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Originally Posted by The Watcher
One thing I always say to belivers is to ask about the 13th star sign. There should be 13 of them seeing as there are 13 constellations along the ecliptic. A few even admit that I'm right but they don't have an answer.
(In fact am I right in thinking there used to be 15 constelllations along the ecliptic??)
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Fifteen constellations in the ecliptic is a new one on me.
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Originally Posted by The Watcher
Oh yes, one more thing, I point out that the dates given for each star sign are fictional. They bare no resemblence whatsoever to how it really is. (does anyone know what the correct dates are? I used to have a list and it's quite surprising) Again they have no answer.
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The dates depend on when or what you are refering to. The signs are "officially" set for astrologers as the were in 100 BC. The signs were set so as to have the sun leaving Aries at the time of the vernal equinox (which is why Aries is usually the first sign in the horoscopes in the paper). Of course, the astrologers also set the signs to be equal legnth and the constellations are not. Due to precession, the sun has moved forward in Pisces and in 2049 the vernal equinox will be in Aquarius (Age of Aquarius anyone?). Actually, that date is using the equal width constallations. If you use actual width, the equinox will not reach Aquarius until 2660. Anyway, the following gives the dates the sun enters each constellation. The sign column is when it entered in 100 BC using equal width constellations. The two constellation columns are when the sun actually entered or enters the constellation in 100 BC and now. Included is Ophiuchus, which is included under Scorpio, but is not one of the signs used in astrology. The sun actually spends more time in Ophiuchus than in Scorpio.
Sun enter
Time Period--------100 BC-----------100 BC---------------Now
Constellation------Sign-----------Constellation------Constellation
Aries_________March 20_______March 20_______April 18
Taurus________April 20________April 12________May 11
Gemini________May 22________May 17_________June 15
Cancer_______June 22_________June 12________July 11
Leo__________July 23_________July 3__________August 1
Virgo________August 22_______August 10_______September 8
Libra________September 22____September 26____October 15
Scorpio______October 22_______October 21______
November 19
Ophiuchus_____Not a sign______October 28_______
November 26
Sagittarius____November 22____November 14_____December 14
Capricorn_____December 22____December 18_____January 16
Aquarius______January 22______January 17_______February 15
Pisces________February 21_____February 10______March 10
Some infomation on this. In 100 BC the Sun spent 277 days in the same sign and constellation. Now, it only spends 106 days. But, that is due to the unequal width of the constellations. If you keep the constellation equal width, the sun spends only 24 days in the same sign and constellation. In about 100 years, the sun will spend no days in the same sign and constellation, using equal width constellations.
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Originally Posted by The Watcher
So when I'm asked what star sign I am, I either refuse to say, or say that my birthday matches one of the few days that 'Ophiuchus' is 'the one' or whatever term they use.
(Some star maps show this constellation as stopping short of the ecliptic where in fact it doesn't)
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Heheheheh, I can actually say my birthday is in Ophiuchus. Which throws people who ask completely off.