Think you know your star sign? Most likely, you don't
Thanks to a phenomenon that has altered the position of the constellations we see today, most of us have the wrong horoscope
Some 98 per cent of Britons know their star sign, but the majority of them are wrong, according to the BBC.
Your star sign is supposed to be the constellation that was behind the sun when you were born, says the broadcaster – and for some 86 per cent of us, this is not the constellation we believe our star sign to be.
The discrepancy arises because the dates associated with star signs were set some 2,000 years ago when the zodiac was first invented. But the dates of the year are not properly in sync with the movement of the stars.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The phenomenon is called "precession", says the BBC, and it means the constellations have "drifted" out of their allocated date slots by about a month.
For example, Princess Charlotte, born on 2 May 2015, is "officially" a Taurus. In reality, the constellation behind the sun when she was born was Aries.
"As we orbit round the Sun, a different constellation appears behind it each month. Ancient astronomers named this ring the zodiac, meaning 'circle of animals'," explains Dara O'Briain. "It was the Greeks who came up with the idea of the personal 'star sign' – character traits determined by the constellation behind the Sun on the day you were born.
"The astrologers ran with this and that's where the problems started for the astronomers out there. The dates of the 'star signs' were fixed, over 2,000 years ago, when the zodiac was first devised."
On top of this, ancient astrologers divided the 360 degree path of the Sun into 12 equal parts, but in reality the boundaries that divide the constellations are far from equal, says the BBC.
The astronomical zodiac even contains a 13th constellation, called Ophiuchus, which sits behind the Sun from 30 November to 18 December.
The real astronomical star signs:
Capricorn: 21 January - 16 February
Aquarius: 17 February - 12 March
Pisces: 13 March - 18 April
Aries: 19 April - 14 May
Taurus: 15 May - 21 June
Gemini: 22 June - 20 July
Cancer: 21 July - 10 August
Leo: 11 August - 16 September
Virgo: 17 September - 31 October
Libra: 1 November - 23 November
Scorpio: 24 November - 29 November
Ophiuchus: 30 November - 18 December
Sagittarius: 19 December - 20 January
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arid Gulf states hit with year's worth of rain
Speed Read The historic flooding in Dubai is tied to climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Winchcombe meteorite: space rock may reveal how water came to Earth
The Explainer New analysis of its violent journey confirms scientific theories on the origin of our planet's H2O
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why the Moon is getting a new time zone
The Explainer The creation of 'coordinated lunar time' is part of Nasa's mission to establish a long-term presence on Earth's only natural satellite
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
We're in the golden age of space exploration
In depth To infinity and beyond!
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
All the major moon landings so far
The Explainer One giant leap for mankind
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Jupiter's Europa has less oxygen than hoped
speed read Scientists say this makes it less likely that Jupiter's moon harbors life
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Magnolias in space': why scientists have created the world's first wooden satellite
Under The Radar New Japanese probe could help tackle 'graveyard of space junk' encircling Earth
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The moon, it's shrinking!
The Explainer Landing on the moon is soon going to be harder than previously thought
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
13 recent scientific breakthroughs
In Depth From photos of the infant universe to an energy advancement that could save the planet
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published