Contrary to Rumor, NASA Did Not Change the Zodiac Signs

The real story is that some 3,000 years ago, the Babylonians noticed that as Earth orbits the sun, the sun passes through 13 constellations. But because this number didn’t conveniently fit into their 12-month calendar, they left out one: Ophiuchus.

Photo: NASA

According to a NASA spokesperson, “The line from Earth through the sun points to Virgo for 45 days, but it points to Scorpius for only seven days. To make a tidy match with their 12-month calendar, the Babylonians ignored the fact the sun actually moves through 13 constellations, not 12. Besides the 12 familiar constellations of the zodiac, the sun is also aligned with Ophiuchus for about 18 days each year.”

Although news of Ophiuchus’ reintroduction is sending astrologists into a tizzy, it’s not an underhanded plot to subvert astrological tradition — because NASA doesn’t care about your star sign. On NASA’s website, it states, “We study astronomy, not astrology. We didn’t change any zodiac signs, we just did the math […] Astronomers and other scientists know that stars many light-years away have no effect on the ordinary activities of humans on Earth.”