WHAT'S MY SIGN?
 

If you're confused about the differences between astrology and astronomy, let me set the record straight right here.   Astronomy is a science that seeks to understand the workings of the cosmos, and corrects itself as we discover newer and better evidence.  Astrology is an ancient belief system that hasn't changed for thousands of years and, despite what many people claim, has no basis in reality. 

To begin to understand the profound weaknesses of astrology, take a look at one of its most fundamental concepts: the sun sign.

The sun's annual path (caused by the Earth's orbital motion) takes it across a thin band of sky known as the zodiac and, along the way, the sun passes in front of a number of star groupings known as constellations.   If we could see the sun and stars at the same time, our "sign" would be the constellation against which the sun lay at the time we were born.  Thus we have such "signs" as Aries, Taurus and Sagittarius, each of which corresponds to a star grouping in the heavens.

What most people don't realize is that, since astrology's origin millennia ago, it has failed to keep up with our increasing knowledge of the cosmos.  For example, scientists know today the Earth undergoes a 25,800-year wobble which, over time, alters the positions of celestial bodies. 

So what, you ask?  This means that the "sign" to which you think you "belong" is probably not the constellation in which the sun lay at the time of your birth―unless, of course, you were born thousands of years ago.  

For example, suppose your birthday is on June 12.  You've lived your entire life believing your "sign" to be Gemini.   What a shock it must be to learn that, when you were born, the sun really appeared against the stars of Taurus (see table below)!  

And what about those born on the morning of March 27, when the sun appears over the boundary between two constellations:  Pisces, the fishes and the whale.  Or those poor souls born between November 29 and December 17?  They've been relegated to the "sign" of Ophiuchus―the Serpent Bearer!   

So much for the usefulness of astrology!

To learn more about the subject, visit Horoscopes Versus Telescopes:  A Focus on Astrology.

To discover where the sun actually appeared when you were born, check out the following table.