Imagine someone telling you that your zodiac sign has suddenly changed. You are no longer a Scorpio or Sagittarius but now an Ophiuchus.
Your immediate response would most likely be:
“Ophiuchus! What’s that?”
Ophiuchus is an additional zodiac star discovered by NASA. This probably means a change in astrological signs throughout the chart.
With Ophiuchus denoting those born between November 29 and December 17, the whole list of star signs is likely to disrupt. People who have previously been categorized as either Scorpio, Sagittarius or any other constellation would no longer classify under their associated zodiac tag.
However, recently NASA has clarified that even though the 13th star exists, they have no intentions of altering the zodiac chart.
Rumors of a possible change in astrological signs have been circulating since 2020 but it is not the first time such hearsay has surfaced.
What gave rise to rumors about change in astrological signs?
Back in 2016 NASA published an informative article in which it mentioned that zodiac actually included an additional sign called Ophiuchus that most people are unaware of. This led people to perceive that maybe now it would be included in the existing zodiac chart. While some showed indifference towards this possibility, others were enraged by the idea of their zodiac sign changing.
In one of their tweets on July 17, 2020, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration clarified that they have no intention of changing the zodiac chart. They also published a blog explaining the difference between astrology and astronomy. Meanwhile, Astronomy revolves around a scientific study of the cosmos, characteristics of space objects like stars and galaxies and what they are made up of, Astrology is merely a belief that the position and placement of stars can have an impact on a person’s life and determine his/her personality.
In terms of Astronomy, Ophiuchus is not a new discovery. It has always been there – just like other stars.
In Astrology, specific groups of stars have been named after different objects or animals. Our planet travels through 13 groups of stars-Ophiuchus and the other 12 that make up the zodiac chart. Ophiuchus was purposely omitted from the list of zodiac stars by the Babylonians when they developed the concept of astrological signs around 3000 years ago. The reason it was omitted from the chart is that Babylonians thought it would be easier to align 12 stars rather than 13 so they left one out. They then divided the 12 chosen star signs between 12 months of their calendar.
What would have happened if Ophiuchus was accepted as the 13th astrological sign?
Not only people who are currently classified as Sagittarius or Scorpio would have been affected but the whole zodiac chart would have needed to be adjusted to accommodate the Ophiuchus. Consequently, many of us would have ended up with a completely different astrological identity from what we have now.
For those who believe in astrology and are particularly interested in the attributes that define personalities born during different zodiac periods, the traits specific to Ophiuchus would have been a blend of those associated with Sagittarius and Scorpio. This is because the period denoting this star sign would have fallen in between both of them. It is said that they would have adopted fervor, vibrancy and good luck from Sagittarius whereas some traits of jealousy, extremism, eroticism and influential personality from Scorpio.
Now we know that the entire hue and cry regarding a change in astrological signs emerged for no reason. It was a simple misconception that was broadcasted by others without making an effort to get to the core of the matter. This makes us wonder how easy it is for a baseless rumor to spread.
According to psychology, one of the reasons people spread rumors is that they feel anxious. It is understandable that even the slightest possibility of a change in zodiac charts would have been enough to trigger anxiety in those who are staunch believers of astrology and horoscopes. Another reason is uncertainty. Again, the article by NASA that was published on Space Place for children’s general knowledge gave rise to uncertainty amongst adults. They started wondering what would be the aftermath of a 13th zodiac sign, and many self-constructed an answer to satisfy their curiosity.
One of the reasons for this confusion could be that the root cause of this haywire, i.e., (the informative article targeting children), was published in 2016 whereas an official response was posted by NASA in 2020. Even though the organization never stated anything about a change in astrological signs and therefore did not owe anyone an explanation or response, in our opinion the long time period in between gave rise to the rumors and uncertainty helped escalate them.
However, now that we know the facts and NASA has also published an official response, both believers and non-believers of astrology can relax.
Nothing is going to change in terms of your zodiac sign.