13th Zodiac

It was past midnight on a school night, and the sky was free of clouds. Senior Marissa Alvarado laid in her backyard and could see each constellation clearly in the picturesque night. The grass was damp with night dew. The streets were quiet, absent of the road noise commonly found in the day.

Alvarado became intrigued by the constellations in the sky. Curiously, she looked them up on her phone, and discovered astrology and zodiac signs.

“I’ve always loved the stars, and I’m always outside staring at the stars because I never sleep. So, I looked up the constellations and what stars meant, and now I always, and still, check my Zodiac sign every week,” Alvarado said.

Astrology was found thousands of years ago by the ancient Babylonians. There are a total of twelve zodiac signs, each falling within a certain time of the year and characterized by unique traits.

However, according to NASA, the Babylonians left out a constellation – Ophiuchus.

“When the Babylonians first invented the 12 signs of zodiac, a birthday between about July 23 and August 22 meant being born under the constellation Leo. Now, 3,000 years later, the sky has shifted because Earth’s axis (North Pole) doesn’t point in quite the same direction,” NASA.gov said.

The late news of Ophiuchus has caused many students to question NASA’s credibility. Junior Leslye Ayala views this new finding as inaccurate.

“There’s literally no possible way. I was a Leo, and it fit perfect. Now, I’m a Cancer, and it doesn’t seem right at all,” Ayala said.

Although senior Nick Davies does invest his time into astrology, he does understand that this discovery could throw people off and make them upset with their new sign.

“If they found a 13th constellation, and all the other 12 constellations have zodiac signs, then it would seem odd. I don’t think there should be one because people are used to their signs and don’t want to change,” Davies said.

This announcement has called people to ask themselves – is astrology even realistic? Ayala feels that astrology could be realistic, but questions the sources.

“There’s a bunch of Tumblr posts that make it seem fake, but I guess there’s actual astrology people who make it seem realistic, so it depends on the situation,” Ayala said.

Alvarado is also unsure about whether or not astrology is merely a theory or a fact.

“Maybe it’s real. Maybe the month you were born in, the seasons you fell in, that’s how you are, and that’s how you’re accustomed to be,” Alvarado said.

Whether the public agrees with NASA’s findings or not, NASA spokesperson Dwayne Brown explains that they “just did the math.” Astrology will always remain a mystery, but it will also continue to be an interesting way in discovering one’s identity.