Ophi-Who?
December 8, 2016
This past summer NASA re-discovered a constellation. Despite how extraordinary the find is, society isn’t happy about it. “For years I’ve been following my zodiac (Libra) and I’ve learned a lot about myself and others through research. The new zodiac shifted my sign to a Virgo. It just doesn’t fit me, it’s not who I am,” states Adrienne Brookstein ’18.
Brai Lamonica ’17 “[doesn’t] like that things are changing now after all these years.”
“I don’t really follow my zodiac that much, but when I do look at it I’m a Libra. I don’t like that this new one changes it because it doesn’t describe me,” says Casey Spencer ’17.
This constellation is called Ophiuchus (Oh-fee-you-cuss) and it happens to rest in the Zodiac orbit. Well what does that mean?
According to NASA, it just means that there is another constellation in the sky.
3,000 years ago, when Babylonians created the zodiac signs, Ophiuchus was left out on purpose so that 12 signs could be split into 12 months. This gave each constellation an equal time period to be born under.
Although Ophiuchus is not being added to the zodiac signs, .
The constellations are only in the sky for so long. When you are born, you are ‘born under’ that constellation, which is why it is your zodiac sign. With the sun spending more time on certain constellations, the difference in time has gotten to be a whole month behind. So, despite refusing to believe that Ophiuchus is included in the Zodiac signs (which NASA says that it’s not), our Zodiacs have already been altered by a month.
If you are curious as to what Zodiac you are, here is the original dates:
Aries: March 21- April 19
Taurus: April 20- May 20
Gemini: May 21- June 20
Cancer: June 21- July 22
Leo: July 23- August 22
Virgo: August 23- Sep 22
Libra: Sep 23- Oct 22
Scorpio: Oct 23- Nov 21
Sagittarius: Nov 22- Dec 21
Capricorn: Dec 22- Jan 19
Aquarius: Jan 20- Feb 18
Pisces: Feb 19- March 20