Thought you were a fiery Aries or a mega organised Virgo? Think again. It turns out there are actually 13 star signs of the zodiac which means you may not be what you initially thought.
Seriously, this sort of revelation could only happen in 2020.
So which star sign has it affected?
Well, if you're a Scorpio or Sagittarius, this is vital info. The 13th sign, Ophiuchus (aka the snake bearer) is given to those born between 29th November and 17th December.
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However, it doesn't just affect Sagittarius; because to make room for the 13th sign, all the other signs have to shift. This means for example, if you were a Pisces, you could well be an Aquarius.
According to a recently-unearthed NASA article, it comes down to the sun's position in relation to a constellation on your birth date. However, since the 12 signs of the zodiac were created over 2,500 years ago, there's been a few changes. Specifically, the night sky has shifted.
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, it's said ancient astrologers wanted to split the 360 degree path of the sun into 12 parts (hence the 12 signs of the zodiac). Each would have a neat 30 degrees.
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Ophiuchus existed then too, but since it didn't seem to slot into the 12 sections, it was left out. Now, as the sky has shifted, the signs are changing, which means the 13th sign now lies between Scorpio and Sagittarius.
"Now, 3,000 years later, the sky has shifted because Earth's axis (North Pole) doesn't point in quite the same direction," NASA explains.
It makes sense doesn't it? After all, those born on the on the margins of a specific sign often have traits of another - and this could certainly explain why.
"To make a tidy match with their 12-month calendar, the Babylonians ignored the fact the sun actually moves through 13 constellations, not 12. Then they assigned each of those constellations equal amounts of time," continued NASA.
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"Besides the 12 familiar constellations of the zodiac, the sun is also aligned with Ophiuchus for about 18 days each year."
Now, before we all freak out, it's worth noting that the zodiac has never been perfect. As NASA explain, the signs are split into equal parts, but we know the sun points to Virgo for 45 days while it points to Scorpio for just seven.
In other words, the signs have always been only loosely associated.
Still though, makes us think we should be checking more than one horoscope in future, right?!
Featured Image Credit: UnsplashTopics: Nasa