No, NASA Did Not Change Your Zodiac Sign -- And They Have No Plans To
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Listen up, people of Earth!
Despite rumors to the contrary -- rumors running rampant on social media for the past seven days -- NASA has not changed your Zodiac sign. And they have no plans to.
A blog post aimed at teaching science to kids, first written in January, and uncovered last week discussed the history of the Zodiac and the 12 common constellations that Babylonians first charted 3,000 years ago. The blog post mentioned a 13th constellation that is not recognized in modern times. The post also mentioned the long-discussed fact that the Earth's axis wobbles and shifts -- translation, we lose a day here or there every couple hundred years.
The NASA blog isn't the first time hysteria was raised over changing the signs and/or adding a 13th birth sign, namely Ophiuchus. (Yes, imagine telling people you're a Ophiuchus at a party!)
Five years ago, a report from the Minnesota Planetarium Society, advanced the very same wobble theory. The axis changing was meant to imply the calendar couldn't exactly be trusted and by adding a 13th sign, it would more accurately reflect the night sky This is where we should leave out that there are many who think there are 22 constellations.
Now that you're caught up, here's the deal. NASA is not interested in changing your horoscope.
"We didn't change any Zodiac signs, we just did the math," NASA spokesperson Dwayne Brown clarified to Gizmodo in an email. "The [blog] was about how astrology is not astronomy, how it was a relic of ancient history, and pointed out the science and math that did come from observations of the night sky."
As Brown told Gizmodo, "NASA studies astronomy, not astrology."
So relax, people of Earth. All your Scorpio key chains, Libra necklaces and Leo bath mats are safe. The story making the rounds is bull, and we don't mean Taurus.
Just for conversation's sake, take a look at what your current sign is and what it would be if the Wobbly Axis people had their say:
Capricorn: Dec. 22 to Jan. 19........Jan. 20 - Feb. 16
Aquarius: Jan. 20 to Feb. 18.......Feb. 16 - March 11
Pisces: Feb. 19 to March 20.......March 11 - April 18
Aries: March 21 to April 19...........April 18 - May 13
Taurus: April 20 to May 20...........May 13 - June 21
Gemini: May 21 to June 20 .............une 21 - July 20
Cancer: June 21 to July 22.............July 20 - Aug. 10
Leo: July 23 to Aug. 22 ------------Aug. 10 - Sept. 16
Virgo: August 23 to Sept. 22.........Sept. 16 - Oct. 30
Libra: Sept. 23 to Oct. 22...............Oct. 30 - Nov. 23
Scorpio: Oct. 23 to Nov. 21 ...................Nov. 23 - 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29 - Dec. 17 ................(the new sign)
Sagittarius: Nov. 22 to Dec. 21 .........Dec. 17-Jan. 20
If you're so inclined (admit it, you check them) here is a link to Daily Hororscopes.com
