I’m a Virgo in my soul.
The following email went around my office today:
Thought you might be interested in joining in on the interesting conversation folks were having at the lunch table today….
Did you know that the dates for the Zodiac (your astrological sign) are completely wrong and there’s even a 13th sign now in the Zodiac?
That’s right people…you may not be the sign you have always thought you were.
How can this be, Sara?! (shock and awe)
Well, the way the Zodiac works is that your “sign” is determined by what constellation the sun is in (passing through) on the day you are born. So, historically, if you were born on March 28th the sun was in the constellation of Aries and that became your sign. This is no longer the case…
The position of the sun is relative to how we see it from Earth and this is where the astrological shift comes into play.
Every time the Earth completes a full rotation (one day) the position of the poles (the points on either end) do not end up in the same place they started…which means, over time – like 2000 years, they are pointing at a different place on any given day than they did the year before. This effect is called “Precession” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precession_(astronomy)
Because of this, the position of the sun as seen from the Earth today is in a very different place than 2000 years ago, and gives us the following “true” Zodiac: http://www.dionysia.org/astrology/sun-signs.html
Most of the signs have shifted considerably…and there is even a new sign (Ophiuchus – o-few-kus) in the mix. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus
So now, when someone asks you “what’s your sign?” you can answer them truthfully…and wow them with your knowledge about astronomy vs. astrology, the earth’s precession, and Ophiuchus.
Your geek girl who couldn’t rest until she looked this all up,
Sara
