When it comes to astrology, you could fall under one of these options: 1.) a firm believer who sees the stars as a guiding light in their everyday affairs and puts their zodiac sign in their Instagram bio, 2.) a curious cat who occasionally reads up on their horoscope but won’t openly admit it to other people, or 3.) a downright cynic who couldn’t care less when Mercury goes in retrograde. Personally, I would say I'm more of a number two. My sign says I am indecisive, am aesthetically-driven, and hate conflict, which sounds pretty on point.
Regardless of which category you belong to, it’s highly likely that you’d at least have a beginner’s knowledge on the different zodiac signs. At the very least, you’d know you’re an Aquarius because you were born between January 20 and February 18. What you probably don’t know is that, once upon a time, the world was shookt when they found out that there could be a 13th zodiac sign and everything we thought we knew about ourselves—at least in relation to our astrology—was probably a lie.
Throwback to around 2016 when NASA just casually drops a piece of info saying that there are actually 13 constellations in the zodiac. Stories say the Babylonians opted to leave one out for convenience because they already had an existing 12-month calendar, and so 12 zodiac signs just made sense (to them, at least). That one OP constellation is called Ophiuchus. Why choose to leave out Ophiuchus out of all the other constellations? That's something that's yet to be answered by experts.
Ophiuchus is said to be the zodiac sign of people born between November 29 and December 17. If you’re going to count the 13th constellation in, some people’s zodiac signs will change according to this:Â
Capricorn: January 20 – February 16
Aquarius: February 16 – March 11
Pisces: March 11 – April 18
Aries: April 18 – May 13
Taurus: May 13 – June 21
Gemini: June 21 – July 20
Cancer: July 20 – August 10
Leo: August 10 – September 16
Virgo: September 16  – October 30
Libra: October 30 – November 23
Scorpio: November 23 – November 29
Ophiuchus: November 29 – December 17
Sagittarius: December 17 – January 20
If you thought you never really related to your zodiac sign's attributes, maybe you’ll find this piece of info validating. But if you did think you’re such a hardcore *insert zodiac sign here*, you’d probably feel confused and slightly betrayed right now. So, ano ba talaga?Â
Well, NASA did make it clear that, yes, there is a 13th constellation and that is Ophiuchus, but that this relevation only really affects astronomy (aka the scientific study of celestial objects) and ~not~ astrology (because, as NASA themselves said, it's not a science).Â
Another thing that the space agency pointed out is that the sky has shifted since the conception of the OG zodiac signs. At the same time, each constellation varies in size and shape, so the time the sun consequently spends lining up with each one of them will also vary. What we believe to be our zodiac signs, therefore, is most likely not as accurate as we thought.
Bottom line is, science says there has always been 13 constellations in the zodiac, but thanks to the Babylonians and their systems, we've only ever recognized 12 astrological signs to inform the way we see life today. Whether or not you'd consider Ophiuchus an official part of the list is entirely up to you.
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