In recent years, the idea of the supposed entry into force of a thirteenth sign of the zodiac called Ophiuchusstarting in January, a change that is even said to be endorsed by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
“As of January 1, the new official calendar for the zodiac signs came into force. Do not forget to update your astral chart and review your projections for 2023 if your sign has changed”, indicate the messages that have gone viral on social networks.
But this is all about a mix of situations. Although NASA – which is in charge of astronomy, not astrology – refers to the existence of Ophiuchus, a constellation located between Scorpio and Sagittarius, this does not change the zodiac calendar.
NASA has on some occasions clarified this controversial issue. “We see your comments on a zodiac story that resurfaces every few years. No, we do not change the zodiac ”, indicates the space agency. “Here at NASA, we study astronomy, not astrology. We didn’t change any zodiac signs, we just did the math”, he adds.
The imaginary belt that the zodiac occupies in the sky is divided into 12 equal parts, which define the 12 zodiac signs. Each of these parts corresponded to a constellation: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
NASA details that the zodiac system and Ophiuchus arose in the Babylonians, who lived more than 3,000 years ago. They divided the zodiac into 12 equal parts, “like cutting a pizza into 12 equal slices. They chose 12 constellations in the zodiac, one for each of the 12 “slices.” So, as the Earth revolves around the Sun, it would appear that the Sun passes through each of the 12 parts of the zodiac. Since the Babylonians already had a 12-month calendar (based on the phases of the moon), each month had a part of the zodiac to itself,” he adds.
“But even according to the ancient stories of the Babylonians, there were 13 constellations in the zodiac. So they chose one Ophiuchus (Ophiuchus), to leave it out. Even then, some of the chosen 12 didn’t fit perfectly into their allotted slice of the pie and moved on to the next one.”
It is explained that the constellations have different sizes and shapes, so the sun spends different lengths of time aligned with each one. Earth’s line through the sun points to Virgo for 45 days, but points to Scorpio for only 7 days. To make a neat match with your 12-month calendar, the Babylonians ignored the fact that the sun actually moves through 13 constellations, not 12. They then assigned each of those 12 constellations the same amount of time.
Given this, they were clear: there are multiple constellations and the Earth can rotate around 13 of them a year, but the ancient Babylonians dispensed with the last one. There is no scientific justification for it. (F)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
