ZODIAC SIGN FACTS
Zodiac
(Astronomy & Astrology)
zodiac, in astronomy and astrology,
a belt around the heavens extending
on either side of the ecliptic,
the plane of Earth’s orbit and of
the Sun’s apparent annual path. The
orbits of the Moon and of the
principal planets also lie entirely
within the zodiac. The 12
astrological signs of the zodiac
are each considered to occupy 1/12
(or 30°) of its great circle. These
signs no longer correspond to the
astronomical constellations in
which the Sun actually appears. The
constellations are irregular in
size and shape, and the Sun
regularly passes through one
constellation (Ophiuchus) that is
not considered a member of the
zodiac.
Because most of the constellations
through which the ecliptic passes
represent animals, the ancient
Greeks called its zone zōdiakos
kyklos, “circle of animals,” or ta
zōdia, “the little animals.” The
size and number of zodiacal
constellations varied in antiquity
and became fixed only with the
development of mathematical
astronomy. The list below gives the
constellations of the zodiac, with
the dates of the Sun’s passage
through them in the era when their
boundaries were fixed. These dates
are still used for the astrological
signs, though precession of the
equinoxes has shifted the
constellations eastward; e.g., on
January 1 the direction of the sun
is now in Sagittarius instead of
Capricornus. The history of the
symbols is unknown; they seem to
appear first in Greek manuscripts
of the late Middle Ages.
Aries (Ram): March 21–April 19
Taurus (Bull): April 20–May 20
Gemini (Twins): May 21–June 21
Cancer (Crab): June 22–July 22
Leo (Lion): July 23–August 22
Virgo (Virgin): August 23–
September 22
Libra (Balance): September 23–
October 23
Scorpius (Scorpion): October 24–
November 21
Sagittarius (Archer): November
22–December 21
Capricornus (Goat): December 22–
January 19
Aquarius (Water Bearer): January
20–February 18
Pisces (Fish): February 19–March
20
Sagittarius
constellation and astrological sign
Sagittarius, (Latin: “Archer”) in
astronomy, zodiacal constellation
in the southern sky lying between
Capricornus and Scorpius, at about
19 hours right ascension and 25°
south declination. The centre of
the Milky Way Galaxy lies in the
radio source Sagittarius A*. Near
the western border of Sagittarius
is the winter solstice, the
southernmost point reached by the
Sun in its apparent annual journey
among the stars. This constellation
also contains the Lagoon and Trifid
nebulas. The brightest star is Kaus
Australis (from the Arabic for
“bow” and the Latin for “southern,”
respectively; it is also called
Epsilon Sagittarii), with a
magnitude of 1.9. Many of the stars
are arranged in the prominent
asterism called the Teapot.
Because most of the constellations
through which the ecliptic passes
represent animals, the ancient
Greeks called its zone zōdiakos
kyklos, “circle of animals,” or ta
zōdia, “the little animals.” The
size and number of zodiacal
constellations varied in antiquity
and became fixed only with the
development of mathematical
astronomy. The list below gives the
constellations of the zodiac, with
the dates of the Sun’s passage
through them in the era when their
boundaries were fixed. These dates
are still used for the astrological
signs, though precession of the
equinoxes has shifted the
constellations eastward; e.g., on
January 1 the direction of the sun
is now in Sagittarius instead of
Capricornus. The history of the
symbols is unknown; they seem to
appear first in Greek manuscripts
of the late Middle Ages.
In astrology, Sagittarius is the
ninth sign of the zodiac,
considered as governing the period
from about November 22 to about
December 21. It is represented
either by a centaur shooting a bow
and arrow or by an arrow drawn
across a bow. The identification of
Sagittarius as a mounted archer was
made by the Babylonians as early as
the 11th century BCE.
asterism
astronomy
asterism, a pattern of stars that
is not a constellation. An asterism
can be part of a constellation,
such as the Big Dipper, which is in
the constellation Ursa Major, and
can even span across
constellations, such as the Summer
Triangle, which is formed by the
three bright stars Deneb, Altair,
and Vega. Asterisms are not
restricted to stars that can be
seen with the naked eye; many are
best observed with binoculars or a
small telescope.
Scorpius
constellation and astrological sign
Scorpius, (Latin: “Scorpion”) also
called Scorpio, in astronomy,
zodiacal constellation lying in the
southern sky between Libra and
Sagittarius, at about 16 hours 30
minutes right ascension and 30°
south declination. Its brightest
star, Antares (Alpha Scorpii), the
15th brightest star in the sky, has
a magnitude of 1.1. Its name comes
from the Greek for “rival of Ares”
(i.e., rival of the planet Mars)
and was probably given because of
the star’s red colour and
brightness. The brightest X-ray
source in the sky, Scorpius X-1, is
found in this constellation.
In astrology, Scorpius (or Scorpio)
is the eighth sign of the zodiac,
considered as governing the period
from about October 24 to about
November 21. Its representation as
a scorpion is related to the Greek
legend of the scorpion that stung
Orion to death (said to be why
Orion sets as Scorpius rises in the
sky). Another Greek myth relates
that a scorpion caused the horses
of the Sun to bolt when they were
being driven for a day by the
inexperienced youth Phaeton.
Cancer
constellation and astrological sign
Cancer, (Latin: “Crab”) in
astronomy, zodiacal constellation
lying in the northern sky between
Leo and Gemini, at about 8 hours 25
minutes right ascension and 20°
north declination. It contains the
well-known star cluster called
Praesepe, or the Beehive. Its
brighest star, Al Tarf (Arabic for
“the end” [of one of the crab’s
legs]), also called Beta Cancri, is
quite dim, with a magnitude of 3.6.
