Has Ophiuchus just been added to the zodiac calendar?

Rumours online claim that a 13th sign of the zodiac called Ophiuchus has “been confirmed” or added due to the result of gradual changes in the position of the stars relative to Earth, which has rendered the existing Zodiac “system” inaccurate.

MOSTLY FALSE

Additional rumours claim the Zodiac chart is being “officially updated”. A 2020 variant of the rumour – courtesy of notoriously inaccurate clickbait tabloid The Sun – claims NASA has updated the zodiac charts.

An example is below –

NEW STAR SIGN DATES!
Capricorn: JAN 20 – FEB 16
Aquarius: FEB 16 – MAR 11
Pisces: MAR 11 – APR 18
Aries: APR 18 – MAY 13
Taurus: MAY 13 – JUN 21
Gemini: JUN 21 – JUL 20
Cancer: JUL 20 – AUG 10
Leo: AUG 10 – SEP 16
Virgo: SEP 16 – OCT 30
Libra: OCT 30 – NOV 23
Scorpio: NOV 23 – NOV 29
Ophiuchus: NOV 29 – DEC 17
Sagittarius: DEC 17 JAN 20

It is important to note, firstly, that the existence of Ophiuchus and its connection to the Zodiac signs isn’t new. The existence of this constellation and its relevance to many branches of astrology go back decades. In fact, these specific rumours of “updated Zodiac signs” have been spreading since 2011, gaining traction again in 2015, and once again in 2020 thanks to spurious tabloid reporting that seems to have arbitrarily reignited this topic for no good reason.

The question of whether the existence of Ophiuchus is affecting the signs of the Zodiac largely depends on which particular denomination of this supernatural belief system that you happen to subscribe to. Astrology, of course, is the belief that the position of certain celestial bodies on the day you were born have a bearing on your personality traits and your future. There are no officially recognised “correct” set of beliefs, given that astrology has no scientific backing and no objective method of determining accuracy.

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With that said, if you are living in, for example, the UK or United States, or your interest in astrology is limited to occasionally reading your weekly horoscope, then it is more than likely that you follow the more traditional (and immensely more popular) tropical (seasonal) astrological calendar. This calendar is based largely on Earth’s seasons, with Zodiac signs often starting or finishing on seasonal dates such as the equinoxes and solstice dates. Each Zodiac sign is one month in length, and equally segmented into 12.

If you subscribe to this notion of astrology, and you probably do, then the existence of Ophiuchus does not affect your Zodiac star sign. Not in 2011. Not in 2015. And not in 2020.

On the less prolific flip side of this coin, we have sidereal astrology, which is more common in some Eastern cultures. This brand of astrology takes more factors into consideration when determining star signs, including a phenomenon known as axial precession (which is an extremely gradual change in Earth’s axial rotations) and a greater emphasis on star constellations, including how long our Sun is within the boundaries of a particular zodiac constellation.

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Because this form of astrology takes more dynamic factors into consideration, many who promote this form of astrology claim that the constellations apparent connection to certain time spans is more fluid, and as such, the dates relevant to constellations are infinitely changing. And many believe (for many decades now) in a 13th relevant constellation, and that constellation is Ophiuchus. You can read more about it from an astronomer with the University of Cambridge Astronomy Department here.

Claims that the traditional Zodiac system is being thrown out, or has been branded obsolete by NASA, are false, and largely down to a combination of people not really understanding the different branches of astrology, and of course spurious (and clickbait) tabloid headlines eternally fuelling this story.

So are you still the star sign you thought you were? If you subscribe to tropical (seasonal) astrology, then yes you are, since this Western form of astrology and its traditions (such as horoscopes) are not generally affected by sidereal astrological beliefs. If you subscribe to astronomical astrology, then you already probably knew about Ophiuchus and what star sign you are. If you do not care for astrology either way, then it is ultimately irrelevant.