About the "13th " sign of the Zodiac, Ophiucus, and the "sign changes"

     The idea that there is a "new sign" of the zodiac -Ophiucus- or that "zodiac signs have changed" has been widely circulated in the media several times in the last decades. These are the kind of rumours that seem to pop out of the blue from time to time and grab the public's attention. People usually do not remember that the same news was fashionable some years before. But, beyond ephemeral headlines or viral posts, these themes are discussed in astrological academical circles, too. What's this all about?

     The first subject of speculation is about the zodiac (from the greek zoo=animals and diakos=circle), which is the yearly path of the Sun in the sky. At some point, it crosses a section of the constellation Ophiucus. This is why it has been speculated if Ofiucus should be considered the 13th zodiacal "sign".However, this is not possible,as Ophiucus is a constellation, not a sign. What is the difference? A constellation is a visual group of stars, as seen from the Earth's perspective. A sign is a monthly phase of the annual seasonal cycle; there are spring, summer, fall, winter signs.They are two different things, even if they bear the same names. In fact, this causes much confusion between them. Many people assume that constellations are the signs, but this is not true. Not at all.


     In the following diagram, the Sun's path across the sky or zodiac, can be seen divided in sections. Each one is in fact a sign and measures exactly 30°. Signs are depicted in different colors and cross the sky through different groups of stars or constellations.

     In mid-December, the Sun crosses the southern part of constellation Ophiucus, in a zone that corresponds to the sign Sagittarius, as can be seen in the next diagram:

     However, signs do not match the constellations of the same name. This is because signs are slowly receding through the relatively fixed background of stars. This movement of the zodiac is called precession of the equinoxes, but it does not imply a "change" of zodiacal sign. It just means that the signs move through the constellations.

     This is nothing new, the Sun's Ophiucus transit repeats itself every year, this is known since very ancient times and cannot be considered a discovery. The seasons of the year have also been well known for a long time, so the discovery of new signs is impossible. Further, the constellations as we know them today were mostly visualized and catalogued by the ancient greeks. Ophiucus has been a familiar name in the heavens for thousands of years. Where is the newness, then?

     Nowhere. The media regularly promote highly speculative material whose impact is based in a general lack of information on the subject. The goal is to generate controversy and attract people's attention for publicity reasons, whether lycit or hacked. It is also quite possible that the very same people that promote these ideas do not know themselves the astronomical truth. But, those who have the necessary information to question such news as "a new zodiacal sign has been discovered" (as if it was a planet) or "your sign has changed for another" (as if it was that easy), won't let themslves be fooled by such manipulative trap. I hope this will be a contribution for getting things clear. And, do not worry at all: your zodiac sign stays the same. Any doubts? Check it! Compare the characteristics of your sign with your actual personality. There is no better example for that than oneself.