‘Thirteenth constellation’ rewrites the stars

Nasa suggests adding Ophiuchus to zodiac after a shifting of the heavens since Babylonian era

‘Even according to the Babylonians’ own ancient stories there were 13 constellations in the zodiac’

DEVOTEES of astrology may have been following the wrong star signs their whole lives, Nasa has suggested.

While the 12 signs of the zodiac take their names from the constellations that the Sun appears to pass in the course of a year, a 13th has been put forward for inclusion.

Ophiuchus − named after the Ancient Greek word for “snake bearer” − straddles the celestial equator and comes into line for 18 days between Nov 29 and Dec 17.

In a post on the Nasa website, which has gained traction this week, it said Ophiuchus was the 13th constellation the Sun passes, leading some astrologists to completely redraw the zodiac calendar.

Horoscope fans fear that they may have been following the wrong guidance all their lives, with Ophiuchans said to be clever, flamboyant but power-hungry.

Naomi Rowan, 22, said: “I couldn’t sleep and found out that my star sign has apparently changed and instead of a Sagittarius I am now an Ophiuchus. I’m not sure what the traits are, but perhaps it will make more sense to me than Sagittarius ever did.”

The realignment has affected other star signs.

Mandy Southgate, from Kent, said: “No way I’m an Aries. Taurus forever. I’m going to ignore Ophiuchus just like I ignored Pluto not being a planet.”

“So I am no longer a Sagittarius, I’m now an Ophiuchus. Took me years to learn how to spell Sagittarius, now have to learn how to spell and pronounce Ophiuchus,” joked Shaun Connolly, from Scotland.

Ophiuchus was originally spotted by the ancient Babylonians, about three millennia ago.

“Even according to the Babylonians’ own ancient stories, there were 13 constellations in the zodiac,” Nasa said.

“To make a tidy match with their 12-month calendar, the Babylonians ignored the fact that the Sun actually moves through 13 constellations, not 12. So the Babylonians picked one, Ophiuchus, to leave out.

“Then they assigned each of those 12 constellations equal amounts of time.”

But experts say that the Earth’s wobbly orbit means it is no longer aligned to the stars in the same way as when the signs of the zodiac were first conceived and now Ophiuchus is even more prevalent in the sky.

“Now, 3,000 years later, the sky has shifted because Earth’s axis [North Pole] doesn’t point in quite the same direction,” Nasa said.

This means the whole zodiac system would change, with Ophiuchus nestling between Scorpio and Sagittarius.

While it’s not the first time the idea of Ophiuchus as a 13th zodiac sign has been put forward some astrologists are keen to stick to the status quo.

Sally Kirkman, a self-styled “consultant to the stars” from Blackpool, told The Daily Telegraph: “No one is going to have Ophiuchus as their star sign, it means nothing. All the star signs remain as they have since ancient times. In brief, Western astrology, which is the standard in many countries in the world, is based on the tropical zodiac.

“There is a beautiful symmetry in the 12 signs of the zodiac which ancients knew about and their hidden knowledge has been passed down throughout time.

“You won’t find any accredited astrologer telling you that Ophiuchus is a star sign. Anyone who does tell you that it is a new star sign doesn’t understand their craft.”