New Zodiac Signs in 2011? Ophiuchus Explained by an Expert

Interestingly, a recent article published in the Minnesota Star-Tribune on January 14th and subsequently picked up by NBC news and the Huffington Post has caused a big stir amongst astrology fans.

We asked our experience provider and professional Vedic astrologer, Steven Stuckey to write some words on the subject and this is what he had to say:

Callers are backed up on radio talk shows and astrological web sites have been inundated with thousands of emails from all over the world. One journalist called the reaction a “twitter snowball” as the news went ballistic worldwide. The reason? Minneapolis astronomy professor Parke Kunkle has stated that the Earth’s wobble has shifted the zodiac signs.  The ‘new’ zodiac is in fact almost one entire sign behind the old zodiac. In addition to that, astronomers have had the gall to insert a 13th sign into the mix and call it Ophiucus (Oh-fee-yew-kus) between the constellations of Scorpio and Sagittarius and change all the dates of the astrological signs. That means that Sagittarians are now Scorpions, Librans are Virgoians, and Taureans are now Ariens. Heaven help us—can this really be happening?

Kunkle, who had received over a hundred media requests from all over the world by the afternoon of the 14th, stated that it was in fact not something new, but went back over 2,000 years to the Babylonian civilization. In reality, astronomers have known about this phenomenon for a very long time. The phenomenon is called the precession of the equinoxes and results from the Earth’s wobble. As the Earth spins everyday on its axis, it wobbles slightly due to various gravitational forces including that of the Moon, and as a result it moves backward slightly every year in its relationship to the Sun. The Earth’s path around the Sun is an ellipse, also known as the ecliptic. The star fields that are close to this ecliptic path are known as zodiacal constellations, as opposed to the other many constellations in the sky. There are a total of 88 constellations, but only 12 of them are close to the ecliptic. This backward movement or precession is approximately 1 degree every 72 years along this ecliptic path and takes about 25,800 to complete a circuit around the entire 360 degrees of the zodiac.

So how does this affect your astrological sign?

Well the good news is that it doesn’t affect it at all if you are following the western system of astrology. Western astrology, also known as Tropical astrology, has its starting point at the vernal equinox, the first day of spring on March 20th (in the Northern Hemisphere). It is called the Tropical system due to taking its orientation from the equinoxes and solstices. The sign of Aries always starts the zodiac on March 20th, followed by Taurus on April 20th and so on. This system has been followed by astrologers for 2,000 years and as far as anyone knows will continue on in this way for thousands of years to come. Western astrology has no connection to the stars at all in fact and is based on 12 equal 30 degree symbolic divisions of the 360 degree circle. The first division is always Aries and the last division is always Pisces. The stars may come and go but as long as the Earth experiences equinoxes and solstices, your sign will stay the same.

There is another system of astrology used in both the east and west that is called Sidereal Astrology. Sidereal means ‘star’ and refers to an astrological system that is based on the stars. This system also has the same 12 signs of equal 30 degree lengths, but these divisions are counted from an actual star in the sky, rather than from the equinox. These signs do correspond to the actual star fields or constellations. The most well-known sidereal system is called Vedic astrology and has its origins in India. Vedic astrology is at least as old as western astrology. Since sidereal astrology is based on star positions and the Earth’s movement or wobble is shifting slightly every year with relation to the stars, this system is gradually changing over time.

About 2,000 years ago, the Vernal Equinox was in alignment with 0 degrees of Aries, in the actual star field of Aries. At this time, both the western or Tropical and the eastern or Sidereal system coincided. Since then, the precessional movement as mentioned at the beginning of this article has accrued in the amount of 24 degrees. Therefore, all Sidereal or constellational based signs are now 24 degrees behind the Tropical signs. A sign is 30 degrees in length so the two systems are now nearly one sign apart. The sign of Aries begins on April 15th in the Sidereal system, rather than March 20th. That means if you are a Sagittarius in the western system, you would be a Scorpio in the eastern system. If you’re a Virgo in western system then you’re a Leo in the eastern system. All astrologers understand the differences between these two zodiacs and therefore are not at all bothered by the recent statements of the astronomers. Both systems of astrology have validity and can be used to accurately describe an individual’s life circumstances and to predict possible future events.

To add to the confusion of the layperson, who does not understand the technical aspects of the two different zodiacs, astronomers have also introduced the idea of a 13th constellation called Ophiuchus. This constellation lies between the constellations of Scorpio and Sagittarius. Ophiuchus was at one time included in Babylonian star maps, over 2000 years ago, but is no longer in use today and is not used by either Tropical or Vedic astrologers. This ‘new’ constellation is not really new at all and was included by astronomers (not astrologers) in their official division of the heavens back in 1930. Astronomers also divide up the zodiac into unequal divisions, rather than the equal 30 degree segments used by all astrologers. This adds even more confusion to the mix, as the beginning dates of the astronomical signs are therefore different than either the Tropical or Vedic astrological zodiacs.

Astronomers today regard astrology as a pseudo-science and consider its practitioners to be charlatans. They seem to forget that two of the greatest astronomers of all time, Nicholas Copernicus and Johannes Kepler, were also noted astrologers of their day.  But we as astrologers are certain that, in the safety of their own homes and away from any possible detection by their scientific peers, astronomers may occasionally take a little peek at their daily horoscope. Perhaps if professor Kunkle had called an astrologer before he gave that interview with the ‘Star’ Tribune, he might have saved himself a world of trouble.

Thanks for the clarification, Steve!

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