The zodiac is a belt-shaped section of the sky that stretches approximately 8 degrees north or south of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year (as measured in celestial latitude). The Moon’s and visible planets’ courses are all within the zodiac belt.
In Western astrology, and formerly astronomy, the zodiac is divided into twelve signs, each occupying 30 of celestial longitude and roughly corresponding to the star constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
These astrological signs make up a celestial coordinate system, or more specifically, an ecliptic coordinate system, in which the ecliptic serves as the origin of latitude and the vernal equinox serves as the origin of longitude.
In This Article...
What are the four zodiac signs?
The Elements of Astrology: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water Signs
- Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius are the fire signs.
- Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are earth signs.
- Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are air signs.
- Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are all water signs.
What is the best way to look up my zodiac sign by name?
The following are the 12 zodiac signs and their symbols:
- The Ram of Aries (March 21-April 19)
- The bull Taurus (April 20-May 20)
- The Gemini twins (May 21-June 20)
- The crab Cancer (June 21-July 22)
- The lion Leothe (July 23-August 22)
- Virgothe Virgothe Virgothe Virgothe Virgo (August 23-September 22)
What are the three most important indications in my life?
Your Sun sign, Moon sign, and rising sign, also known as ascending sign, are the three most important places in your birth chart. Your Sun sign is the foundation of your personality and who you are as a person. Your Moon sign indicates your emotional side and who you are when you’re alone. Finally, your rising sign is the initial impression others get of you and how you appear on the outside.
Which zodiac is the most intelligent?
Aquarius is the zodiac sign with the highest intelligence. Uranus, the planet of invention, creativity, and expanded consciousness, rules them. As a result, this air sign does more than just process information and spit it back out: they evaluate, comprehend, and expand on it. “They’re creative, unconventional, and frequently ahead of their time,” Kovach adds. “They have a good understanding of how upcoming trends work and may have a picture of the future that others don’t.”
Are the signs of the zodiac Greek?
The 12 zodiac signs, with which many people are likely familiar today, were created during this Ancient Greek period.
The signs of Aries (approximately March 21-April 19), Taurus (April 20-May 20), Gemini (May 21-June 20), Cancer (June 21-July 22), Leo (July 23-Aug. 22), Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22), Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22), Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21), Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21 These Western, or tropical, zodiac signs were named after constellations and paired with dates based on their apparent relationship to the sun’s position in the sky.
By 1500 BC, the Babylonians had divided the zodiac into 12 equal signs, with constellation names that were similar to those we know today, such as The Great Twins, The Lion, and The Scales, and these were later adopted into Greek divination. These 12 signs were popularized by the astronomer Ptolemy, author of the Tetrabiblos, which became a key work in the history of Western astrology.
“Ptolemy codified the idea that there were 12 signs of the zodiac that were 30 broad, and that the sun travelled through these signs on a regular basis throughout the year,” adds Odenwald. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “zodiac” derives from the Greek, from a term for “sculpted animal figure,” and the sequence in which the signs are normally enumerated also stems from that time period.
By birthday, what element am I?
There are 12 astrological signs in Western tropical astrology. Each of the four elements has three Zodiac signs connected with it, which are always exactly 120 degrees apart along the ecliptic and are said to be in trine with one another. The four classical elements (also called as triplicities) are still used extensively by most current astrologers, and they are still considered a crucial part of astrological chart interpretation.
Starting with Aries, which is a Fire sign, the next sign in order is Taurus, which is Earth, followed by Gemini, which is Air, and finally Cancer, which is Water. This cycle repeats twice more before concluding with Pisces, the twelfth and final astrological sign. According to Marcus Manilius, the elemental rulerships for the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac are as follows:
- Aries 1; Leo 5; Sagittarius 9 hot, dry, and ferocious
- Heavy, chilly, and dry2Taurus; 6Virgo; 10Capricorn
- 3 Gemini; 7 Libra; 11 Aquarius bright, hot, and damp
- Water is for Cancer, 8 for Scorpio, and 12 for Pisces. It is cool, moist, and gentle.
Who is the earth sign’s supremo?
Don’t you think of a tough and authoritative leader when you think about Capricorn? Because they are the rulers of astrology, they emit cardinal energy. Winter has arrived when the sun enters Capricorn, and Capricorn is in charge with the same serious and calculated power that is required to survive the toughest season of all. Capricorn, as an earth sign, leads with logic, reason, and long-term goals in mind. This zodiac sign is quick to devise a strategy and delegate responsibility within their society. It’s up to them to devise a winning strategy.
What is it about water that attracts fire signs?
She argues that water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces) are traditionally associated with earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn) because water nurtures the earth. Because air feeds fire, air signs (Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius) and fire signs (Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius) go together. “Signs in the same element (earth, water, air, or fire) also make the most harmonic angles to each other, known as ‘trines,’ which are 120 degrees apart,” she continues.