstition is nothing more than an inflammatory allegation. **The listing of twelve astronomical zodiac constelations is redundant; it's already in a chart later in the article. :Astrologers arbitrarily exclude Ophiuchus, so the two lists are different. -- User:Bcrowell :::Not exactly. Ophiuchus was not a part of the zodiac before the International Astronomical Union added it in 1930. Perhaps you may want to mention the brief passage that the sun makes in Orion, Sextans and Cetus while your at it. Be that as it may the table does include Ophiuchus. -Ec **The "numerological preference" is complete nonsense. Provide a source if you're going to make such a claim. I've added a link on the topic at the bottom, and removed the statement that it was numerological. **The constellations didn't become chance groupings to please the modern astronomer; they already were. :I didn't say they did.-- User:Bcrowell **The different distances are applicable to all stars, not just the ones in the zodiac. :Correct. The point is to explain how the astronomical meaning of the zodiac differs from the astrological meaning.-- User:Bcrowell :::That's not accomplished very well. User:Eclecticology 19:25 Dec 21, 2002 (UTC) Is there an article on the Chinese zodiac? Each year being represented by a different animal? -- User:Zoe :See chinese astrology. User:Eclecticology 02:02 Feb 17, 2003 (UTC) ----- ===Historical origin=== The following moved here as it is more discussion than article. Original by User:Waterman The origins of the zodiac lay in Sumer., where the twelefold division was established. "The twelvefold division of the zodiac was evidently suggested by the occurrence of twelve full moons in successive parts of it in the course of each year," (''Encyclopaedia Britannica,'' 1911) begs the question, for there are ordinatily ''thirteen'' new moons in a solar year. The number twelve had to have overwhelming significance. (''further text needed here'') User:Lumos3 19:13, 9 Mar 2004 (UTC) == NPOV == This page lacks the balance of the astrology entry and presents articles of faith and belief as accepted fact. In addition, there is some duplicated information in the zodiac and astrology entries. I wonder if someone might take a crack at balancing this article in a respectful manner? User:Jokestress 20:50, 25 Dec 2004 (UTC)
{| class="toccolours" align=center |align=center style="background:#ccccff"| Astronomy | Constellations of the Zodiac | Astrology |- |align=center| Aries | Taurus (constellation) | Gemini | Cancer (constellation) | Leo | Virgo | Libra | Scorpius | Ophiuchus | Sagittarius | Capricornus | Aquarius | Pisces |}
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Zodiac
''This article is about the astrological concept. For other uses, see zodiac (disambiguation)'' ---- The zodiac (from Greek language ''zoon'', "animal") is an imaginary belt in the heavens extending approximately 8 degrees on either side of the Sun's apparent path (the ecliptic), that includes the apparent paths of the Moon and the planets Mercury (planet), Venus (planet), Mars (planet), Jupiter (planet), Saturn (planet), Uranus (planet), and Neptune (planet). Pluto's Eccentricity (orbit) is so great that it does not travel along the ecliptic like the other planets. Divisions of the zodiac represent, in astronomy: constellations, and in astrology: astrological signs. There is a zodiac in western astrology, a different one in jyotish, and a very different one in Chinese astrology. ==Historical origin== The origins of the zodiac lie in Sumer in Mesopotamia. See the History of astrology article for a detailed discussion. ==Astronomy== In astronomy, the zodiac is the region of the sky close to the circle on which the plane of our solar system intersects the celestial sphere. It includes the ecliptic. It is a useful region of the sky to define, because it has practical implications for observations from the earth's surface. A bright object lying outside of the zodiacal region cannot be a planet. Polar observatories cannot easily observe the planets, because the zodiac is too close to the horizon. The zodiac is traditionally thought of as comprising a certain set of constellations. The constellations of both zodiacs are shown in the table below, including Ophiuchus, which was recognised as a zodiacal constellation at least as far back as Ptolemy's Almagest in the 2nd century - why he decided to omit Ophiuchus from his list of zodiacal constellations is a mystery. Most of Ophiuchus is north of the ecliptic - however, there are a few stars of Ophiuchus which are south of the ecliptic. Ptolemy recognised 4 of them, which are today known as 36 Oph, 42 θ Oph, 44 Oph and 51 Oph, and he recognised that they were south of the path of the sun through the sky. Thus, Ophiuchus as a