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95-623: Identifying this scheme as a " zodiac " reflects superficial similarities to the Western zodiac : both divide time cycles into twelve parts, label the majority of those parts with animals, and are used to ascribe a person's personality or events in their life to the person's particular relationship to the cycle. The 12 Chinese zodiac animals in a cycle are not only used to represent years in China but are also believed to influence people's personalities, careers, compatibility, marriages, and fortunes. For

190-648: A nāga in place of the Dragon and begins, not at the Chinese New Year , but either on the first day of the fifth month in the Thai lunar calendar , or during the Songkran New Year festival (now celebrated every 13–15 April), depending on the purpose of the use. Historically, Lan Na (Kingdom around Northern Thailand) also replaces pig with elephant. While modern Thai have returned to pig, its name

285-496: A thump sound came from the distance, signaling the arrival of the Rabbit . It explained how it crossed the river: by jumping from one stone to another in a nimble fashion. Halfway through, it thought it might lose the race, but it was lucky enough to grab hold of a floating log that later washed it to shore. For that, it became the fourth animal in the zodiac cycle. In fifth place was the flying Dragon . The Jade Emperor wondered why

380-619: A "Year of the ____" postage stamp each year to honor this Chinese heritage . The zodiac is widely used in commercial culture, for example, in the Chinese New Year market, and popular zodiac-related products, such as crafts, toys, books, accessories, and paintings and Chinese lunar coins . The coins depict zodiac animals, inspired the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins , as well as varieties from Australia , South Korea , and Mongolia . The Chinese zodiac

475-469: A complete list of the 36 Egyptian decans was placed among the hieroglyphs adorning the tomb of Seti I ; they figured again in the temple of Ramesses II , and characterize every Egyptian astrological monument. Both the famous zodiacs of Dendera display their symbols, identified by Karl Richard Lepsius . The division of the ecliptic into the zodiacal signs originates in Babylonian astronomy during

570-465: A cyclical timekeeping system, which is seen as a way to reflect personality traits and the broader society (Zhou, 2017). According to legend, the Jade Emperor held a contest to decide which animals would be lucky enough to be included in the calendar. The winner of the race – the rat – received the first year of the 12-year cycle, and so on. However, according to historical records and research,

665-433: A digit from 0 to and including 11), degrees from 0 to 29, minutes, and seconds. Mughal king Jahangir issued an attractive series of coins in gold and silver depicting the twelve signs of the zodiac. What follows is a list of the signs of the modern zodiac (with the ecliptic longitudes of their first points), where 0° Aries is understood as the vernal equinox, with their Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and Babylonian names. But

760-616: A hierarchical society. Just as Confucian beliefs persist in Asia today alongside more modern social views, so does zodiac use. In Chinese astrology the animal signs assigned by year represent self-presentation or perception by others. It is a common misconception that the animals assigned by year are the only signs, and many Western descriptions of Chinese astrology only reference this system. There are also animal signs assigned by month (called "inner animals"), by day (called "true animals"), and hours (called "secret animals"). The Earth

855-1002: A person born a Tiger is 12, 24, 36, (etc.) years old in the year of the Tiger (2022); in the year of the Rabbit (2023), that person is one year older. The following table shows the 60-year cycle matched up to the Gregorian calendar for 1924–2043. The sexagenary cycle begins at lichun about February 4 according to some astrological sources. The first Trine consists of the Rat , Dragon , and Monkey . These three signs are considered intense and powerful individuals capable of great good. They are seen as great leaders but are also known to be unpredictable. The three are intelligent, generous, charismatic, charming, authoritative, confident, eloquent, and artistic. However, they can also exhibit traits such as being manipulative, jealous, selfish, aggressive, vindictive, and deceitful. The second Trine consists of

950-631: A planet were not as important as the astrologically significant dates when the planet crossed from one zodiacal sign to the next. Knowledge of the Babylonian zodiac is said to be reflected in the Hebrew Bible ; E. W. Bullinger interpreted the creatures that appear in the book of Ezekiel ( 1:10 ) as the middle signs of the four quarters of the zodiac, with the Lion as Leo , the Bull as Taurus ,

1045-444: A rudimentary stage of evolution. They measured the position of a planet in reference to a set of "normal stars" close to the ecliptic (±9° of latitude). The normal stars were used as observational reference points to help position a planet within this ecliptic coordinate system. In Babylonian astronomical diaries , a planet position was generally given with respect to a zodiacal sign alone, though less often in specific degrees within

