Ophiuchus

The 13th Sign of the Zodiac?

Many of you have now heard the story of Ophiuchus - the 13th sign of the zodiac (oo-fee-you-kuss) also known as Serpentarius. (Greek-Latin for serpent-bearer) It is commonly depicted as a man grasping the snake that is represented by the constellation Serpens.

Recently a journalist reported that this constellation was a new discovery and as a result all sun signs would be changing.

This story spread through the social media sites like wild fire.

Essentially this is large constellation of Stars that lies between Scorpius to the west and Sagittarius to the East.

The idea is that the earth wobbles and thus the creation of this new sign. Astrologers have known and have always adjusted for this wobble.

Tropical Zodiac

Most astrologers use the Tropical Zodiac (used in western astrology) and have been using this same system to specifically adjust for this phenomenon. In western astrology the start of the zodiac begins with the spring equinox. This is when the Sun enters the sign of Aries.

This tropical system was introduced by Ptolemy in the 2nd century and is the most widely used by western astrologers including the Urban Astrologer. In essence it is based on the orientation of the Earth relative to the Sun and planets of the solar system.

Will you retain your zodiac sign?

Absolutely! Nothing will change as a result of the recent stories about Ophiuchus. In fact astrologers have known about this for thousands of years. This is a non-story from an astrologer's point of view.