recognised zodiacal constellation predates the 1930 decision by the International Astronomical Union to adopt constellation boundaries by at least 1,700 years. This IAU decision is a common reason given by astrologers for the inconsistency. In modern astronomy, the zodiacal constellations, like all constellations, are recognized as chance visual groupings of stars, with no natural significance. In most cases they are not groupings of stars in three-dimensional space. In a few cases, parts of constellations are made up of stars that are close in space as well as in the sky. We see the sky without any perception of its depth; two stars that are neighbors in a constellation are usually three-dimensionally not close to each other. Star clusters and star systems are exceptions. ==Astrology== In western astrology the zodiac is a band on the celestial sphere which contains the perceived paths of the Sun, Moon, and principal planets and is divided into twelve equal parts of 30° each, called "signs of the zodiac" or astrological signs, each named for a constellation. At the center of this band is the plane of the ecliptic. The width of the zodiac allows for the fact that the orbits of the other bodies are inclined relative to plane of the ecliptic, and thus extend about degree (angle) above and below the ecliptic. The zodiacal year begins at the point where the plane of the ecliptic intersects with the earth's equatorial plane at the vernal equinox when the Sun moves into the northern hemisphere of the earth's equatorial plane. In western Tropical zodiac, although the signs derive their names from the constellations, they are not the same thing. For example, although the Sun always enters the ''astrological'' sign of Aries at the vernal equinox about March 20, it will not cross into the astronomical constellation of the same name until nearly a month later. In Sidereal Astrology the signs are more aligned to their correct stellar constellations. However, the alignment still isn't exact, because the constellations all take up varying amounts of space along the ecliptic, whereas the signs each take up exactly 30°. ==Zodiacal Constellations== The zodiac includes twelve of the constellations that the ecliptic crosses. It actually crosses a thirteenth, Ophiuchus, but this constellation is not considered part of the zodiac (see above). Because the ecliptic lies in the general plane of the solar system, the Sun, Moon (astrology), and planet seem to move through the zodiacal constellations. A traditional mnemonic: : The Ram, the Bull, the Heavenly Twins, : And next' the Crab, the Lion shines, : The Virgin and the Scales. : The Scorpion, Archer, and the Goat, : The Man who holds the Watering Pot, : And Fish with glittering scales. The following table compares the dates that the sun enters a sign in tropical (Ptolemaic) and siderial (Vedic) astrological systems, and the date when it enters the astronomical constellation by the same name. The dates can vary by as much as 2 days, from year to year, depending on the cycle of leap years, and the precession of the perihelion of the Earth's orbit over many centuries. {| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" |- ! rowspan="2" | Sign ! rowspan="2" | Symbol ! colspan="2" | Astrological Dates ! rowspan="2" | Astronomical Dates
(as of AD 2000) |- ! Tropical ! Sidereal |- | Aries | align="center" | ram (sheep), ♈ | align="center" | March 21 - April 19 | align="center" | April 14 - May 14 | align="center" | April 19 - May 13 |- | Taurus (constellation) | align="center" | bull, ♉ | align="center" | April 20 - May 20 | align="center" | May 15 - June 14 | align="center" | May 14 - June 19 |- | Gemini | align="center" | twins, ♊ | align="center" | May 21 - June 20 | align="center" | June 15 - July 16 | align="center" | June 20 - July 20 |- | Cancer (constellation) | align="center" | crab, ♋ | align="center" | June 21 - July 22 | align="center" | July 17 - August 16 | align="center" | July 21 - August 9 |- | Leo | align="center" | lion, ♌ | align="center" | July 23 - August 23 | align="center" | August 17 - September 16 | align="center" | August 10 - September 15 |- | Virgo | align="center" | virgin, ♍ | align="center" | August 23 - September 22 | align="center" | September 17 - October 17 | align="center" | September 16 - October 30 |- | Libra | align="center" | Weighing scale, ♎ | align="center" | September 23 - October 22 | align="center" | October 18 - November 16 | align="center" | October 31 - November 22 |- | Scorpio | align="center" | scorpion, ♏ | align="center" | October 23 - November 21 | align="center" | November 17 - December 15 | align="center" | November 23 - November 29 |- | ''Ophiuchus'' | align="center" | snake wrestler | | | align="center" | November 30 - December 17 |- | Sagittarius | align="center" | archery, ♐ | align="center" | November 22 - December 21 | align="center" | December 16 - January 14 | align="center" | December 18 - January 18 |- | Capricornus | align="center" | goat, ♑ | align="center" | December 22 - January 19 | align="center" | January 15 - February 12 | align="center" | January 19 - February 15 |- | Aquarius | align="center" | water, ♒ | align="center" | January 20 - February 18 | align="center" | February 13 - March 14 | align="center" | February 16 - March 11 |- | Pisces | align="center" | fish, ♓ | align="center" | February 19 - March 20 | align="center" | March 15 - April 13 | align="center" | March 12 - April 18 |- |} The "tropical" zodiacal dates (those that divide the zodiac starting with the vernal equinox) are used primarily in the United States and western Europe. The "sidereal" dates (those that divide the zodiac starting with the alignment of the Sun with a distant star in Aries) are used everywhere else. Many people who don't know anything about constellations have heard about the signs of the Zodiac in an astrology context. Astrologers would use astronomical observations of the movements of the night sky for divination purposes. Some of these applications were founded on correspondences between practical knowledge and celestial observations (for example, the relationship between solar position and stellar positions depends on the season, which has practical implications for agriculture), whilst others were completely unfounded. The familiar "star sign", or more precisely the "sun sign", under which a person is born refers to the position of the sun in the signs on the tropical ecliptic at the time of his or her birth. Because of the precession of the equinoxes over the last three thousand years or so, the signs are out of phase with the astronomical constellations for which they are named by about a month. A few modern western astrologers, in common with those of India, cast horoscopes with reference to the actual constellations, rather than the signs. This is known as Sidereal Astrology. The idea of an astrological sign is that the person would have some characteristics of the mythic symbolism that the ancients identified with that constellation; so, for example, a "Libra" (the scales) will be balanced and stable. Also, because the planets are all found in the zodiac, the position of the Moon or a planet in a particular sign would have an effect on the life of that person. For example: A person may be born on June 1st. This is near the center of the sign of Gemini, and so Gemini would be his sun sign. Any planets also observed near the center of Gemini, would be in "conjunction" with the sun, and said to have a particularly strong effect on the destiny and personality of the person. At the same time, other planets are in other signs of the zodiac, and their effects would be felt on the portions of a person's life "ruled" by that sign. Significance is also associated to the angular positions of planets and signs relative to each other at the moment of a birth or other significant event. ==The zodiac as a calendar== The concept of the zodiac was originated by the Babylonians certainly before 2000 BC as a method of visualizing the passage of time. The zodiac worked as a symbolic calendar. It was divided into twelve parts as suggested by the appearance of 12 moons in a year. The signs are geometric divisions of the celestial sphere, each corresponding to one twelfth of a year. The signs of the zodiac, as enumerated by Egyptian astronomer, Ptolemy, in the 2nd-century AD, are the ones we know today. The same names are used for both signs in astrology and for constellations in astronomy, but it's important to make a distinction between signs and constellations. Signs are geometric sections, each 30° wide, corresponding with particular periods of time of the year, but which don't necessarily physically correspond with the constellations of the same name. By the time of Ptolemy the zodiac was already at least two thousand years old. But together with its burgeoning astrological use the basic function and structure of the "calendar of the zodiac" remained. The sign of Aries marks the beginning of the year at the vernal equinox. The retreating crab in Cancer represents the retreat of the Sun from its farthest northern point at the time of the summer solstice. Leo, the symbol of fire, represents summer heat. The scales of Libra signify the balance between day and night at the autumnal equinox. The decline of the sun's power is represented in Scorpio by the scorpion, the symbol of darkness. The water-bearer, Aquarius, represents the rainy season which, in Egypt, meant the yearly flooding of the Nile. The fishes of Pisces, symbolize the return of life and