Constellation controversy fogs future for horoscope readers

0 Comments | Insight on the News, March 27, 1995 | by Leslie Alan Horvitz

Astronomers have revised the zodiac, rearranging birth signs to put them back into alignment with the sun's journey through the constellations. Astrologists, however, remain starry-eyed.

When British astronomer Jacqueline Mitton mentioned in January that the zodiac contained a 13th constellation, she little expected her remark to be plastered across the front page of the London Daily Telegraph. The public-relations officer for the Royal Astronomical Society, who for days afterward fielded calls from Argentina to Singapore, had created an interstellar incident.

Most historians agree that the zodiac, which begins with Aries (at the vernal equinox in March), was introduced around 100 B.C. In the 2,000 years since, the constellations have experienced what Mitton calls a "slippage," meaning they no longer are in the same position in the sky as when the zodiac was first charted. ("Slippage" is caused by minute shifts in the tilt of the Earth, a phenomenon astronomers call "the precession of equinoxes.") As a result, the signs of the zodiac are one month off: People born July 4 may think they are Cancers, but according to astronomical calculations, they're Geminis.

More shocking still for horoscope readers, the shift in dates left room for an entirely new birth sign -- Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer, Nov. 30 to Dec. 17. (While astrologers divide the zodiac into equal segments of about 30 days, astronomers refer to the actual time the sun requires to move through a constellation.

But as far as Lloyd Cope, financial columnist for Dell Horoscope Magazine, is concerned, the news about Ophiuchus is a "big yawn." Says Cope, "The whole thing is a farce. Astrologers for hundreds of years haven't used the constellations. That's the first thing astronomers don't seem to know." And, he contends, they don't seem especially interested in finding out. "We use the periods of the years to make our calculations. The Aries Ingress' [the vernal equinox] is the first part of our calender year. It has nothing to do with constellations." Nor do the signs. "We could just as easily call the period March 21st to April 21st `Zone 1," says Cope. "So someone who was born a Virgo we could call 'Zone 9.' That's just our language, like legalese or medical technology."

Meanwhile, Mitton scoffs at astrologers' techniques. "They ignore the asteroid belt, where there are many minor planets [closer to earth], while at the same time they say that Pluto, which is a very small planet and very far away, does have an influence. That doesn't make any sense at all."

Astrologers and astronomers were not always at odds; throughout pagan antiquity the professions synonymous. Indeed, though Christian theologists and Enlightenment thinkers dispelled the notion of divination based upon the positions of the stars and planets, scientists such as Sir Isaac Newton and philosophers such as Rene Descartes continued to practice astrology.

Today, the two cam s are as different as water and fire signs. Astronomers are more interested in finding missing matter in the universe than discovering wayward birth signs, while astrologers, akin to Rodney Dangerfield, are popular but get no respect.

For the layperson, however, a recalculated zodiac offers unprecedented opportunity. Tired of limping along as a sensitive, wishy-washy Pisces? Try life as an Aquarius. Leos in love with Tauruses, incompatible under the old zodiac, may get along famously as Cancers and Aries. But no one is in a better position to take advantage of this new development than Sagittarians. By inheriting the sign of Ophiuchus, they get to choose their own attributes.

As for those who dislike change, they should take heart: The Earth will tilt back into its original aligmnent with the constellations -- in about 26,000 years.

RELATED ARTICLE: What's Your Sign?

Since the introduction of the zodiac in 100 B.C., changes in the Earth's tilt have shifted birth signs by one month -- creating a `new' astrological sign.

Constellation Astronomical date Pisces March 12 - April 18 Aries April 19 - May 13 Taurus May 14 - June 20 Gemini June 21 - July 19 Cancer 20 July - August 9 Leo August 10 - September 15 Virgo September 16 - October 30 Libra October 31 - November 22 Scorpius November 23 - November 29 Ophiuchus November 30 - December 17 Sagittarius December 18 - January 18 Capricornus January 19 - February 16 Aquarius February 16 - March 11

Constellation Astrological date Pisces February 20 - March 20 Aries March 21 - April 20 Taurus April 21 - May 21 Gemini May 22 - June 22 Cancer June 23 - July 23 Leo July 24 - August 23 Virgo August 24 - September 23 Libra September 24 - October 23 Scorpius October 24 - November 22 Ophiuchus Sagittarius November 23 - December 21 Capricornus December 22 - January 20 Aquarius January 21 - February 19 Source: Time Equities, Inc.