“OMG, Astrovibe! I was born in 19XX and your Sun Sign Dates are wrrrooonnnnggggg…..”
Of course they are wrong, Debbie. No matter where you read them to figure out which horoscope to read, they aren’t exact.
Why?
They are nothing but an estimate, no matter what site, newspaper, magazine, etc.! They are always estimated.
The Zodiac Sun Sign dates can change from year to year. We at Astrovibe estimate a day within about 1-3 days that the Sun generally changes Sign on average.
If you are born on, say, May 20 of any given year, you might actually have to have a natal chart done or look up the timing and placement of the Sun on that day.
Yeah, but, WHY?
I’ll back up a bit with some information that should help.
You may know you are a Virgo, for example, and know that has something to to with the Sun and the stars, but not really know exactly what that means or how it works.
Your Sun Sign, or Star Sign as it is sometimes called, is based on where the Sun is in the sky on at the moment you were born. The Sun appears to move through the sky about 1 degree per day (given that a circle is 360 degrees) from our perspective here on Earth.
You might be surprised to know that Western Tropical Astrology doesn’t use the stars or the constellations — with the exception of the Sun. Now, there are kinds of astrology that do, but the most popular type of astrology many of us use in the western world has very little to do with the constellations.
The Signs are roughly related to the constellations they are named for, but we don’t use the constellations themselves. Rather, signs are 30 degree sections of sky that are based on the Earth’s tilt, seasons and relationship with the Sun.
Often people ask about how the Earth comes into play as the planet we live on in astrology. Some think that we just don’t use the Earth. In fact, Earth is very, very important, because it is key in determining the areas of sky that make up the Signs.
We figure out where Aries begins based on where the Sun is on the Vernal Equinox, which is the beginning of the astrological year. Then, the following 30 degrees are Aries, the next following 30 are Taurus, then onto the next 30 degrees that constitute Gemini. Then, the Sun will enter Cancer on the June Solstice and stay there for 30 degrees and so on.
That is why the Sun Sign dates always change just a little here and there from year to year and over time.
See? Like this:
- The Sun is in Aries from the Vernal Equinox to about April 19.
- The Sun is in Taurus and from about April 20 to about May 20.
- The Sun is in Gemini from about May 21 to about June 20.
- The Sun is in Cancer from the June Solstice to about July 22.
- The Sun is in Leo from about July 23 until about August 22.
- The Sun is in Virgo from about August 23 to about September 22.
- The Sun is in Libra from the September Equinox to about October 22.
- The Sun is in Scorpio from about October 23 to about November 21
- The Sun is in Sagittarius from about November 22 until about December 21.
- The Sun is in Capricorn from the December Solstice on about December 22 until about January 19.
- The Sun is in Aquarius from about January 20 to about February 18.
- The Sun is in Pisces to round out the astrological year from about February 19 to about March 20
Of course, we know that the Earth goes around the Sun, not the other way around… however, astrology is concerned about our perspective here on Earth. It is like a map that you can read from here.
Using this method, we also know where all the other planets, dwarf and minor planets, and other bodies in our Solar System are astrologically, too!
So, now that you know how it works, you can brag to your friends!
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