Mythbusting the Thirteenth Horoscope Sign
A recent NASA blog post describing how there are thirteen, not twelve, constellations in the zodiac has become a hot topic on the internet as astrology-obsessed readers panic about a potential new zodiac sign, named Ophiucus. This sign would lie after Scorpio, and before Sagittarius, and would change the entire astrological calendar. However, astrologers and astronomers alike agree that the calendar has not changed. This myth tends to resurface every few years brought on by someone "discovering" the new constellation.
NASA was simply pointing out that over 3,000 years ago, the Babylonians assigned one constellation to each month of their 12-month calendar, and intentionally left out a thirteenth constellation – Ophiucus – because it did not fit cleanly into their calendar. Astronomers have known about the constellation Ophiucus for thousands of years, it is not a recent discovery by NASA. Below, you can see Ophiucus near the horizon in the lower right hand corner of the image.
Image Credit: Tumblr/NASA
According to Deborah Houlding, a highly-acclaimed astrologer from the UK, just because there is a thirteenth constellation, does not mean that it is now part of the zodiac. She explains that the zodiac is actually a belt of space in which all planetary activity is visible from Earth. It is, essentially, what we Earthlings see. Your zodiac sign, which includes prophesies and personality traits, is paired with the constellation that lined up with the Sun and the Earth at the time of your birth. The twelve commonly known constellations can all be viewed within the zodiac at their designated times during the year.
NASA points out that because of the rotation of the Earth, the sky we see is always changing, but reaffirms that the sun passes through thirteen, not twelve, constellations. However, the thirteenth constellation, Ophiucus, is a serpent-holding character whose foot barely passes through the ecliptic (the line that runs through the middle of the zodiac). In comparison, almost half of the Capricorn and Aquarius constellations cross the ecliptic. Below, see how the black and white banded line (ecliptic) runs through the constellation Ophiucus, compared to how it runs through the constellations of Capricorn and Aquarius.
Image Credit: U.S. Naval Observatory
The position of the constellation in the zodiac, not the relationship between the constellation and the sun, is what is most important when determining if it is actually part of the zodiac. While Ophiucus is a legitimate constellation that we have known about for thousands of years it is not of concern to astrologers and astrology enthusiasts.
So you ferocious, bossy Leos are still as ferocious and bossy as you always were and our sweet, sensitive Cancers are still as emotional and loyal as before.
