Every couple of years, NASA republishes the same article saying that there is a new 13th zodiac sign and that astrologers have had it wrong all along. I personally believe they republish this article time and time again for wow factor (which definitely gets accomplished), but for every time the article is published, there are many articles following after that debunk the 13th sign- Ophiuchus.
First, let's get to know Ophiuchus before we debunk him for the billionth time.
Ophiuchus is represented by the "Serpent Bearer" and would fall between Scorpio and Sagittarius, taking up the time between November 30- December 17. Due to this, each Zodiac sign would have different dates and could possibly change a person's chart, which causes the uproar in astrology lovers who are pretty attached to what they already know when Ophiuchus is considered a sign. :
Ophiuchus is governed by the planetoid Chiron (not an actual planet) and has no element or modality like the other signs since 13 can not be divided equally by the 4 elements or 3 modalities. This makes it impossible to put Ophichus in a group with the others and makes this sign a bit of an outcast (as if it wasn't an outcast already). If we were to simply continue the sequence of fire, earth, air and water, Ophiuchus would come after a water sign making it a fire sign, and eventually making Pisces a fire sign as well(pretty ironic as Pisces is the fish). Ophiuchus traits are supposedly great intelligence, interpreting dreams, good luck, being great with authority, secrecy, passion, straightforwardness, intense jealousy, sarcasm, pride, and charisma, just to name a few. Since Ophiuchus doesn't have a polar opposite sign (like what Aquarius is to Leo and what Capricorn is to Cancer), it is hard for us to determine the opposing traits of this "new" sign, and almost all the traits are based on the story of the Serpent Bearer alone. Also, since this sign falls between Scorpio and Sagittarius, many believe that it would have a mixed personality of both: desire, mystery, and power similar to Scorpio zodiac signs, and blessed with good luck and a sharp sense of humor like Sagittarians. Stil, this is hard for astrologers to settle with considering that, for example, Taurus isn't simply a "mixture" of Aries and Gemini traits just because it falls between those two signs.
What NASA states in their article is basically that 2,000 years ago when the Babylonians were creating this perfect 12 sign/house system, they saw that the sun did in fact travel through Ophiuchus but chose to ignore him due to not wanting to have to divide the 360 degree circle by 13. They wanted a perfect 12 sign system where each sign ruled a house, had a 30 degree plain, was in tune with the seasons and lunar cycles, etc. Ophiuchus simply "didn't fit" into this idea they had. Why they chose to ignore Ophiuchus out of all the options is unknown. So, now, NASA says that they have "done the math" that the Babylonians were too lazy to do, and the Zodiac cycle is changed forever.
Debunking Ophiuchus:
What must be understood is that though the signs are named after constellations, they aren't technically represented by the constellations alone. The constellations simply demonstrated a pattern that the Babylonians calculated in events, changes of seasons, predictions, and so on. For example, Western astrology is based on the seasons, not the constellations themselves. Bottom line is that the signs and the constellations are very different things. The zodiac signs are named after the constellations, but not tied to them. Astronomers like to invalidate astrology by stating that due to the fact that the planets and stars move along the galaxy, the constellations and the dates set in place are no longer accurate in their positions from thousands of years ago. But, In ancient Babylonian times, when the 12 zodiac signs were first named, they DID line up with the physical constellations. Ptolemy updated this system and gave us the one we use now. So just because the constellations have shifted, the the zodiac signs haven’t. Another thing to remember is that Ophiuchus is but one of 88 constellations in the sky, yet only 12 of these constellations inspired the names of the signs that followed the suns ecliptic. Not every constellation needs to have a corresponding sign because the entirety of astrology doesn't depend on the constellations themselves. I haven't seen many astrologers using Ophiuchus in their studies/ readings, and NASA pretty much gets ignored by the astrology community every time they decide to publish these articles.
Still, I have found some people who accept the idea of Ophiuchus and are completely welcoming of the change, and even resonate greatly with the sign (even though there is a lack of information surrounding the sign itself) and choose to use it in their studies. Everything in astrology is by preference, whether you use Tropical/Sidereal, what house system you use, whether you use astrology for fun, predictions, or to learn about your inner self. So, if Ophiuchus interests you, especially if you were born under this sign, maybe look into it and take everything you read with a grain of salt.***
This was actually such a good read!!!