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1140-408: A sign. When the degrees of longitude were given, they were expressed with reference to the 30° of the zodiacal sign, i.e., not with a reference to the continuous 360° ecliptic. In astronomical ephemerides , the positions of significant astronomical phenomena were computed in sexagesimal fractions of a degree (equivalent to minutes and seconds of arc ). For daily ephemerides, the daily positions of

1235-606: A story tells that the cat was tricked by the Rat so it could not go to the banquet. This is why the Cat is ultimately not part of the Chinese zodiac. In Buddhist legend Gautama Buddha summoned all animals of the Earth to come before him before his departure from this Earth , but only twelve animals came to bid him farewell. To reward the these animals, he named a year after each of them in

1330-462: A swift, airborne creature such as the Dragon did not come in first place. The Dragon explained that it had to stop by a village and bring rain for all the people, and therefore it was held back. Then, on its way to the finish, it saw the helpless Rabbit clinging onto a log, so it did a good deed and gave a puff of breath in the poor creature's direction so that it could land on the shore. The Jade Emperor

1425-399: A takht. First, the astrologer would use an astrolabe to find the position of the sun, align the rule with the persons time of birth and then align the rete to establish the altitude of the sun on that date. Next, the astrologer would use an Ephemeris, a table denoting the mean position of the planets and stars within the sky at any given time. Finally, the astrologer would add the altitude of

1520-660: A very few years of 401 BC. Unlike modern astrologers, who place the beginning of the sign of Aries at the position of the Sun at the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere ( March equinox ), Babylonian astronomers fixed the zodiac in relation to stars, placing the beginning of Cancer at the "Rear Twin Star" ( β Geminorum ) and the beginning of Aquarius at the "Rear Star of the Goat-Fish" ( δ Capricorni ). Due to

1615-550: Is all twelve signs, with five seasons. Michel Ferlus (2013) notes that the Old Chinese names of the earthly branches are of Austroasiatic origin. Some of Ferlus's comparisons are given below, with Old Chinese reconstructions cited from Baxter & Sagart (2014). There is also a lexical correspondence with Austronesian : The terms for the earthly branches are attested from Shang dynasty inscriptions and were likely also used before Shang times. Ferlus (2013) suggests that

1710-622: Is also used in some Asian countries that were under the cultural influence of China . However, some of the animals in the zodiac may differ by country . The Korean zodiac includes the Sheep ( yang ) instead of the Goat (which would be yeomso ), although the Chinese source of the loanword yang may refer to any goat-antelope . The Japanese zodiac includes the Sheep ( hitsuji ) instead of

1805-494: Is defined as the moment of vernal equinox , and all other dates shift accordingly. The precise Gregorian times and dates vary slightly from year to year as the Gregorian calendar shifts relative to the tropical year . These variations remain within less than two days' difference in the recent past and the near-future, vernal equinox in UT always falling either on 20 or 21 March in the period of 1797 to 2043, falling on 19 March in 1796

1900-433: Is described in the 1st century BC astronomical text of Geminus of Rhodes. Geminus explains that Greek astronomers of his era associate the first degrees of the zodiac signs with the two solstices and the two equinoxes, in contrast to the older Chaldean (Babylonian) system, which placed these points within the zodiac signs. This illustrates that Ptolemy merely clarified the convention of Greek astronomers and did not originate

1995-521: Is still กุน (gu̜n) , retaining the actual word for elephant in the zodiac. The Gurung zodiac in Nepal includes a Cow instead of an Ox, a Cat instead of Rabbit, an Eagle instead of a Dragon ( Loong ), a Bird instead of a Rooster, and a Deer instead of a Pig. The Bulgar calendar used from the 2nd century and that has been only partially reconstructed uses a similar sixty-year cycle of twelve animal-named years groups. The Old Mongol calendar uses

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2090-539: Is the diminutive of zōon ( ζῷον , "animal"). The name reflects the prominence of animals (and mythological hybrids ) among the twelve signs. The zodiac was in use by the Roman era , based on concepts inherited by Hellenistic astronomy from Babylonian astronomy of the Chaldean period (mid-1st millennium BC), which, in turn, derived from an earlier system of lists of stars along the ecliptic. The construction of

2185-472: Is the first known depiction of the classical zodiac of twelve signs. The earliest extant Greek text using the Babylonian division of the zodiac into 12 signs of 30 equal degrees each is the Anaphoricus of Hypsicles of Alexandria (fl.   190   BC). Particularly important in the development of Western horoscopic astrology was the astrologer and astronomer Ptolemy , whose work Tetrabiblos laid

