Jump to content

Hey beautiful, what's yer sign?


Shawna

Recommended Posts

I'm no longer a Cancer. Grrrrr. :grin:

New astrological sign: Professor finds horoscopes may be a little off kilter

From Times wire reports

January 14, 2011, 6:12 a.m.

The astrological calendar is all wrong. That public comment from a Minnesota astronomy professor set the Internet aflame this week.

People might think they're a Pisces (compassionate, imaginative), but often they're really an Aquarius (witty, clever) -- at least based on an exact reading of the Earth's orbit. Or maybe, if you were born between Nov. 29 and Dec. 17, you're actually a strange new zodiac sign: Ophiuchus, the serpent holder. But who wants to admit to being that snake-guy sign on a first date?

"I defined the zodiac by the constellations that are in the background when you look at where the sun, moon, and stars are," said Minneapolis Community and Technical College instructor Parke Kunkle, the man responsible for momentarily turning the astrology world upside down. "Ophiuchus has been around a long time, and the sun has been going through Ophiuchus for thousands of years."

Get important science news and discoveries delivered to your inbox with our Science & Environment newsletter.

In Kunkle's 13-member zodiac, the signs occupy more or less space on the calendar depending upon how long they are in the sun's path.

Although Ophiuchus (seeker of wisdom, lucky) has only what amounts to a celestial toe in the sun's path, Kunkle defended its inclusion by noting it hosts the sun for more than twice as long as Scorpio (independent, passionate).

Leading astrologers, after getting their collective bearings, were unified and defiant in their response: Not this time, Science.

"It holds no water," said South Florida's self described "master astrologer" Jeffrey Brock. Brock said it was a "completely unfounded" attempt by scientists to discredit astrology, which they had never been fond of to begin with.

Proclaimed Miami astrologist Ron Archer: "Mythology is always true."

Even uber-astrologist Walter Mercado weighed in, telling El Nuevo Herald that there would be no need to change its horoscopes.

Kunkle's re-examining of astrology is rooted in the Earth's "precession" -- put simply, the gravity-fueled change in orientation of the Earth's rotational axis.

"The Earth sort of spins like a top," explained Florida International University physics professor James Webb. "It usually doesn't just stand up straight and spin, it usually wobbles."

"Astrologers for years have not taken that into account," Webb continued. "So now people are starting to call them on it."

Hogwash, responded Brock, director of the Astrological and Metaphysical Research Center. Brock said the brand of astrology practiced by the vast majority of the Western world focuses on the first day of spring -- an ever-shifting date that compensates for the planet's rotational habits.

As for the inclusion of Ophiuchus, Brock said "we've always known about Ophiuchus" but that because the constellation only barely touches the sun's path, it is not truly a zodiac sign.

Up in Minnesota, Kunkle said the publicity frenzy surrounding his remarks has prompted media calls from as far away as France. Kunkle noted that he's by no means the first member of the scientific community to raise this issue (it's been debated for thousands of years). But thanks to the Twitter-ing, Facebook-ing age we live in, he might just be the most famous.

Kunkle has never been a horoscope reader. When people ask his sign, he usually tells them "vegetarian."

Recalling all the paintings and poems inspired by the stars, Kunkle argued that there's plenty of reasons for people to look skyward without believing in astrology:

"What they get then is the beauty of the universe, the beauty of the cosmos out there."

According to the professor, astrology buffs should be using these dates, reflecting where the stars currently are aligned:

--Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16;

--Aquarius: Feb. 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-Aug. 10;

--Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16;

--Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30;

--Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23;

--Scorpio: Nov. 23-29;

--Ophiuchus* Nov. 29-Dec. 17;

--Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20.

*Discarded by the Babylonians because they wanted 12 signs per year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

sorry, but you fell victim to the Forer effect ;)

See the description from the experiment mentioned in the article... that's the same what astrologists (and other people) are using

The Wiki article mentions a Big Bang Theory episode that references the Forer Effect:

Leonard: How did you know my birthday's Saturday?

Penny: I did your horoscope, remember? I was going to do everybody's until Sheldon went on one of his typical psychotic rants.

Sheldon Cooper: For the record, that psychotic rant was a concise summation of the research of Bertram Forer, who, in 1948, proved conclusively through meticulously designed experiments that astrology is nothing but pseudoscientific hokum.

Penny: Blah, blah, blah, a typical Taurus.

