Featured image via Star Registration

Astrology believer or not, NASA’s discovery of a 13th zodiac sign has thrown everyone off. You might be asking yourself now whether or not you’re still a Cancerian, Leo, or Capricorn. Well, first things first, Ophiuchus (the new zodiac sign) is not really new, it has just happened to resurface. You probably heard about this a few years ago, but maybe don’t remember. So, what’s really going on here?

First, let’s set some facts straight. There’s a difference between astronomy and astrology, and NASA has nothing to do with the latter. Astronomy is the science of studying everything in space, while astrology is more of a philosophy and symbolic language.

What are constellations and zodiac signs?

If you draw an imaginary line from the Earth pointing towards the Sun, then put into consideration how the Earth orbits around it, this line would point at different stars throughout one complete trip around the Sun. All the stars that lie close to this imaginary flat disk are considered part of the zodiac and the constellations in it are those that the straight line points at throughout its year-long trip around the Sun.

Three thousand years ago, Babylonians divided the zodiac into 12 star signs known as Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. 

Via Universe Today

What about Ophiuchus?

Ancient Babylonians’ stories show that there have always been 13 constellations. In fact, some other cultures have recognised more. But since the Babylonians followed a 12-month calendar, they decided to leave one out and divide the zodiac neatly, assigning each month a sign. However, the sky has shifted since the North Pole (the Earth’s axis) no longer faces the same direction. Not only that, but the Sun spends unequal amounts of time facing each constellation, simply because they’re not the same in shape or size. For instance, that imaginary line points at Virgo for 45 days, and to Scorpius for only seven. So, turns out that Babylonians ignored some facts in order to maintain their tidier zodiac.

That being said, it makes sense that some people don’t resonate with their zodiac signs; if we assume we’ll ignore the fact that each of us has a different birth chart. It might not have been so accurate after all. So, in case you’re okay with changing your sign, here are the dates that include Ophiucus in the zodiac. For us, we’re honestly sticking to our old zodiac signs. Once an Aqua, always an Aqua (or whatever the rest of the team members’ zodiac signs are).

The 13-Sign Zodiac Dates

Capricorn: January 20 to February 15

Aquarius: February 16 to March 11

Pisces: March 11 to April 18

Aries: April 18 to May 13

Taurus: May 13 to June 21st

Gemini: June 21 to July 20

Cancer: July 20 to August 10

Leo: August 10 to September 16

Virgo: September 16 to October 30

Libra: October 30 to November 23

Scorpio: November 23 to November 29

Ophiuchus: November 29 to December 17

Sagittarius: December 17 to January 20

Are you an Ophiuchus?

Via Dazed

If yes, then you might have a few questions in mind. The constellation, aligned with the Sun for 18 days every year, is represented by a man wrestling a snake, and in Greek, it means “serpent-bearer”. Ophiucus’ traits are very similar to those of Scorpio and Sagittarius; they’re known to insightful, curious, and always seeking knowledge and wisdom. 

If you decide to follow the new dates, tell us your old and new signs in the comments!