2280-474: Is with a chart showing how each zodiac sign interacts other signs. For example, constellations that are considered compatible with each other may have similar values and interests, while incompatible constellations may have conflicting personalities and ways of communicating. Many stories and fables explain the beginning of the zodiac . Since the Han dynasty , the twelve Earthly Branches have been used to record

2375-763: The Goat (which would be yagi ), and the Wild boar ( inoshishi , i ) instead of the Pig ( buta ). Since 1873, the Japanese have celebrated the beginning of the new year on 1 January as per the Gregorian calendar . The Vietnamese zodiac varies from the Chinese zodiac with the second animal being the Water Buffalo instead of the Ox , and the fourth animal being the Cat instead of

2470-543: The Ox , Snake , and Rooster . These three signs are said to possess endurance and application, with a slow accumulation of energy. They are meticulous at planning but tend to hold fixed opinions. The three are described as intelligent, hard-working, modest, industrious, loyal, philosophical, patient, good-hearted, and morally upright. However, they can also exhibit traits such as being self-righteous, egotistical, vain, judgmental, narrow-minded, and petty. The third Trine consists of

2565-548: The Rabbit , Goat , and Pig . These three signs are said to have a calm nature and a somewhat reasonable approach. They seek aesthetic beauty, are artistic, well-mannered, and compassionate, yet they can also be detached and resigned to their condition. The three are described as caring, self-sacrificing, obliging, sensible, creative, empathetic, tactful, and prudent. However, they can also exhibit traits such as being naive, pedantic, insecure, selfish, indecisive, and pessimistic. As

2660-489: The Tiger , Horse , and Dog . These three signs are said to seek true love, pursue humanitarian causes, and be idealistic and independent, but they tend to be impulsive. They are described as productive, enthusiastic, independent, engaging, dynamic, honorable, loyal, and protective. However, they can also display traits such as being rash, rebellious, quarrelsome, anxious, disagreeable, and stubborn. The fourth Trine consists of

2755-514: The 1st millennium BC . It was communicated into Greek astronomy by the 2nd century BC, as well as into developing the Hindu zodiac . Due to the precession of the equinoxes , the time of year that the Sun is in a given constellation has changed since Babylonian times, and the point of March equinox has moved from Aries into Pisces . The zodiac forms a celestial coordinate system , or more specifically an ecliptic coordinate system , which takes

2850-486: The Jade Emperor 's decree that the years on the calendar would be named for each animal in the order they reached him. To get there, the animals would have to cross a river. The Cat and the Rat were not good at swimming, but they were both quite intelligent. They decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river was to hop on the back of the Ox . The Ox, being kindhearted and naive, agreed to carry them both across. As

2945-679: The Monkey with the turtle (known locally as kra ). Similarly the Malay zodiac replaces the Rabbit with the mousedeer ( pelanduk ) and the Pig with the tortoise ( kura or kura-kura ). The Dragon ( Loong ) is normally equated with the nāga but it is sometimes called Big Snake ( ular besar ) while the Snake sign is called Second Snake ( ular sani ). This is also recorded in a 19th-century manuscript compiled by John Leyden . The Thai zodiac includes

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3040-569: The Rabbit . The Cambodian zodiac is exactly identical to that of the Chinese although the dragon is interchangeable with the Neak ( nāga ) Cambodian sea snake. Sheep and Goat are interchangeable as well. The Cambodian New Year is celebrated in April, rather than in January or February as it is in China and most countries. The Cham zodiac uses the same order as the Chinese zodiac, but replaces

3135-593: The ecliptic and equator , which shifts in relation to the backdrop of fixed stars at a rate of 1° every 72 years, creating the phenomenon known as precession of the equinoxes. The Hindu zodiac, being sidereal, does not maintain this seasonal alignment, but there are still similarities between the two systems. The Hindu zodiac signs and corresponding Greek signs sound very different, being in Sanskrit and Greek respectively, but their symbols are nearly identical. For example, dhanu means "bow" and corresponds to Sagittarius,

3230-504: The ecliptic , the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Also within this zodiac belt appear the Moon and the brightest planets , along their orbital planes. The zodiac is divided along the ecliptic into 12 equal parts ("signs") , each occupying 30° of celestial longitude . These signs roughly correspond to the astronomical constellations with

3325-421: The precession of the equinoxes , the time of year the Sun is in a given constellation has changed since Babylonian times, as the point of March equinox has moved from Aries into Pisces . Because the divisions were made into equal arcs of 30° each, they constituted an ideal system of reference for making predictions about a planet's longitude. However, Babylonian techniques of observational measurements were in