the resumption of agriculture. The concept of the zodiac spread form Babylonia to Greece and, from there, to Egypt where the Egyptians substituted their own symbolism. Aries became the Fleece. Two Sprouting Plants replaced the twins of Gemini. Cancer was re-named ''Scarabaeus''. Leo became the Knife and Libra the Mountain of the Sun. Sagittarius was reduced to just an arrow. Capricorn became the image of life, represented by a mirror. Scorpio became a serpent. Aquarius became simply water, while Taurus, Virgo and Pisces were not changed. ==See also== *angels of the zodiac *elements of the zodiac *astronomical symbols *Chinese astrology ==External links== * [http://www.shadowdrake.com/celtic/celticzodiac.html Celtic Zodiac] — Folklore and history of the Celtic zodiac. * [http://www.astro.com/ Astro-Intelligence: The World's Best Horoscopes] — A comprehensive free site. * [http://www.geocities.com/astrologyzodiacs/ Zodiacs] — A site detailing the various zodiacs in depth. * [http://www.geocities.com/astrologyconstellations/ophiuchus.htm Ophiuchus] — The problem of Ophiuchus - the so-called 13th sign of the Zodiac. * [http://free-horoscopes.typepad.com A guide to free horoscopes] with selected sites, lessons for beginners and horoscopes freeware. * [http://www.griffithobs.org/SkyOphiuchus.html Born Under Ophiuchus and Ignored by the Horoscopes: A Modern Dilemma] — An article discussing the omission of Ophiuchus from the Zodiac by astrologers. Constellations Astrological factors Occult ka:ზოდიაქო la:Zodiacus th:จักรราศี
Zodiac
"actually it crosses a thirteenth, Ophiuchus, but this is traditionally excluded from the list." I see absolutely no need to include Ophiuchus in the list of zodiacal constellations. True as the astronomical fact may be, astrology and its traditions do not depend entirely on them. For the purpose of astrology the ecliptic is divided into 12 equal sectors of 30º each whose positions need not correspond exactly with those of the astronomical constelations. ---- :Be that as it may, I still object to the removal of Ophiuchus from the table. The rightmost column lists what actual current-day constellations the sun passes through, and removing Ophiuchus from the table either leaves an unexplained gap in the dates or it leaves an outright lie if the dates are adjusted to fill the gap. The text already clearly states that Ophiuchus isn't used in astrological divination, and besides that this article isn't titled "Astrology," it's titled "Zodiac." user:Bryan Derksen ---- I've added a complete statement to clarify the fact that the signs of the zodiac are not the same as the constelations of the zodiac. I will look later to reconcile what is in Bryan's first paragraph with this without altering his inclusion of Ophiuchus. I also plan to remove some of the more blatantly gratuitous bias in this article. As Bryan has said, this article is about the zodiac rather than about astrology. This means that this is not the place to either support or criticize the practice of astrology. ---user:Eclecticology ---- I came across a very useful piece about this interloping serpent Ophiucus and its insinuation into the modern Zodiac from an official observatory source - [http://www.griffithobs.org/SkyOphiuchus.html]. It might serve as inspiration for the Zodiac page. -- user:JWJM ---- I've reworked the articles for individual constellations. I standardized them and made a separate astrology section, which mentions "astrological signs" as opposed to "zodiac constellations". The article on Aquarius needs more work though. --- User:Zocky ----- I reworded slightly "tried to use ... for divinatory purposes" to "used". They actually DID use them for divination. Whether or not the divination actually gave useful results is another question. - User:Montrealais ---- The attempt to distinguish the zodiac of astrology from the one used in astronomy, tries to make a distinction that doesn't exist. The zodiac was established before the two sciences diverged, and both use it in their own way. '':In astronomy, the zodiac is a certain part of the sky which has no intrinsic physical significance, representing simply the region of the sky close to the circle on which the randomly oriented plane of our solar system intersects the celestial sphere. It includes the ecliptic. It is, however, a useful region of the sky to define, because it has practical implications for observations from the earth's surface. A naked-eye observer knows that a bright object lying outside of the zodiacal region cannot be a planet. Antarctic observatories cannot easily observe the planets, because the zodiac is too close to the horizon. :Dating back to the time when there was no clear distinction between astronomy and astrology, the zodiac is traditionally thought