How to Discover Your New Zodiac Astrological Sign (Thanks, Ophiuchus)

Those of you who are proud to be Libras, well, you may no longer be Libras.  You could be Virgos.  At least, according to astronomer Parke Kunkle.

Due to the current changes in Earth's alignment, the dates of the zodiac have changed, thanks to the inclusion of a long forgotten 13th zodiac sign— Ophiuchus.

For those of you who know nothing of the zodiac, here's the definition from the New Oxford American Dictionary:

zodiac |'zode?ak|

noun Astrology

a belt of the heavens within about 8° either side of the ecliptic, including all apparent positions of the sun, moon, and most familiar planets. It is divided into twelve equal divisions or signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces).

• a representation of the signs of the zodiac or of a similar astrological system.

But what about Ophiuchus?

Kunkle and other like-minded astronomers say that the Earth and Sun slowly move over time, which means the signs gradually change.

The change didn't happen over night either.  The 12 signs were designated to different periods of the year almost 3,000 years ago, when astrology began, and since then the Earth's position in relation to the sun has changed.  [via Huffington Post]

The New Oxford American Dictionary now even includes an addendum to their definition of zodiac:

The supposed significance of the movements of the sun, moon, and planets within the zodiacal band forms the basis of astrology. However, the modern constellations do not represent equal divisions of the zodiac, and the ecliptic now passes through a thirteenth (Ophiuchus). Also, owing to precession, the signs of the zodiac now roughly correspond to the constellations that bear the names of the preceding signs.

But don't fret.  According to NBC, it shouldn't affect anyone's horoscope readings.

Check below to see what your new astrological sign is.

For more information about the new 13th astrological sign, Ophiuchus, visit The Red Thread.

Or for video guide references, check out the Astrology section on WonderHowTo.  If you're more into astronomy than astrology, then check out our Astronomy science videos.

[image credits 1, 2, 3]