:laughing: I love that show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm no longer a Cancer. Grrrrr. :grin:

New astrological sign: Professor finds horoscopes may be a little off kilter

From Times wire reports

January 14, 2011, 6:12 a.m.

The astrological calendar is all wrong. That public comment from a Minnesota astronomy professor set the Internet aflame this week.

People might think they're a Pisces (compassionate, imaginative), but often they're really an Aquarius (witty, clever) -- at least based on an exact reading of the Earth's orbit. Or maybe, if you were born between Nov. 29 and Dec. 17, you're actually a strange new zodiac sign: Ophiuchus, the serpent holder. But who wants to admit to being that snake-guy sign on a first date?

"I defined the zodiac by the constellations that are in the background when you look at where the sun, moon, and stars are," said Minneapolis Community and Technical College instructor Parke Kunkle, the man responsible for momentarily turning the astrology world upside down. "Ophiuchus has been around a long time, and the sun has been going through Ophiuchus for thousands of years."

Get important science news and discoveries delivered to your inbox with our Science & Environment newsletter.

In Kunkle's 13-member zodiac, the signs occupy more or less space on the calendar depending upon how long they are in the sun's path.

Although Ophiuchus (seeker of wisdom, lucky) has only what amounts to a celestial toe in the sun's path, Kunkle defended its inclusion by noting it hosts the sun for more than twice as long as Scorpio (independent, passionate).

Leading astrologers, after getting their collective bearings, were unified and defiant in their response: Not this time, Science.

"It holds no water," said South Florida's self described "master astrologer" Jeffrey Brock. Brock said it was a "completely unfounded" attempt by scientists to discredit astrology, which they had never been fond of to begin with.

Proclaimed Miami astrologist Ron Archer: "Mythology is always true."

Even uber-astrologist Walter Mercado weighed in, telling El Nuevo Herald that there would be no need to change its horoscopes.

Kunkle's re-examining of astrology is rooted in the Earth's "precession" -- put simply, the gravity-fueled change in orientation of the Earth's rotational axis.

"The Earth sort of spins like a top," explained Florida International University physics professor James Webb. "It usually doesn't just stand up straight and spin, it usually wobbles."

"Astrologers for years have not taken that into account," Webb continued. "So now people are starting to call them on it."

Hogwash, responded Brock, director of the Astrological and Metaphysical Research Center. Brock said the brand of astrology practiced by the vast majority of the Western world focuses on the first day of spring -- an ever-shifting date that compensates for the planet's rotational habits.

As for the inclusion of Ophiuchus, Brock said "we've always known about Ophiuchus" but that because the constellation only barely touches the sun's path, it is not truly a zodiac sign.

Up in Minnesota, Kunkle said the publicity frenzy surrounding his remarks has prompted media calls from as far away as France. Kunkle noted that he's by no means the first member of the scientific community to raise this issue (it's been debated for thousands of years). But thanks to the Twitter-ing, Facebook-ing age we live in, he might just be the most famous.

Kunkle has never been a horoscope reader. When people ask his sign, he usually tells them "vegetarian."

Recalling all the paintings and poems inspired by the stars, Kunkle argued that there's plenty of reasons for people to look skyward without believing in astrology:

"What they get then is the beauty of the universe, the beauty of the cosmos out there."

According to the professor, astrology buffs should be using these dates, reflecting where the stars currently are aligned:

--Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16;

--Aquarius: Feb. 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-Aug. 10;

--Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16;

--Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30;

--Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23;

--Scorpio: Nov. 23-29;

--Ophiuchus* Nov. 29-Dec. 17;

--Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20.

*Discarded by the Babylonians because they wanted 12 signs per year.

If it'll make you feel any better, you'll always be a cancer here at SongFacts :jester:

Either way, it doesn't change for me: still a pisces... bleh.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ha!! Shawna, I will love you even if you become a Geminis... :laughing: :laughing:

(Pinkstones, dont take it as a rude comment against you, I'm surrounded by Geminis (friends, husband, exs...))

Hey, Keith and I are still Sagittarius... :grin:

I had a job many years ago, I wrote horoscopes for almost five years :laughing: I copied from books some friends gave me, I made the rest all up myself...

I must agree with Tim and with Bitter Almonds about astrology...

and with Sammy: Pluto is a planet!!!

(and a doggie too... ;) )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeez, it's not like it hurts and it's not the trauma you see it portrayed as in films. It's easily the most effective treatment for depression - it works better on mood disorders than any other mental illness.

Totally going to go get a PhD in psych once I'm done with my current one :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...