However, due to precession, the Earth has moved on its axis since then, and the dates used to identify the signs no longer correlate to the backdrop constellations that give them their names. In reality, the timeline has migrated by one sign to the west. That is to say, depending on the mathematical division of the year, zodiac sign dates roughly correspond to the position of the sun in the constellations of the signs preceding them today. (The fixed character of the signs is also why the Minnesota Planetarium Society’s 2011 argument that a 13th zodiac sign, Ophiuchus, should be added now, failed to result in a major astrological shift.)
“Previously, astrologers looked at where the sun was in relation to background constellations in general, and that almost exactly matched up with the signs of the zodiac defined by Ptolemy,” Odenwald adds.
Astrologers now base their calculations and predictions on where the planets and the sun are in relation to the 12 fixed signs, rather than where they are in relation to the constellations. According to astrology, if the sun is in the sign of Sagittarius on your birthday, you are a Sagittarius.
In astrology, what type of math is used?
Astrological charts are made using math. Spherical trigonometry and spherical geometry are the most complicated forms of arithmetic employed in all of this.
Is there any truth to astrology in Islam?
Astrology is the study of celestial bodies’ movements and relative placements, which are thought to have an impact on human affairs and the natural world. According to historian Emilie Savage-Smith, astrology (ilm al-nujm, “the study of the stars”) was “by far” the most popular of the “many activities aiming to predict future occurrences or perceive hidden phenomena” in early Islamic history.
Despite Islamic prohibitions, some medieval Muslims were interested in studying the apparent motion of the stars. This was partially due to their belief in the importance of the celestial bodies, and partly due to the fact that desert inhabitants frequently traveled at night and relied on knowledge of the constellations for navigation. Muslims needed to determine the time of prayers, the direction the kaaba would face, and the correct orientation of the mosque after the arrival of Islam, all of which helped give a religious impetus to the study of astronomy and contributed to the belief that the celestial bodies had an impact on terrestrial affairs as well as the human condition.
The criteria for Islam’s attitude on astrology are laid out in Islamic jurisprudence, the Quran, the Hadith, Ijma (scholarly consensus), and Qiyas (analogy). The idea is further differentiated into that which is either halal (authorized) or haram (forbidden) (forbidden). The view that astrology is forbidden by the authorities, as enshrined in the Quran and Hadith, is shared by all Islamic sects and academics.