3420-492: The "archer", and kumbha means "water-pitcher" and corresponds to Aquarius, the "water-carrier". During the Abbasid era , Greek reference books were translated into Arabic , and Islamic astronomers then did their own observations, correcting Ptolemy's Almagest. One such book was Al-Sufi 's Book of Fixed Stars , which has pictorial depictions of 48 constellations. The book was divided into three sections: constellations of

3515-459: The Chinese zodiac appeared after the establishment of the "Ganji Chronicle Law", and each of the twelve animals corresponded one of the twelve branches. People born in any given year have animals belonging to that branch of the earth, and accordingly, twelve animals are used for chronology and the genus of each person. In the Eastern Han dynasty , Xu Shen said that the character si (巳) was

3610-608: The Chinese zodiac is derived according to the ancient Five Elements Theory , every Chinese sign is associated with five elements with relations, among those elements, of interpolation, interaction, over-action, and counter-action—believed to be the common law of motions and changes of creatures in the universe . Different people born under each animal sign supposedly have different personalities, and practitioners of Chinese astrology consult such traditional details and compatibilities to offer putative guidance in life or for love and marriage. A common way to explore zodiac compatibility

3705-478: The Earth's axis is at an angle, some signs take longer to rise than others, and the farther away from the equator the observer is situated, the greater the difference. Thus, signs are spoken of as "long" or "short" ascension . In tropical astrology , the zodiacal signs are distinct from the constellations associated with them, not only because of their drifting apart due to the precession of equinoxes but because

3800-515: The Earth's axis of rotation, rather than the plane of the planet's orbit around the Sun. Tiger (zodiac) The Tiger ( 虎 ) is the third of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar . The Year of the Tiger is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 寅 . Cycle: (Trine Group) Tiger needs Horse, Horse needs Dog, Dog needs Tiger; (Opposite Sign) but his rival opposes

3895-527: The Hellenistic world came to be so identified with astrology that "Chaldean wisdom" became among Greeks and Romans the synonym of divination through the planets and stars . Hellenistic astrology derived in part from Babylonian and Egyptian astrology . Horoscopic astrology first appeared in Ptolemaic Egypt (305 BC–30 BC). The Dendera zodiac , a relief dating to c.  50 BC ,

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3990-870: The IAU, NASA , or the Royal Astronomical Society . This happened in a 1995 report of the BBC Nine O'Clock News and various reports in 2011 and 2016. Some "parazodiacal" constellations are touched by the paths of the planets, leading to counts of up to 25 "constellations of the zodiac". The ancient Babylonian MUL.APIN catalog lists Orion , Perseus , Auriga , and Andromeda . Modern astronomers have noted that planets pass through Crater , Sextans , Cetus , Pegasus , Corvus , Hydra , Orion , and Scutum , with Venus very rarely passing through Aquila , Canis Minor , Auriga , and Serpens . Some other constellations are mythologically associated with

4085-674: The Man as Aquarius and the Eagle as a higher aspect of Scorpio. Some authors have linked the signs of the zodiac with the twelve tribes of Israel , and with the lunar Hebrew calendar , which has twelve lunar months in a lunar year . Martin and others have argued that the arrangement of the tribes around the Tabernacle (reported in the Book of Numbers ) corresponded to the order of the zodiac, with Judah , Reuben , Ephraim , and Dan representing

4180-1081: The Mouse, the Ox, the Leopard , the Hare , the Crocodile , the Serpent, the Horse, the Sheep, the Monkey, the Hen , the Dog and the Hog. The Tibetan calendar replaces the Rooster with the bird . Zodiac This is an accepted version of this page The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south (as measured in celestial latitude ) of

4275-527: The Ox that it could hear the Rat sing, before jumping off at the finish line and finishing first. Another variant says that the Rat cheated the Cat out its place at the finish line, by hiding on the back of the Dog, who was too focused to notice that he had a stow-away. The Cat tried to attack the rat in retaliation, but hurt the Dog by accident. This is said to account for the antagonistic dynamic between cats and rats, beyond normal predator and prey behavior, and also why dogs and cats fight. In Chinese mythology ,

4370-534: The Ox was about to reach the other side of the river, the Rat pushed the Cat into the water, and then jumped off the Ox and rushed to the Jade Emperor. It was named as the first animal of the zodiac calendar. The Ox had to settle for second place. The third animal to come was the Tiger . Even though it was strong and powerful, it admitted to the Jade Emperor that the currents were pushing it downstream. Suddenly,