of as comprising a certain set of constellations. The thirteen constellations through which the ecliptic cuts are Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus, Aries, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricornus, Sagittarius, Ophiuchus, Scorpius, and Virgo. (The exclusion of Ophiuchus from the astrological zodiac is on mystical grounds, due to a numerological preference for the number 12, and a belief that 13 was unlucky.) In modern astronomy, these constellations are recognized as chance groupings of stars, with no natural significance. In fact, they are not even true groupings of stars in three-dimensional space. We see the sky without any perception of its depth, so two stars that appear to be neighbors in the same constellation may actually be separated by vast distances.'' **If it has no significance, why even bother with the distinction. :I didn't say "no significance," I said "no natural significance." -- [User:Bcrowell] :::Actually it was "no intrinsic physical significance", but whatever it was if it had no significance why would they bother with it at all. -Ec **"randomly oriented" plane! I don't think the astronomers would agree with this. :My PhD is in physics, not astronomy, although I did quite a bit of undergraduate coursework in astronomy (one course short of a bachelor's degree). It is certainly random; the plane of rotation of the solar system was randomly determined by turbulence in the cloud of gas from which it condensed.-- User:Bcrowell :::And what's the source for your "cloud of gas" theory for making the plane of the solar system "random" **A bright object outside the zodiac isn't a planet for astrologers either. **Antarctic astrologers have the same disadvantage as Antarctic astronomers. :The point of these examples is to show why there is an astronomical reason for defining such a thing as the zodiac. Astrologers have their own completely different reasons for defining a zodiac, which are based on supersition.-- User:Bcrowell :::It certainly doesn't accomplish that point very well. The gratuitous reference to superstition is nothing more than an inflammatory allegation. **The listing of twelve astronomical zodiac constelations is redundant; it's already in a chart later in the article. :Astrologers arbitrarily exclude Ophiuchus, so the two lists are different. -- User:Bcrowell :::Not exactly. Ophiuchus was not a part of the zodiac before the International Astronomical Union added it in 1930. Perhaps you may want to mention the brief passage that the sun makes in Orion, Sextans and Cetus while your at it. Be that as it may the table does include Ophiuchus. -Ec **The "numerological preference" is complete nonsense. Provide a source if you're going to make such a claim. I've added a link on the topic at the bottom, and removed the statement that it was numerological. **The constellations didn't become chance groupings to please the modern astronomer; they already were. :I didn't say they did.-- User:Bcrowell **The different distances are applicable to all stars, not just the ones in the zodiac. :Correct. The point is to explain how the astronomical meaning of the zodiac differs from the astrological meaning.-- User:Bcrowell :::That's not accomplished very well. User:Eclecticology 19:25 Dec 21, 2002 (UTC) Is there an article on the Chinese zodiac? Each year being represented by a different animal? -- User:Zoe :See chinese astrology. User:Eclecticology 02:02 Feb 17, 2003 (UTC) ----- ===Historical origin=== The following moved here as it is more discussion than article. Original by User:Waterman The origins of the zodiac lay in Sumer., where the twelefold division was established. "The twelvefold division of the zodiac was evidently suggested by the occurrence of twelve full moons in successive parts of it in the course of each year," (''Encyclopaedia Britannica,'' 1911) begs the question, for there are ordinatily ''thirteen'' new moons in a solar year. The number twelve had to have overwhelming significance. (''further text needed here'') User:Lumos3 19:13, 9 Mar 2004 (UTC) == NPOV == This page lacks the balance of the astrology entry and presents articles of faith and belief as accepted fact. In addition, there is some duplicated information in the zodiac and astrology entries. I wonder if someone might take a crack at balancing this article in a respectful manner? User:Jokestress 20:50, 25 Dec 2004 (UTC)
Zodiac
{| class="toccolours" align=center |align=center style="background:#ccccff"| Astronomy | Constellations of the Zodiac | Astrology |- |align=center| Aries | Taurus (constellation) | Gemini | Cancer (constellation) | Leo | Virgo | Libra | Scorpius | Ophiuchus | Sagittarius | Capricornus | Aquarius | Pisces |}
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