NASA: We Didn't Change Your Zodiac Sign, Astrology isn't Real

There are actually 13 astrological signs instead of 12, meaning that 86 percent of all people were actually born under a different sign. 
This is old news, but Capricorns, Sagittarii, and everyone in between flipped out last week and incorrectly blamed NASA. However, the space agency would like everyone to know that they didn’t change anything. 

NASA’s reasoning? 
Astrology isn’t even real in the first place, so chill out, you superstitious dolts.

“Did you recently hear that NASA changed the zodiac signs? Nope, we definitely didn’t,” the agency posted Tuesday on its Tumblr, which feels like the appropriate medium.

“Here at NASA, we study astronomy, not astrology,” the post — which is a masterclass on shade — continues. “We didn’t change any zodiac signs, we just did the math.” NASA then proceeds to explain that the former is a science that intelligent people devote their lives to, and the later is hooey.

“Astrology is something else,” NASA says. “It’s not science. No one has shown that astrology can be used to predict the future or describe what people are like based on their birth dates.”

NASA goes on to explain what happened. 
Some 3,000 years ago, the ancient Babylonians divided the Zodiac into an even 12 pieces. Each “slice” was represented by a constellation that the sun would appear to pass through at differing points of the year as the Earth orbited around the sun.
The Babylonians, NASA says, cheated a bit. The sun didn’t actually pass through each constellation for a consistent, month-long timespan. It varied immensely. On top of that, the Babylonians knew there was a thirteenth constellation, Ophiuchus, but that wouldn’t have lined up with their calendar, so they just didn’t include it. Also, the sky has shifted because Earth’s axis has changed a bit over the course of 3,000 years.

To summarize, all NASA said it did was actually show what the Zodiac really looks like. It didn’t change Zodiac signs because, honestly, NASA doesn’t give a shit about whether you’re a Leo or a Virgo since astrology isn’t real.

But … you know, if it were real, here’s what sign you’d be under with the current 13-sign Zodiac chart. 
NASA added the thirteenth sign, Ophiuchus, and actually noted the dates when the sun actually passes through each sign, rather than dividing them up evenly and arbitrarily. 

On its website, NASA explains how, since the axis of the Earth has tilted over the course of 3,000 years, the dates are slightly different than they were back then, since the path of the sun through the constellations has changed. It’s unlikely that there will be another axis tilt large enough to change the dates in our lifetimes, so the chart below is what you’re stuck with.

Capricorn: January 20 - February 16
Aquarius: February 16 - March 11
Pisces: March 11 - April 18
Aries: April 18 - May 13
Taurus: May 13 - June 21
Gemini: June 21- July 20
Cancer: July 20 - August 10
Leo: August 10 - September 16
Virgo: September 16 - October 30
Libra: October 30 - November 23
Scorpio: November 23 - 29
Ophiuchus: November 29 - December 17
Sagittarius: December 17 - January 20

Do you have faith in astrology?

This is a question often asked by people who believe in astrology and horoscopes.

I had a brother-in-law who swore by it and a son-in-law who also studies and horoscopes and predicts.

NASA says that the signs of the Zodiac was first invented by the Babylonians some 3000 years ago but predictions have been made right from the time of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. We had predictions during the time of Buddha and also during the time of Christ when the three wise men went to Bethlehem on seeing a Star.

My view is that Astrology is not an exact science but an approximate science. It does not tell you that 2 + 2=4. It tells you that 2+2 may be 3, 4 or 5. It is something like the slide rule used by engineers, giving approximate results which may vary, depending upon the angle from which you view the lines.

It is like doctors examining patients. 
Three doctors, examining the same patient will see the same pulse, BP, tongue and temperature readings but they will give different interpretations, diagnosis and medicines. Thus one doctor may be may be considered very good if the patient is cured and the others, well so so.

Yes, after blood reports, X-rays, ECGs, Doppler, MRIs, the diagnosis is more accurate but the medicines may vary. One doctor may give one or two medicines and another may fill the whole page with medicines.

Similarly, the interpretations of the same horoscope of the various astrologers vary and so do their accuracy. But even the most accurate predictions will vary greatly from the actual events.
Astrologers, mask this by intentionally being very ambiguous.
Once a palmist in Patna, was looking at the palms of my landlord's family. He took my palm and asked me if I believed in Palmistry.
I told him, I do not, but I enjoy what you say, but say only good things.
I keep the same attitude for astrology.