4465-424: The Sanskrit and the name equivalents (after c.500 BC) denote the constellations only, not the tropical zodiac signs. The "English translation" is not usually used by English speakers. The Latin names are standard English usage (except that "Capricorn" is used rather than "Capricornus"). These twelve signs have been arranged into a nursery rhyme as a mnemonic device: The ram, the bull, the heavenly twins, And next

4560-747: The Sino lunar calendar, include the Cat instead of the Rabbit as a zodiac animal. The most common explanation is that cats are worshipped by farmers in East Asia, believing that cats' luck and prosperity protects their crops. Another popular cultural reason is that the ancient word for rabbit (Mao) sounds like cat (Meo). The Chinese zodiac signs are also used by cultures other than Chinese . For example, they usually appear on Korean New Year and Japanese New Year 's cards and stamps. The United States Postal Service and several other countries' postal services issue

4655-492: The Sun's planets have orbits that have only a slight inclination to the orbital plane of the Earth. Stars within the zodiac are subject to occultations by the Moon and other solar system bodies. These events can be useful, for example, to estimate the cross-sectional dimensions of a minor planet , or check a star for a close companion. The Sun's placement upon the vernal equinox, which occurs annually around 21 March, defines

4750-509: The basis of the Western astrological tradition . Under the Greeks, and Ptolemy in particular, the planets, Houses, and signs of the zodiac were rationalized and their function set down in a way that has changed little to the present day. Ptolemy lived in the 2nd century AD, three centuries after the discovery of the precession of the equinoxes by Hipparchus around 130 BC. Hipparchus' lost work on precession never circulated very widely until it

4845-511: The best date for founding the new capital of Baghdad. Whilst horoscopes were generally widely accepted by society, many scholars condemned the use of astrology and divination, linking it to occult influences. Many theologians and scholars thought that it went against the tenets of Islam; as only God should be able to determine events rather than astrologers looking at the positions of the planets. In order to calculate someone's horoscope, an astrologer would use 3 tools: an astrolabe, ephemeris and

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4940-479: The crab, the lion shines,     The virgin and the scales, The scorpion, archer, and the goat, The man who holds the watering-pot,     And fish with glittering scales. The following table compares the Gregorian dates on which the Sun enters a sign in the Ptolemaic tropical zodiac, and a sign in the sidereal system proposed by Cyril Fagan . The beginning of Aries

5035-410: The eccentricity of the Earth's orbit . Sidereal astrology remedies this by assigning the zodiac sign approximately to the corresponding constellation. This alignment needs re calibrating every so often to keep the alignment in place. The ecliptic intersects with 13 constellations of Ptolemy 's Almagest , as well as of the more precisely delineated IAU designated constellations . In addition to

5130-554: The ecliptic as the origin of latitude and the Sun's position at vernal equinox as the origin of longitude. In modern astronomy, the ecliptic coordinate system is still used for tracking Solar System objects. The English word zodiac derives from zōdiacus , the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek zōdiakòs kýklos ( ζῳδιακός κύκλος ), meaning "cycle or circle of little animals". Zōdion ( ζῴδιον )

5225-416: The end of the constellation Pisces, having been within that constellation since the 2nd century AD. The subsequent 30° of the ecliptic is nominally designated the zodiac sign Taurus, and so on through the twelve signs of the zodiac so that each occupies 1 ⁄ 12 th (30°) of the zodiac's great circle. Zodiac signs have never been used to determine the boundaries of astronomical constellations that lie in

5320-405: The end of the fifth century BC, Babylonian astronomers divided the ecliptic into 12 equal "signs", by analogy to 12 schematic months of 30 days each. Each sign contained 30° of celestial longitude , thus creating the first known celestial coordinate system. According to calculations by modern astrophysics, the zodiac was introduced between 409 and 398 BC, during Persian rule , and probably within

5415-550: The equation of Munjaala. The discovery of precession is attributed to Hipparchus around 130 BC. Ptolemy quotes from Hipparchus' now-lost work entitled "On the Displacement of the Solstitial and Equinoctial Points" in the seventh book of his 2nd century astronomical text, Almagest , where he describes the phenomenon of precession and estimates its value. Ptolemy clarified that the convention of Greek mathematical astronomy

5510-428: The explanation of the totem and celestial combinations is more scientific. The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat . The following are the twelve zodiac signs in order, each with its associated characteristics ( Heavenly Stems , Earthly Branch , yin/yang force , Trine , and nature element ). The belief that everyone and every animal has a role to play in society conforms to Confucian beliefs in