In astrology, Cancer is the fourth
sign of the zodiac, considered as
governing the period from about
June 22 to about July 22. Its
representation as a crab (or
lobster or crayfish) is related to
the crab in Greek mythology that
pinched Heracles while he was
fighting the Lernaean hydra.
Crushed by Heracles, the crab was
rewarded by Heracles’ enemy, Hera,
by being placed in the heavens.
Aquarius
astronomy and astrology
Aquarius, (Latin: “Water Bearer”)
in astronomy, zodiacal
constellation lying in the southern
sky between Capricornus and Pisces,
at about 22 hours right ascension
and 10° south declination. It lacks
striking features, the brightest
star, Sadalmelik (Arabic for “the
lucky stars of the king”), being of
magnitude 3.0.
In astrology, Aquarius is the 11th
sign of the zodiac, considered as
governing the period from about
January 20 to about February 18.
Its representation as a man pouring
a stream of water out of a jug came
about, it has been suggested,
because in ancient times the rising
of Aquarius coincided in the Middle
East with a period of floods and
rain.
Pisces
constellation and astrological sign
Pisces, (Latin: “Fishes”) in
astronomy, zodiacal constellation
in the northern sky between Aries
and Aquarius, at about 1 hour right
ascension and 15° north
declination. The vernal equinox,
the point where the Sun’s annual
apparent path takes it north of the
celestial equator and from which
celestial longitude and right
ascension are measured, lies in
Pisces. The constellation contains
only faint stars without any
striking grouping; the brightest
star, Eta Piscium, has a magnitude
of 3.6.
In astrology, Pisces is the 12th
sign of the zodiac, considered as
governing the period from about
February 19 to about March 20. Its
representation as two fish tied
together is usually related to the
Greek myth of Aphrodite and Eros,
who jumped into a river to escape
the monster Typhon and changed into
fish, or, alternatively, the two
fish that carried them to safety.
Libra
constellation and astrological sign
Libra, (Latin: “Balance”) in
astronomy, zodiacal constellation
in the southern sky lying between
Scorpius and Virgo, at about 15
hours 30 minutes right ascension
and 15° south declination. Its
stars are faint; the brightest
star, Zubeneschamali (Arabic for
“northern claw,” as it was earlier
regarded as part of Scorpius; also
called Beta Librae), has a
magnitude of 2.6.
In astrology, Libra is the seventh
sign of the zodiac, considered as
governing the period from about
September 22 to about October 23.
It is represented by a woman
(sometimes identified with Astraea,
the Roman goddess of justice),
holding a balance scale or by the
balance alone.
occultism
occultism, various theories and
practices involving a belief in and
knowledge or use of supernatural
forces or beings. Such beliefs and
practices—principally magical or
divinatory—have occurred in all
human societies throughout recorded
history, with considerable
variations both in their nature and
in the attitude of societies toward
them. In the West the term
occultism has acquired
intellectually and morally
pejorative overtones that do not
obtain in other societies where the
practices and beliefs concerned do
not run counter to the prevailing
worldview.
Occult practices centre on the
presumed ability of the
practitioner to manipulate natural
laws for personal benefit or on
behalf of another; such practices
tend to be regarded as evil only
when they also involve the breaking
of moral laws. Some anthropologists
have argued that it is not possible
to make a clear-cut distinction
between magic—a principal component
of occultism—and religion, and this
may well be true of the religious
systems of some nonliterate
societies. The argument does not
hold, however, for any of the major
religions, which regard both
natural and moral law as immutable.
The Western tradition of occultism,
as popularly conceived, is of an
ancient “secret philosophy”
underlying all occult practices.
This secret philosophy derives
ultimately from Hellenistic magic
and alchemy on the one hand and
from Jewish mysticism on the other.
The principal Hellenistic source is
the Corpus Hermeticum, the texts
associated with Hermes
Trismegistos, which are concerned
with astrology and other occult
sciences and with spiritual
regeneration.
The Jewish element is supplied by
the Kabbala (the doctrine of a
secret mystical interpretation of
the Torah), which had been familiar
to scholars in Europe since the
Middle Ages and which was linked
with the Hermetic texts during the
Renaissance. The resulting
Hermetic-Kabbalistic tradition,
known as Hermetism, incorporated
both theory and magical practice,
with the latter presented as
natural, and thus good, magic, in
contrast to the evil magic of
sorcery or witchcraft.
Alchemy was also absorbed into the
body of Hermetism, and this link
was strengthened in the early 17th
century with the appearance of
Rosicrucianism, an alleged secret
brotherhood that utilized
alchemical symbolism and taught
secret wisdom to its followers,
creating a spiritual alchemy that
survived the rise of empirical
science and enabled Hermetism to
pass unscathed into the period of
the Enlightenment.
During the 18th century the
tradition was taken up by
esoterically inclined Freemasons
who could not find an occult
philosophy within Freemasonry.
These enthusiasts persisted, both
as individual students of Hermetism
and, in continental Europe, as
groups of occult practitioners,
into the 19th century, when the
growth of religious skepticism led
to an increased rejection of
orthodox religion by the educated
and a consequent search for
salvation by other means—including
occultism.
But those interested turned to new
forms of occultism rather than to
the Hermetic tradition: on the one
hand to spiritualism, the practice
of alleged regular communication
between the living and the spirits
of the dead through a living
“medium,” and on the other hand to
theosophy, a blend of Western
occultism and Eastern mysticism
that proved to be a most effective
propagator of occultism but whose
influence had declined markedly by
the late 20th century.
Indeed, despite the 19th-century
revival, occult ideas have failed
to gain acceptance in academic
circles, although they have
occasionally influenced the work of
major artists, such as the poet
William Butler Yeats and the
painter Wassily Kandinsky, and
occultism in Europe and North
America seems destined to remain
the province of popular culture.