12 Astronomical constellations (Night Sky View in four seasons)
Spring Constellations
- Virgo (the virgin, Astrology zodiac months : Aug. 23 – Sept. 22)
- Libra (the scale, Astrology zodiac months : Sept. 23 – Oct. 23 )
- Scorpio (the Scorpion, Astrology zodiac months: Oct. 24 – Nov. 21)
Summer Constellations
- Aquarius (the water bear, Astrology zodiac months : Jan. 20 – Feb. 18)
- Capricorn (the sea goat, Astrology zodiac months : Dec. 22 – Jan. 19)
- Sagittarius (the archer, Astrology zodiac months : Nov. 22 – Dec. 21)
Autumn Constellations
- Aries (the Ram, Astrology zodiac months : Mar. 21 – April 19)
- Taurus (the bull, Astrology zodiac months : April 20 – May 20)
- Pisces (the fishes, Astrology zodiac months : Feb. 19 – Mar. 20)
Winter Constellations
- Gemini (the twin, Astrology zodiac months : May 21 – June 21)
- Cancer (the crab, Astrology zodiac months : June 22 – July 22)
- Leo (the lion, Astrology zodiac months : July 23 – Aug. 22)
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Astrology and Astronomy constellation comparison:
Constellation | Astrology Date | True Date |
Aries | March 21 – April 20 | April 19 – May 13 |
Taurus | April 21 – May 21 | May 14 – June 19 |
Gemini | May 22 – June 21 | June 20 – July 20 |
Cancer | June 22 – July 22 | July 21 – August 9 |
Leo | July 23 – August 21 | August 10 – September 15 |
Virgo | August 22 – September 23 | September 16 – October 30 |
Libra | September 24 – October 23 | October 31 – November 22 |
Scorpio | October 24 – November 22 | November 23 – November 29 |
Ophiuchus | Not Included | November 30 – December 17 |
Sagittarius | November 23 – December 22 | December 18 – January 18 |
Capricorn | December 23 – January 20 | January 19 – February 15 |
Aquarius | January 21 – February 19 | February 16 – March 11 |
Pisces | February 20 to March 20 | March 12 – April 18 |
Notice how the Sun spends more time in Ophiuchus than in Scorpio yet Ophiuchus is not included in the Astrology charts.
The Constellations of the Zodiac | ||
The Zodiac is the name of the virtual belt in which the planets, Sun, and Moon appear to move about the sky. In reality, the planets and their respective moons (most of them anyway) orbit the Sun about the same plane. Because the orbits of the planets are not on a perfect plane, the Zodiac band is 16° wide – 8° on either side of the ecliptic.
When mentioning the Zodiac, the subject of Astrology also comes to mind. Astronomy and Astrology are not the same thing. Astronomy is a science while Astrology is not. The pseudo-science of Astrology plot the positions of the Sun and planets about 12 constellations that constitute the Zodiac. The result of these positions is the effect the given planet, Sun or Moon on your birth sign. There are two problems regarding this plot: there are 13 constellations in the Zodiac and the position of the Sun within the Zodiac was plotted 2000 years ago. Because the Earth in inclined by 23.45 degrees, it rotates like a top. This is called precession.
The result is shifting of the constellations. This means that the Astrological plots and predictions based on your birth sign are really off by one month. For example, I was born in early March so my Astrological birth sign is Pisces. In reality however my birth sign is Aquarius since the Sun was in this constellation when I was born.
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