There’s been a lot of buzz about the changing and adding of zodiac signs lately, but let me set the record straight. Your sign has probably not changed. Now you can relax, you’re still a Libra.
Basically, there are two types of zodiac, one followed in the east and one followed in the west. In the east, most people follow sidereal zodiac, which is fixed to constellations, whereas tropical zodiac, followed in the west, is fixed to seasons.
All of the horoscopes that we read online or see printed in newspapers are based on the tropical zodiac. The tropical zodiac uses star signs and is more based on our relationship to the sun, not the stars like the sidereal zodiac. This change in the zodiac that people have been talking about refers to the sidereal zodiac.
Everything began with Sunday’s Star Tribune article, which said the following: “The ancient Babylonians based zodiac signs on the constellation the sun was ‘in’ on the day a person was born. During the ensuing millenniums, the moon’s gravitational pull has made the Earth ‘wobble’ around its axis, creating about a one-month bump in the stars’ alignment.”
That information is all correct, but has nothing to do with the tropical zodiac.
Aries is set at one equinox and Libra at the other for the tropical zodiac. Since these correspond with the seasons and not with the constellations, the tropical zodiac signs are thus not affected by the Earth’s alignment with the stars.
Another result of the shift in alignment is the addition of the 13th sign “Ophiuchus,” but only for the sidereal zodiac. Ophiuchus was part of the original zodiac, appearing between Scorpio and Sagittarius; however, the Babylonians only wanted to have 12 signs so they got rid of Ophiuchus and extended Scorpio’s time period.
Sidereal Zodiac Dates:
Capricorn Jan. 20 – Feb. 16
Aquarius Feb. 16 – March 11
Pisces March 11- April 18
Aries April 18 – May 13
Taurus May 13 – June 21
Gemini June 21 – July 20
Cancer July 20 – Aug. 10
Leo Aug. 10 – Sept. 16
Virgo Sept. 16 – Oct. 30
Libra Oct. 30 – Nov. 23
Scorpio Nov. 23 – Nov. 29
Ophiuchus Nov. 29 – Dec. 17
Sagittarius Dec. 17 – Jan. 20
Tropical Zodiac Dates
Aries Mar. 21–Apr. 19
Taurus Apr. 20–May 20
Gemini May 21–June 21
Cancer June 22–July 22
Leo July 23–Aug. 22
Virgo Aug. 23–Sept. 22
Libra Sept. 23–Oct. 23
Scorpio Oct. 24–Nov. 21
Sagittarius Nov. 22–Dec. 21
Capricorn Dec. 22–Jan. 19
Aquarius Jan. 20–Feb. 18
Pisces Feb. 19–Mar. 20
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