Tag Archives: Astrology

Pluto, The Hated One

Blog Post #5 – Pluto, The Hated One Pluto, our beloved cosmic underdog, has had a rollercoaster of a journey in the astronomical community. Once considered the ninth planet of our solar system, it was demoted in 2006 to “dwarf planet” status, much to the dismay of Pluto enthusiasts worldwide. But don’t let its diminutive […] Continue reading

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The Zodiac and Ascribing Meaning to a Random Existence

Britannica The twelve Zodiac signs are the most famous (and infamous, if you talk to scientists) way of imposing order and grouping onto our lives. Personality tests, Harry Potter houses (which have to be the laziest version out there), “What sandwich am I?” quizzes, these all apply a person’s traits and responses to fundamental questions […] Continue reading

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Blog 1 – Changes in Zodiac Signs

Astrology is a practice that has been around since the 3rd millennium BCE. Most people are familiar with their sun sign, which corresponds to one of the 12 constellations along the ecliptic, or path of the sun throughout the year from our point of view. Your sun sign is the constellation that the sun appeared […] Continue reading

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The Western Zodiac’s Origins

One of the most interesting aspects of Astronomy for me specifically is the element of spirituality or philosophy it tends to invoke. To witness the majesty and scale of universe evokes such wonder that, if you’ll allow some hyperbole, can at times be akin to a religious experience. I comment this not to say thatContinue reading “The Western Zodiac’s Origins” Continue reading

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Astrolonomy?

A little over two weeks ago, we entered arguably one the thirteen coolest months of the zodiac: Aquarius. (Yes, we still love you Ophiuchus). But what does that really even mean? What is Aquarius? Well, as I am sure you can tell from the constellation, Aquarius is clearly a water-bearer. But it is also muchContinue reading “Astrolonomy?” Continue reading

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“He’s Such an Ophiuchus”: The Forgotten 13th Zodiac Sign

In 2016, NASA shared this image of the zodiac constellations. Within this picture, we see the twelve signs commonly talked about in astrology, but we also see the presence of a less-discussed zodiac member: Ophiuchus. According to CNN, Ophiuchus is one of the 13 members of the Babylonian zodiac. However, 13 zodiac signs did notContinue reading ““He’s Such an Ophiuchus”: The Forgotten 13th Zodiac Sign” Continue reading

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The Astronomy behind Astrology

While astrology is widely disproven as a form of science in our modern age, it has its origins in the beginnings of computational astronomy. As explained by David Lindberg in his book The Beginnings of Western Science, “By the end of the fifth century B.C., Babylonian celestial divination had expanded to embrace horoscopic astrology, whichContinue reading “The Astronomy behind Astrology” Continue reading

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Retrograde motion probably isn’t ruining your life

It seems that anytime Mercury enters its period of retrograde motion, the Internet starts freaking out because according to astrologers, Mercury retrograde is bad for communication. Although this is a nice scapegoat for any misfortune one might encounter, there is no scientific evidence that this phenomenon has an effect on your day-to-day life. So what […] Continue reading

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Earth’s Precession: Why Your Zodiac Sign is Wrong

When it comes to taking meaningless BuzzFeed quizzes or looking at Tumblr text posts about my zodiac sign, I am guilty as charged. There’s something satisfying about taking a quiz that tells you which limited edition Oreo flavor you are by your zodiac sign! (I’m apparently Gingerbread. Who knew?) I even know some people who … Continue reading Earth’s Precession: Why Your Zodiac Sign is Wrong Continue reading

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Planet X: The Real 9th Planet?

With Pluto’s demotion to a “dwarf planet,” the solar system was left with 8 planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. It now seems that the number 8 may not survive for long, as researchers are now searching for a 9th planet that they think exists in the far-away outer solar system. […] Continue reading

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