5605-577: The first half of the 1st millennium BC . The zodiac draws on stars in earlier Babylonian star catalogues , such as the MUL.APIN catalogue, which was compiled around 1000 BC. Some constellations can be traced even further back, to Bronze Age ( Old Babylonian Empire ) sources, including Gemini "The Twins", from Sumerian : 𒀯𒈦𒋰𒁀𒃲𒃲 , romanized:  MAŠ.TAB.BA.GAL.GAL "The Great Twins"; Cancer "The Crab", from Sumerian : 𒀯𒀠𒇻 , romanized:  AL.LUL "The Crayfish", among others. Around

5700-547: The following modern names: Aries , Taurus , Gemini , Cancer , Leo , Virgo , Libra , Scorpio , Sagittarius , Capricorn , Aquarius , and Pisces . The signs have been used to determine the time of the year by identifying each sign with the days of the year the Sun is in the respective sign. In Western astrology , and formerly astronomy , the time of each sign is associated with different attributes. The zodiacal system and its angular measurement in 360 sexagesimal degree (°) originated with Babylonian astronomy during

5795-452: The image of a snake, and the same was true for hai (亥) and shi (豕; 'pig'). Since the twelve Earthly Branches of the zodiac were easily confused, folks replaced them with animals and borrowed the ordinal symbols to match them with the Earthly Branches to form a chronological symbol system. "Totem and celestial combination theory", suggests the zodiac is ancient animal totem worship combined with astronomical images in astronomy. Among them,

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5890-538: The influence that the stars have on events on the earth was important in Islamic civilization. As a rule, it was believed that the signs of the zodiac and the planets control the destiny not only of people but also of nations, and that the zodiac has the ability to determine a person's physical characteristics as well as intelligence and personal traits. The practice of astrology at this time could be divided into 4 broader categories: Genethlialogy, Catarchic Astrology, Interrogational Astrology and General Astrology. However

5985-517: The last time and in 2044 the next. The vernal equinox has fallen on 20 March UT since 2008, and will continue to do so until 2043. As each sign takes up exactly 30 degrees of the zodiac, the average duration of the solar stay in each sign is one twelfth of a sidereal year , or 30.43 standard days . Due to Earth's slight orbital eccentricity , the duration of each sign varies appreciably, between about 29.4 days for Capricorn and about 31.4 days for Cancer (see Equation of time ). In addition, because

6080-408: The middle signs of Leo, Aquarius, Taurus, and Scorpio, respectively. Such connections were taken up by Thomas Mann , who in his novel Joseph and His Brothers , attributes characteristics of a sign of the zodiac to each tribe, in his rendition of the Blessing of Jacob . The Babylonian star catalogs entered Greek astronomy in the 4th century BC, via Eudoxus of Cnidus . Babylonia or Chaldea in

6175-423: The most common type of astrology was Genethlialogy, which examined all aspects of a person's life in relation to the planetary positions at their birth; more commonly known as our horoscope. Astrology services were offered widely across the empire, mainly in bazaars, where people could pay for a reading. Astrology was valued in the royal courts, for example, the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansur used astrology to determine

6270-408: The natures of the signs from the theory of prognostication, or impossible to avoid error in then retaining and making use of them; as the regularity of their spaces and distances, upon which their influence depends, would then be invaded and broken in upon. Astronomically, the zodiac defines a belt of space extending 8° or 9° in celestial latitude to the north and south of the ecliptic , within which

6365-424: The orbits of the Moon and the principal planets remain. It is a feature of the ecliptic coordinate system – a celestial coordinate system centered upon the ecliptic (the plane of the Earth's orbit and the Sun's apparent path), by which celestial longitude is measured in degrees east of the vernal equinox (the ascending intersection of the ecliptic and equator). The zodiac is narrow in angular terms because most of

6460-473: The order they had arrived. The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac were developed in the early stages of Chinese civilization , so therefore it is difficult to investigate its real origins. Most historians agree that the Cat is not included, as cats had not yet been introduced to China from India with the arrival of Buddhism . However until recently, the Vietnamese moved away from their traditional texts and literature and, unlike all other countries who follow

6555-410: The paths of the planets corresponding to the band of about 8 arc degrees above and below the ecliptic. The zodiac of a given planet is the band that contains the path of that particular body; e.g., the "zodiac of the Moon" is the band of 5° above and below the ecliptic. By extension, the "zodiac of the comets" may refer to the band encompassing most short-period comets . As early as the 14th century BC

6650-417: The physical constellations take up varying widths of the ecliptic, so the Sun is not in each constellation for the same amount of time. Thus, Virgo takes up 5 times as much ecliptic longitude as Scorpius . The zodiacal signs are an abstraction from the physical constellations, and each represent exactly 1 ⁄ 12 th of the full circle, but the time spent by the Sun in each sign varies slightly due to

