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zodiac
The dominant belief that the zones of the sky contain twelve zodiacal constellations through which the paths of the sun, moon, and planets appear to move.
This entry is located in the following unit: Astronomy and related astronomical terms (page 28)
zodiac
An imaginary band in the heavens, divided into twelve constellations or astrological signs.
This entry is located in the following unit: Science and Technology Words from the Ancient Past to the Present, Part 1 (page 6)
zodiac, revision of star signs

"The Sun does not move", wrote Leonardo da Vinci in 1495

Well, everything in the Cosmos moves, including the sun, the earth and the Star Signs of the Zodiac. The Signs of the Zodiac were first mapped by the ancient Babylonians about 3,000 years ago when, indeed, there were 12 Star Signs.

Movement on the Cosmic time-scale is very slow compared with the time-scale of a human life. The Star Signs are slipping by a small amount each year, so that there are now 13 Signs in the Zodiac.

The Sign of Ophiuchus (30 November-17 December) moved into the Zodiac over 1,000 years ago. Most astrologers continued to use the traditional 12 Signs of the Zodiac because they were unaware of star movements. That practice has continued to the present day.

To illustrate just how slowly the Cosmic clock advances: the Age of Pisces replaced the Age of Aries about 1,400 years ago, and the much-heralded Age of Aquarius will not be here for another 600 years!

The New Signs of the Zodiac

  1. The New Pisces: First Sign of the Zodiac: 12 March to 18 April.
  2. The New Aries: Second Sign of the Zodiac: 19 April to 13 May.
  3. The New Taurus: Third Sign of the Zodiac: 14 May to 20 June.
  4. The New Gemini: Fourth Sign of the Zodiac: 21 June to 19 July.
  5. The New Cancer: Fifth Sign of the Zodiac: 20 July to 19 August.
  6. The New Leo: Sixth Sign of the Zodiac: 20 August to 15 September.
  7. The New Virgo: Seventh Sign of the Zodiac: 16 September to 30 October.
  8. The New Libra: Eighth Sign of the Zodiac: 31 October to 22 November.
  9. The New Scorpio: Ninth Sign of the Zodiac: 23 to 29 November.
  10. The New Ophiuchus: Tenth Sign of the Zodiac: 30 November to 17 December.
  11. The New Sagittarius: Eleventh Sign of the Zodiac: 18 December to 18 January.
  12. The New Capricorn: Twelfth Sign of the Zodiac: 19 January to 15 February.
  13. The New Aquarius: Thirteenth Sign of the Zodiac: 16 February to 11 March.
—Information for these zodiac signs came from the book:
The 13 Signs of the Zodiac by Walter Berg;
Thorsons, an Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers;
San Francisco, California; 1995; pages viii, and 1-127.
This entry is located in the following unit: Astronomy and related astronomical terms (page 28)