Did Your Zodiac Sign Change?
January 14th, 2011
Email this article to a friend
“What’s your sign?” has become a very volatile question to ask today. Millions of Scorpios are terribly upset to have possibly metamorphosed into Libras or even Virgos overnight. And there hasn’t been this much heavenly hubbub since Pluto was demoted from planet status in 2006.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it appears that the astrological community suddenly realized today that the stars have moved over the last few thousand years, and the zodiac has been given a long overdue realignment. As a result, most people have shifted back one sign, the long lost sign of Ophiuchus is now back with a vengeance, and Scorpios have been placed on the endangered species list.
I’m not sure if the new system will stick, or whether horoscopes are purported to be based on tropical zodiac signs or the actual position of the constellations, or whether the Chinese lunar calendar will have to restate quarterly earnings. Fortunately, I’m still a Taurus in the new system, so I’ve been spared from the potential identity crisis.
Questions for you: Do you believe in astrology at all? If you don’t, does your sign still matter to you, and why? Do you think some people will deliberately change their personality to fit their new sign? Are horoscopes dangerous?
(Below are the date ranges of the signs under three different systems. The tropical zodiac is the one you know and love; the IAU definition gives the new dates that everyone’s talking about. Dates are not set in stone, but vary each year depending on the timing of the vernal equinox, etc.)
| Sign | Tropical Zodiac | Sidereal Zodiac | IAU Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | 3/20 – 4/20 | 4/14 – 5/1 | 4/19 – 5/14 |
| Taurus | 4/20 – 5/21 | 5/14 – 6/1 | 5/14 – 6/21 |
| Gemini | 5/21 – 6/21 | 6/14 – 7/31 | 6/21 – 7/21 |
| Cancer | 6/21 – 7/23 | 7/14 – 8/1 | 7/21 – 8/11 |
| Leo | 7/23 – 8/23 | 8/14 – 9/13 | 8/11 – 9/17 |
| Virgo | 8/23 – 9/23 | 9/13 – 10/30 | 9/17 – 10/31 |
| Libra | 9/23 – 10/23 | 10/14 – 11/13 | 10/31 – 11/21 |
| Scorpio | 10/23 – 11/22 | 11/13 – 12/30 | 11/21 – 11/30 |
| Ophiuchus | N/A | N/A | 11/30 – 12/18 |
| Sagittarius | 11/22 – 12/22 | 12/14 – 1/2 | 12/18 – 1/21 |
| Capricorn | 12/22 – 1/20 | 1/13 – 2/1 | 1/21 – 2/17 |
| Aquarius | 1/20 – 2/19 | 2/12 – 3/2 | 2/17 – 3/12 |
| Pisces | 2/19 – 3/20 | 3/14 – 4/1 | 3/12 – 4/19 |
January 22nd, 2011 at 1:34 pm
I was born a Virgo and am apparently now a Leo. (Though, the change is only for people born after 2009?)
I still call myself a Virgo.
January 22nd, 2011 at 2:15 pm
@ Ari, I’ve heard people say that it only applies for people born after 2009, though I haven’t found any reason why that would be the case.
Anyway, from what I’ve read since then, it appears that the signs did not change. The signs are simply about when we were born relative to the vernal equinox, not the constellations per se. We needed names for the signs, and we named them after the constellations that were in the sky way back when. Now the constellations have moved, but since they were only markers to begin with, your sign hasn’t changed.
So your instinct to remain a Virgo appears to be correct!
January 29th, 2011 at 2:06 am
Once a Scorpio; always a Scorpio
February 13th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
LOL…….it looks like my sign did change. I am officially a Pieces, formally known as a Aries.
March 24th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Hmm – formerly a Sagittarius, now a Scorpio?