An US astrologer believes a shift in the Earth´s alignment, giving it a different position in relation to the Sun, has changed zodiac dates and added a 13th sign, Ophiuchus.[break]
The ancient Babylonians based zodiac signs on the constellation the sun was "in" on the day a person was born. During the ensuing millenniums, the moon´s gravitational pull has made the Earth "wobble" around its axis, creating about a one-month bump in the stars´ alignment.
The result?
"When [astrologers] say that the sun is in Pisces, it´s really not in Pisces," said Parke Kunkle, a board member of the Minnesota Planetarium Society.
Indeed, most horoscope readers who consider themselves Pisces are actually Aquarians. So instead of being sensitive, humane and idealistic, they actually are friendly, loyal and inventive.
Or not.
There is no physical connection between constellations and personality traits, said Kunkle, who teaches astronomy at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. "Sure, we can connect harvest to the stars," he said. "But personality? No."
Astronomers have pooh-poohed astrology from the get-go, but Kunkle hedged when asked if astrology can bring people to his science.
"Historically, people looked at the sky to understand the world around us," he said. "But today I don´t think people who are into astrology look at the sky very much."
But they do look at horoscopes. And now they have an explanation for why a day might not have turned out exactly as predicted.
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