Astrology blog

Since the trajectory of the Sun, when viewed from Earth, has a circular shape, we represent the zodiac as a circle. The circle is divided into sectors (zodiac signs), some of which are located opposite each other. Aries opposes Libra, Capricorn opposes Cancer, and sidereal Taurus is opposed by two constellations at once - Scorpio and Ophiuchus.

Since each zodiac sign has a ruler planet, the opposition of the signs generates a confrontation of the planets. For example, Mars (ruler of Aries) is the exact opposite of Chiron (ruler of Libra), and the Moon (ruler of Cancer) is the opposite of Saturn (ruler of Capricorn).

To clearly see the kinship and enmity of the signs, I made an infographic that reflects the actual planetary properties adapted to the sidereal zodiac. You can trace in which constellation the planet shows its strength and weakness, based on the traditional astrological concepts of domicile, exaltation, detriment and fall.

Everyone knows about classical astrology of 12 zodiac signs because media made it very popular. Someone have heard of vedic astrology, which is based on Indian philosophy; It's actively used by people who are fond of yoga. But few people know about the sidereal astrological system, which is based on real astronomical data. Studying and practicing astrology, I became an adherent of the sidereal approach - its results impressed me very much. To show you visual differences between the tropical, vedic and sidereal systems, I made an infographic.

Article "Born under the sign of Ophiuchus and ignored by horoscopes: The dilemma of our time" by John Mosley of the Griffith Observatory, which was published in July 1988. In this article, he describes how the signs of the Zodiac differ from the constellations and tells where Ophiuchus came from.

Sooner or later anyone involved with astronomy has contact (or conflict) with astrology or someone interested in astrology. To a great extent the response from the astronomical and planetarium community has been defensive, denying the validity of astrology when asked. There have been some attempts to go on the offensive, such as the recent publication Objections to Astrology (Prometheus Books, 1975). However, such clearly antiastrology publications are probably only read by those who already are nonbelievers.

An article by John Mosley of the Griffith Observatory, which was published in December 1999. It's an update to the article previously published in Planetarian.