Where: All of Sweden
When: All year around
What: Spotting zodiac signs
Lately, as I've been out at night more often to capture the Northern Lights and the Milky Way with my camera, I've found myself increasingly curious about what else there is to discover in the night sky. For instance, I've been wondering about zodiac signs. Can I spot my zodiac sign on my birthday?
THE HISTORY OF ASTROLOGY
Let's rewind 3000 years. Mesopotamia, the region now known as Iraq, was home to the Babylonians. Back then, the night sky was much clearer without all the light pollution we face today. It's no wonder people were awed by this nightly display and started noticing patterns that repeated regularly. Each month, a different group of stars was visible in the sky, and that same group would return each year. The zodiac.
The Babylonians were so fascinated by this that they assigned a zodiac sign to a newborn based on the constellation that the sun was passing through at the time of birth. So, not the constellation or zodiac sign that was visible at night, but they assigned the zodiac sign of the day. This forms the basis of astrology as we know it today.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ASTRONOMY AND ASTROLOGY?
Astronomy is the science that describes and explains the positions of celestial bodies using physics. Astrology deals with the influence celestial bodies have on your life.
HOW DOES IT ALL WORK WITH THE SUN, THE EARTH, AND THE MOON AGAIN?
The Earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours. The moon orbits the Earth every 4 weeks, and together they orbit the sun in a year. This is a simplification, as these figures vary slightly in reality, but for simplicity's sake, let's stick with this. As the Earth rotates on its axis, one side is always facing the sun, which is daytime, while the other side is in shadow, which is nighttime.
The moon orbits the Earth, and as the sun shines on it, we see different phases of the moon depending on how the shadow of the Earth falls on it. The moon also affects tides, but let's not delve into that for now. Due to the Earth's tilt as it orbits the sun, we experience different seasons.
You can imagine the zodiac as a kind of backdrop to this whole setup. The Earth passes through it, and roughly every month, a different zodiac sign or constellation is visible.
CAN I SPOT MY ZODIAC SIGN ON MY BIRTHDAY?
No, you can't. Because your zodiac sign is on the sunlit side at that time. The constellation you see is the one opposite yours, and your zodiac sign will be visible about six months later. Since it can be quite challenging to make sense of all the stars in the sky, I'll provide some helpful links, like a plate solver and a night sky app, below to help you identify the night sky you're observing. There are many more constellation and celestial bodies to explore :-)
Furthermore, the position of the zodiac has changed over the past 3000 years due to precession, a slow wobbling of the Earth's axis. This affects the time it takes for the Earth to orbit the sun. To be precise, it's 365 days, 9 minutes, and 10 seconds. This means the period when a zodiac sign is visible has shifted considerably from 3000 years ago, so your actual zodiac sign may not be what you've always been told. NASA has provided an overview of this deviation, which you can find in the table below.
In addition to this deviation, there's something else to consider. The zodiac actually consists of 13 signs, not 12. People born between November 29 and December 17 would officially be Ophiuchus. However, the Babylonians chose not to include this 13th sign, likely because 12 signs neatly fit into a year and because Ophiuchus actually falls just outside the orbital path of the other zodiac signs.
ZODIAC SIGN OVERVIEW AND WHEN THEY ARE VISIBLE
ZODIAC SIGN | BIRTHDAY BETWEEN | NASA CORRECTION | BEST VISIBLE* |
Pisces | Feb 19 - Mar 20 | Mar 11 - Apr 18 | Sep - Oct |
Aquarius | Jan 20 - Feb 18 | Feb 16 - Mar 11 | Aug - Sep |
Capricorn | Dec 22 - Jan 19 | Jan 20 - Feb 16 | Jul - Aug |
Sagittarius | Nov 22 - Dec 21 | Dec 17 - Jan 20 | Jun - Jul |
Ophiuchus | Not an official astrological sign | Nov 29 - Dec 17 | Jun |
Scorpio | Oct 23 - Nov 21 | Nov 23 - Nov 29 | May - Jun |
Libra | Sep 23 - Oct 22 | Oct 30 - Nov 23 | May |
Virgo | Aug 23 - Sep 22 | Sep 16 - Oct 30 | Apr |
Leo | Jul 23 - Aug 22 | Aug 10 - Sep 16 | Feb - Mar |
Cancer | Jun 21 - Jul 22 | Jul 20 - Aug 10 | Jan - Feb |
Gemini | May 21 - Jun 20 | Jun 21 - Jul 20 | Dec - Jan |
Taurus | Apr 20 - May 20 | May 13 - Jun 21 | Nov - Dec |
Aries | Mar 21 - Apr 19 | Apr 18 - May 13 | Oct - Nov |
*The visibility may vary depending on factors as latitude and local conditions.
These insights provide a whole new perspective on my nocturnal outdoor adventures. We'll see if I can spot them all, exciting!
HELPFUL LINKS:
Instagram page with basic astronomy explained:
NASA instagram page with upcoming events:
Identify major stars, planets and constellations in your night sky image with a plate solver:
Planets App (for real time sky identification) in App Store:
Planets App (for real time sky identification) in Google Play:
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