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Astronomy =/= Astrology
Jan. 14th, 2011 01:58 pmAs someone that likes both things, every couple years when astronomers get into astrologer's business is kind of irking. And believe me, this whole "BUT YOU ARE A DIFFERENT SIGN BECAUSE THE SKY MOVED" thing comes up every couple of years! I'm that kind of nerd. Really, I find this kind of stuff fascinating cause it's really NUMBERS deep down.
Keep in mind, I am referring only to Western astrology. Eastern astrology is based on ENTIRELY different stuff.
Original Western astrology was based on the astronomy of the time, which among other things assumed that the universe revolved around the Earth! Also that the Earth was spherical. Science has shown us this isn't the case! Yay science!
However, in order to acknowledge tradition and science, astrology takes a symbolic approach. Zodiac signs were exactly aligned in the "zones" named after these old markers. In essence, you've defined an accepted zero point with which to draw a chart around. And most charts account for geography and time of day in order to get that right. It's more mathematics than astronomics these days (which is probably why I spent some time learning how to read charts IT IS FUN). Astrologers realized that the Zodiac signs weren't as fixed as they thought they were, but needed fixed points to draw their system on; so they symbolically used their previous zodiac signs to name their new fixed points.
So when I see stuff like that, it tells me more that the astronomers lack a basic understanding of what astrology is; which is fun chart times and mathematics based in part on planetary positions within a predetermined coordinate system. This is something you see a lot with any sort of mathematics in a 3D space; if you don't have an agreed upon coordinate system, then all your calculations get fucked up if you're trying to talk to someone else about what the heck you're doing. So basically the astronomers are looking at their coordinate system and pointing at the astronomers and going "UR DOING IT RONG" and the astrologers are going "U DEFINED UR ZERO RONG". And it's silly.
In conclusion: astronomers and astrologers are using the same sky for very different things, and no your zodiac sign hasn't changed (unless you redefine your coordinate system).
Here's an article from a site that generates natal charts which explains in more detail.
Also this.
Keep in mind, I am referring only to Western astrology. Eastern astrology is based on ENTIRELY different stuff.
Original Western astrology was based on the astronomy of the time, which among other things assumed that the universe revolved around the Earth! Also that the Earth was spherical. Science has shown us this isn't the case! Yay science!
However, in order to acknowledge tradition and science, astrology takes a symbolic approach. Zodiac signs were exactly aligned in the "zones" named after these old markers. In essence, you've defined an accepted zero point with which to draw a chart around. And most charts account for geography and time of day in order to get that right. It's more mathematics than astronomics these days (which is probably why I spent some time learning how to read charts IT IS FUN). Astrologers realized that the Zodiac signs weren't as fixed as they thought they were, but needed fixed points to draw their system on; so they symbolically used their previous zodiac signs to name their new fixed points.
So when I see stuff like that, it tells me more that the astronomers lack a basic understanding of what astrology is; which is fun chart times and mathematics based in part on planetary positions within a predetermined coordinate system. This is something you see a lot with any sort of mathematics in a 3D space; if you don't have an agreed upon coordinate system, then all your calculations get fucked up if you're trying to talk to someone else about what the heck you're doing. So basically the astronomers are looking at their coordinate system and pointing at the astronomers and going "UR DOING IT RONG" and the astrologers are going "U DEFINED UR ZERO RONG". And it's silly.
In conclusion: astronomers and astrologers are using the same sky for very different things, and no your zodiac sign hasn't changed (unless you redefine your coordinate system).
Here's an article from a site that generates natal charts which explains in more detail.
Also this.
