The 13th Zodiac Sign: Has Your Star Sign Changed?

Zodiac signs or Star signs are symbolic of the position of the sun at the time period of your birth. It is believed to have a strong influence on personality, character, and emotions, and is also a powerful tool for understanding yourself and your relationships. Typically, there are 12 Zodiac signs and we will soon tell you why we have used the word ‘typically’!

According to Western astrology, the zodiac signs are the twelve 30° sectors of the ecliptic. These sectors begin at the vernal equinox, which is also known as the First Point of Aries. The astrological signs follow the below order:

Aries: 21^st March – 19^th April

Taurus: 20^th April – 20^th May

Gemini: May 21^st – 20^th June

Cancer: 21^st June – 22^nd July

Leo: 23^rd July – 22^nd August

Virgo: 23^rd August – 22^nd September

Libra: 23^rd September – 22^nd October

Scorpio: 23^rd October – 21^st November

Sagittarius: 22^nd November – 21^st December

Capricorn: 22^nd December – 19^th January

Aquarius: 20^th January – 18^th February

Pisces: 19^th February – 20^th March

How and when did the Zodiac signs originate?

The concept of Zodiac signs dates back to the Babylonian astrology of the 4^th century BC and its system of celestial omens, and the roots of this concept originate from the principle of ‘as above, so below’.

Western astrology measures from points corresponding to the longest and the shortest days of the tropical year. A variety of methods have been used by different civilizations to divide the night sky by using different systems of astrology, although the tradition of Zodiac names and symbols remains consistent.

However, everything that we know about zodiac signs might need questioning!

Why is everyone talking about a 13th Zodiac Sign?

Recently, a January 2016 blog posted by NASA went viral and created panic among the netizens. This went to the extent that people started taking online quizzes and tests to determine their new and updated star sign.

Amidst this frenzy, The Tipsy Marketer set out to determine the truth and filter the truth from the myths.

The 13^th Zodiac sign, called Ophiuchus, is a constellation that has always constituted the elliptic, but it has been eliminated from most astrological texts. The Babylonians divided the night sky into twelve divisions to align with the twelve months of the calendar. They had observed the constellation Ophiuchus, but it never fit into the predefined twelve astrological divisions that the Babylonians had split the ecliptic into. Hence, they chose to leave it out of the zodiac.

Ophiuchus was among the first constellations discovered by Ptolemy in the second century, and is a mixture of two words, serpent and bearing. The face of the constellation is symbolic of the Greek God of Medicine, Asclepius, who holds a staff with a serpent wrapped around it. The depiction of the powerful man with a serpent wrapped around his staff has given Ophiuchus the name of Serpentarius.

How does this change your Zodiac Sign?

Astronomy and astrology are vastly different in their interpretation of the night sky. Ophiuchus lasts for a duration of 18 days and is sandwiched between Scorpio and Sagittarius.

If we were to insert Ophiuchus into our Zodiac signs, the dates would change as follows:

Capricorn: January 20^th - February 16^th

Aquarius: February 16^th - March 11^th

Pisces: March 11^th - April 18^th

Aries: April 18^th - May 13^th

Taurus: May 13^th - June 21^st

Gemini: June 21^st - July 20^th

Cancer: July 20^th - August 10^th

Leo: August 10^th - September 16^th

Virgo: September 16^th - October 30^th

Libra: October 30^th - November 23rd

Scorpio: November 23^rd - November 29^th

Ophiuchus: November 29^th - December 17^th

Sagittarius: December 17^th - January 20^th

Our verdict of this zodiac sign frenzy is that your star sign continues to stay as it was, however, if you are intrigued to know how the 13^th Zodiac Sign fits in, feel free to check the above list and comment below with your new star sign!

The Tipsy Marketer is always hungry to write on your favorite topics. So feed us, with your comments, feedback, and interests!

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