The gravity of the Moon and Sun pull on the bulge, which causes the Earth to wobble like a top. As a result of its rotation, the Earth bulges slightly at the equator, not unlike how a skaterРІР‚в„ўs skirt fans out as she spins. The main reason astrological signs fail to line up with the zodiac, though, is a wobble in the EarthРІР‚в„ўs rotational axis called precession. This is one of the reasons astrological signs do not line up with the constellations of the zodiac. For example, the Sun passes through the constellation Scorpio in just five days, but takes 38 days to pass through Taurus. In actuality, this is not the case, as the constellations vary a great deal in shape and size. PNGGuru, CC BY-NCР”Р„strology suggests that each sign of the zodiac fits neatly into a 30-degree slice of sky РІР‚вЂњ which multiplied by 12 adds up to 360 degrees. The Sun is in Leo here, which means at night, youРІР‚в„ўd see Aquarius. How could they, since they are truly random scatterings of stars? They are meant to represent, not to portray. It is a disappointment to many that the constellations only rarely look like what they represent. They are collectively called the zodiac and consist almost entirely of animal figures, like the ram (Aries), crab (Cancer) and lion (Leo).

Over the course of a year, the Sun appears to pass through a belt of sky containing 12 ancient constellations, or groupings, of stars. The science of astronomy is now at odds with one of the basic organizing principles in astrology РІР‚вЂњ the dates of the zodiac. But once Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo realized the planets orbit the Sun, rather than the Earth, and Newton discovered the physical laws behind their behavior, astrology and astronomy split, never to be reunited. It was intermingled with the science of astronomy back then РІР‚вЂњ in fact, many astronomers of old made scientific observations that are valuable even today. The practice of astrology, which predicts oneРІР‚в„ўs fate and fortune based on the positions of the Sun, Moon, stars and planets, dates back to ancient times. I was born a Capricorn (please donРІР‚в„ўt judge me), but the Sun was in the middle of Sagittarius when I was born.Р”Р„s a professor emeritus of astronomy, I am often asked about the difference between astrology and astronomy.

Tropical astrology chart