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DESCRIPTION Most western astrologers adopt the Tropical Zodiac approach which defines the zodiac as beginning at the Northern Hemisphere Vernal Equinox , thus linking their astrological meanings to northern seasonal changes rather than the actual position of stars in the heavens. Sidereal astrology uses an approach which puts the sun's position in the heavens roughly within the constellation corresponding to a sign of the zodiac. Sidereal astrologers claim their approach is more in keeping with the ancient traditions of the subject. When Claudius Ptolemy defined the vernal point as 0° Aries around the 2nd century CE, the tropical and sidereal zodiac would have shown no difference. The Precession Of The Equinoxes , a phenomenon known to the ancients but forgotten by Western astronomers during the Dark ages meant that the Western zodiac based on the calendar became out of step with the heavens. They argue that Western astrologers have never done a "catching up" exercise and many still do not fully understand the implications of their error. Astronomers as well as tropical and sidereal astrologers still base their measurement of the sky on a zero point taken as the position of the vernal equinox on the Ecliptic . This has the same significance in the sky as the Prime Meridian on the earth’s globe, i.e. it is the zero point of a 360 degree arc which is used to give a location for any object in the sky known as Right Ascension . In the same way as Longitude (and Latitude ) give a position on the earth. Sidereal astrologers add a correction to this point to allow for the precession of the equinoxes. They do this so that the zodiacal signs used in their astrology coincide with the constellations of stars to which they refer. This correction is called the Ayanamsa and different sidereal astrologers use different precise values. This value is usually around 24 degrees at the present time and is constantly increasing as the equinoxes precess. About 2,000 years ago, the two zodiacs were in approximate agreement and the vernal equinox fell at the start of the constellation Aries. Sidereal astrologers see the failure of most western astrologers to relate their work to the actual heavens which they claim to be interpreting as a sign of their ignorance of the astronomy and a fundamental degeneration of the subject. SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC Nearly all astrologers, tropical and sidereal, agree that the ecliptic should be divided into twelve equal segments to form the zodiac; they differ on where the zodiac begins. Astronomers have very precise boundaries between constellations agreed at an international convention in 1936 but astrologers see these as arbitrary and not having a bearing on astrology. THE ASTRONOMICAL CONSTELLATIONS OF THE ZODIAC Most siderial astrologers simply divide the ecliptic into 12 equal signs of 30 degrees but approximately aligned to the 12 zodiac constellations. The 13 astronomical constellations of the ecliptic A small number of sidereal astrologers wish to include other constellations, such as Ophiuchus , in their zodiac and use thirteen signs instead of twelve. For example, the tropical zodiacal system neglects the constellation of Ophiuchus , which was recognised as a constellation of the sidereal zodiac at least 1,700 years ago. The dates the sun passed in front of the thirteen astronomical constellations of the Ecliptic in 1977 are as follows. The dates will increment by one day every 70½ years and already several have changed. The 21 zodiacal constellations of the planets Because of their inclination from the Ecliptic , the planets are not restricted to the thirteen constellation of the ecliptic. The seven planets (excluding Pluto , which ranges more widely due to its high Inclination ) pass through 21 constellations. Thus there are 21 astronomical constellations of the zodiac. These are Aquarius , Aries , Cancer , Capricornus , Cetus , Corvus , Crater , Gemini , Hydra , Leo , Libra , Ophiuchus , Orion , Pegasus , Pisces , Sagittarius , Scorpius , Scutum , Sextans , Taurus , Virgo . REFERENCES "The Real Constellations of the Zodiac". Dr. Lee T. Shapiro, ''Planetarian'', Vol 6, #1, Spring 1977. {Link without Title} "The Real, Real Constellations of the Zodiac". John Mosley, ''Planetarian'', Vol. 28, #4, December 1999. {Link without Title} SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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