About the signs of the Zodiac, in principle, every literate person has some idea. Interest in horoscopes and astrological forecasts flares up from time to time with particular force, then fades and revives again. Especially strong is the need to understand the vicissitudes of one's fate arises at turning points in life, when some important decision should be made. That's when we call on astrology to help lift the veil over the future.
Introducing the zodiac circle
The basis of astrological knowledge is the observation of the zodiac circle and the planets, constellations that pass through it. The zodiac circle is translated from Greek as “circle of animals”, “animals in a circle”. In fact, this is an imaginary circle, which is divided into 12 imaginary parts of equal size. Each of them corresponds to a certain constellation, and since exactly half of them are connected with animals, hence the originality of the name.
Zodiac circle was invented by mankind quite a long time ago, more than 4 thousand years ago. The first information about him came from ancient Babylon. For the Babylonians, this is a circle with constellations, and around it initiallythe moon was moving. Subsequently, the zodiac circle was divided into equal sections, and in addition to the Moon, attention was paid to other planets and stars, including the Sun.
The next stage in the study of the celestial sphere is associated with the ancient Greeks. They introduced the concept of the Zodiac, renamed individual constellations. Thanks to the Greeks, we got the familiar Aries and Libra. And the zodiac circle itself has changed somewhat. Ancient astronomers included 13 constellations in it, therefore, they divided it into 13 parts. True, later the "superstitious" constellation was excluded. However, astronomers and astrologers argue about Ophiuchus to this day.
Scientists have identified another nuance. Modern astrology should consider the signs of the zodiac differently, and the circle should begin not with Aries, but with Pisces. The error lies in the lack of temporal and astronomical changes associated with leap years. The Ptolemy's system of calculations, taken as a basis back in the Middle Ages, is somewhat outdated, but has remained as the only working one.
Star "loss"
So, in Ancient Greece there were not twelve, but thirteen signs of the zodiac. The "loss" was the constellation Ophiuchus, about which there is debate: whether to take into account the passage of the Sun through it or not? That is, how important are the degrees that the Sun touches on its way. Practicing astrologers, of course, take into account all the subtleties, but in popular literature, for the convenience of understanding the subject, Ophiuchus is not taken into account. But everyone who is familiar withancient mythology. After all, the constellation got its name from Aesculapius, more precisely, in his honor. So the name of the God of medicine not only entered the aphorisms and popular expressions, but also ascended to heaven in the form of a constellation.
We and our horoscopes
Horoscopes can be believed or not believed, taken seriously or spoken about with mockery - this is a personal matter for everyone. According to the definition of astrologers, this is, as it were, a snapshot of the sky, a map that accurately indicates the positions of the Sun, Moon, all 9 planets and some stars at the time when a person came to this world. To compile an accurate horoscope, not only the date, month and year of birth are important, but also the time, at least approximate, as well as the locality. That is why people born almost at the same time cannot have the same horoscopes.
