Zodiac sign is important for some people but not all of them really understand what’s behind it. What is your zodiac sign? Surely almost all of you know how to answer this question. You may even have gone further by contacting astrologers in USA Area. Horoscopes appear in many magazines and newspapers, in which knowing your zodiac sign you can half know the immediate future, as well as a series of tips to deal with it. The desire to know the future is not something recent and the link with heaven is not either. Those in charge of making horoscopes are astrologers. Astrology is very old and had great importance. In fact, all the important lords in ancient times had their private astrologer to advise them and warn them of possible dangers and misfortunes. Some of them always consulted their astrologer before making any decisions. Many important astronomers made their living as astrologers for some nobleman.
What is the origin of the zodiac signs?
The twelve signs that we know are a direct inheritance of the Babylonian civilization, transmitted directly by the Greeks, the Romans and the Arabs. In the II millennium before our era, the Babylonians distinguished the stars whose relative positions were fixed (the stars) from the <<errant>> stars; that is to say, the Sun, the Moon and the five planets visible to the naked eye (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn), since they did not occupy a fixed position with respect to the stars. The latter were also called <<interpreters>>, since the Babylonians believed that the planets explained to men the designs of the gods.
This civilization distributed the fixed stars in fifty-two constellations, twelve of which formed the zodiacal band. Well actually, as you can see in the figure there are thirteen. The constellation that is between Sagittarius and Scorpio is called Ophiuchus (the giant of the snakes), and it was not included to keep in number twelve (months of the year).
Basically some cultures have a perspective on how they view the positions of the stars, planets, and other celestial bodies. There are various versions but there is a “red line” connecting them. If you want to understand Indian culture’s perspective on astronomy and astrology, contacting astrologers in Mumbai area is a step in the right direction.
Do the signs and constellations of the zodiac match?
When astronomy reached a high development in antiquity during the Hellenistic age between 200 BC. – 200 AD, it was noted that the Sun in early spring was located between the borders of the constellations Aries and Pisces. Astrologers of the time divided the zodiacal band into twelve equal 30 ° segments using this zero-point as a frame of reference. These segments were given the same names as the fixed star constellations behind.
However, the Sun moves slowly between the constellations: every two thousand years or so it changes constellations. Thus, what happens is that astrologers continue to make horoscopes (Zodiac Sign) using the position of the Sun 2000 years ago. What an interesting fact!