6745-410: The principle of the tropical zodiac, as is sometimes assumed. Ptolemy demonstrates that the principle of the tropical zodiac was well known to his predecessors within his astrological text, the Tetrabiblos , where he explains why it would be an error to associate the regularly spaced signs of the seasonally aligned zodiac with the irregular boundaries of the visible constellations: The beginnings of

6840-431: The race in twelfth place, making it the last animal to arrive. The Cat eventually drowned and failed to become part of the zodiac. It is said that this is the reason why cats hate water. It is also the reason for the rivalry between the Cat and Rat, as it was the Rat's callous act to push the Cat into the river. Another version of the folktale tells that the Rat deceived the Ox into letting it jump on its back by promising

6935-519: The river blocking the heavenly gate. The Rooster found a raft, and the Monkey and the Goat tugged and pulled, trying to get all the weeds out of the way. With combined efforts, they managed to arrive to the other side. The Jade Emperor was pleased with their teamwork and decided to name the Goat as the eighth animal, followed by the Monkey and then the Rooster. The eleventh animal placed in the zodiac cycle

7030-556: The same names as the zodiac signs. According to mathematician-historian Montucla , the Hindu zodiac was adopted from the Greek zodiac through communications between ancient India and the Greek empire of Bactria . The Hindu zodiac uses the sidereal coordinate system , which makes reference to the fixed stars. The tropical zodiac (of Mesopotamian origin) is divided by the intersections of

7125-515: The serpent on the Dendera zodiac . The zodiac system was developed in Babylonia , some 2,500 years ago, during the " Age of Aries ". At the time, it is assumed, the precession of the equinoxes was unknown. Contemporary use of the coordinate system is presented with the choice of interpreting the system either as sidereal , with the signs fixed to the stellar background , or as tropical , with

7220-573: The signs fixed to the point ( vector of the Sun) at the March equinox . Western astrology takes the tropical approach, whereas Hindu astrology takes the sidereal one. This results in the originally unified zodiacal coordinate system drifting apart gradually, with a clockwise (westward) precession of 1.4 degrees per century. For the tropical zodiac used in Western astronomy and astrology, this means that

7315-454: The signs, and likewise those of the terms, are to be taken from the equinoctial and tropical points. This rule is not only clearly stated by writers on the subject, but is especially evident by the demonstration constantly afforded, that their natures, influences and familiarities have no other origin than from the tropics and equinoxes, as has been already plainly shown. And, if other beginnings were allowed, it would either be necessary to exclude

7410-499: The starting date of a zodiac year, there are two schools of thought in Chinese astrology : Chinese New Year or the start of spring . There are theories that suggest the twelve animals were chosen for their symbolic traits, based on their revered status in traditional Chinese culture. The selection process varied regionally before being standardized in the Han Dynasty (Cao, 2008). This standardization connected these animals into

7505-405: The starting point for measurement, the first degree of which is historically known as the " first point of Aries ". The first 30° along the ecliptic is nominally designated as the zodiac sign Aries, which no longer falls within the proximity of the constellation Aries since the effect of precession is to move the vernal point through the backdrop of visible constellations. It is currently located near

7600-408: The sun taken from the astrolabe, with the mean position of the planets on the person's birthday, and add them together on the takht (also known as the dustboard). The dust board was merely a tablet covered in sand; on which the calculations could be made and erased easily. Once this had been calculated, the astrologer was then able to interpret the horoscope. Most of these interpretations were based on

7695-573: The terms were ancient pre-Shang borrowings from Austroasiatic languages spoken in the Yangtze River region. Within the Four Pillars , the year is the pillar representing information about the person's family background and society or relationship with their grandparents. The person's age can also be easily deduced from their sign, the current sign of the year, and the person's generational disposition (teens, mid-20s, and so on). For example,

7790-400: The time of day. However, for entertainment and convenience, they were replaced by the twelve animals, and a mnemonic refers to the behavior of the animals: Earthly Branches may refer to a double-hour period. In the latter case it is the center of the period; for instance, 马 ( Horse ) means noon as well as a period from 11:00 to 13:00. An ancient folktale called "The Great Race" tells of

7885-577: The tropical sign of Aries currently lies somewhere within the constellation Pisces (" Age of Pisces "). The sidereal coordinate system takes into account the ayanamsa , ayan meaning "transit' or 'movement', and amsa meaning 'small part', i.e. movement of equinoxes in small parts. It is unclear when Indians became aware of the precession of the equinoxes, but Bhāskara II 's 12th-century treatise Siddhanta Shiromani gives equations for measurement of precession of equinoxes, and says his equations are based on some lost equations of Suryasiddhanta plus

7980-399: The twelve constellations after which the twelve zodiac signs are named, the ecliptic intersects Ophiuchus , the bottom part of which interjects between Scorpio and Sagittarius. Occasionally this difference between the astronomical constellations and the astrological signs is mistakenly reported in the popular press as a "change" to the list of traditional signs by some astronomical body like

8075-463: The vicinity of the zodiac, which are, and always have been, irregular in their size and shape. The convention of measuring celestial longitude within individual signs was still being used in the mid-19th century, but modern astronomy now numbers degrees of celestial longitude continuously from 0° to 360°, rather than 0° to 30° within each sign. This coordinate system is primary used by astronomers for observations of solar system objects. The use of

8170-519: The zodiac as a means to determine astronomical measurement remained the main method for defining celestial positions by Western astronomers until the Renaissance, at which time preference moved to the equatorial coordinate system, which measures astronomical positions by right ascension and declination rather than the ecliptic-based definitions of celestial longitude and celestial latitude . The orientation of equatorial coordinates are aligned with

8265-479: The zodiac in literature. For example, there were several manuals on how to interpret each zodiac sign, the treatise relating to each individual sign and what the characteristics of these zodiacs were. An example of the use of signs as astronomical coordinates may be found in the Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris for the year 1767 . The "Longitude of the Sun" columns show the sign (represented as

8360-517: The zodiac is described in Ptolemy 's comprehensive 2nd century AD work, the Almagest . Although the zodiac remains the basis of the ecliptic coordinate system in use in astronomy besides the equatorial one, the term and the names of the twelve signs are today mostly associated with horoscopic astrology . The term "zodiac" may also refer to the region of the celestial sphere encompassing

8455-720: The zodiac, as found, e.g., in the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh . The zodiac is found in medieval stained glass as at Angers Cathedral , where the master glass maker, André Robin, made the ornate rosettes for the North and South transepts after the fire there in 1451. Astrology emerged in the 8th century AD as a distinct discipline in Islam, with a mix of Indian, Hellenistic Iranian and other traditions blended with Greek and Islamic astronomical knowledge, for example Ptolemy's work and Al-Sufi's Book of Fixed Stars. A knowledge of

8550-700: The zodiac, constellations north of the zodiac, and southern constellations. When Al-Sufi's book, and other works, were translated in the 11th century, there were mistakes made in the translations. As a result, some stars ended up with the names of the constellation they belong to (e.g. Hamal in Aries). The High Middle Ages saw a revival of interest in Greco-Roman magic , first in Kabbalism and later continued in Renaissance magic . This included magical uses of

8645-483: The zodiacal ones: Piscis Austrinus , The Southern Fish, is attached to Aquarius. In classical maps, it swallows the stream poured out of Aquarius' pitcher, but perhaps it formerly just swam in it. Aquila , The Eagle, was possibly associated with the zodiac by virtue of its main star, Altair . Hydra in the Early Bronze Age marked the celestial equator and was associated with Leo, which is shown standing on

8740-534: Was astonished by the Dragon's good nature, and it was named as the fifth animal of the zodiac. As soon as the Dragon arrived, there came a galloping sound, and the Horse appeared. Hidden on the Horse's hoof was the Snake , whose sudden appearance gave the Horse a fright, thus making it fall back and giving the Snake the sixth spot while the Horse placed seventh. After a while, the Goat , Monkey , and Rooster came to

8835-415: Was brought to prominence by Ptolemy, and there are few explanations of precession outside the work of Ptolemy until late Antiquity, by which time Ptolemy's influence was widely established. Ptolemy clearly explained the theoretical basis of the western zodiac as being a tropical coordinate system , by which the zodiac is aligned to the equinoxes and solstices, rather than the visible constellations that bear

8930-529: Was the Dog . Although it should have been the best swimmer and runner, it spent its time playing in the river water. Its explanation for being late was that it needed a good bath after a long journey, but it almost did not make it to the finish line. Right when the Jade Emperor was going to end the race, an oink sound was heard: it was the Pig . The Pig felt hungry in the middle of the race, so it stopped, ate something, and then fell asleep. After it awoke, it finished

9025-399: Was to commence the zodiac from the point of the vernal equinox and to always refer to this point as "the first degree" of Aries. This is known as the "tropical zodiac" (from the Greek word trópos, turn) because its starting point revolves through the circle of background constellations over time. The principle of the vernal point acting as the first degree of the zodiac for Greek astronomers

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