13th zodiac sign? NASAs tweet regarding Ophiuchus intrigues followers of astrology and sunsigns – The Financial Express

The 13th zodiac sign: Recently, the American space agency NASA put out a tweet allaying the fears of some die hard believers of zodiac signs saying that it had nothing to do with the zodiac signs and it had not altered or discovered the 13th new zodiac sign. The tweet came in view of the information circulating on the internet that the space agency had discovered the 13th zodiac sign named Ophiuchus, also known as the serpent-bearer. Panic gripped the ardent astrology believers as they contemplated the consequences of the supposed new discovery of NASA. They wondered if the neatly placed 12 signs would go for a toss with Scorpions becoming the flag bearers of the new sign.

NASA wrote on its Twitter account that it had taken note of the comments about a zodiac story that emerged after every few years and rejected the theories that it had altered the zodiac arrangements. It also referred to the history of more than 3000 years old when the Babylonians invented the constellations and chose to leave the 13th sign. It also shared an old blog which it had shared some years ago in 2016 to refute similar stories.

In the long blog, the space agency explains that all space agencies including itself are interested in astronomy which is the study of everything in space whereas zodiac signs came under astrology which is not even considered a Science subject. It then goes on to explain that zodiac signs are in reality the constellation of stars that come in a straight line with the Earth while it revolves around the Sun.

Laying bare the root cause of the confusion behind the 13th zodiac sign, the space agency explains that in reality there are 13 signs the planet Earth comes in contact with while it moves around the Sun and the Babylonians who devised the Zodiac signs left out the 13th sign without any scientific basis. Apparently, the 13th sign which happens to be Ophiuchus was discarded to make the system neater and more in tune with the division of the year-12 months and 12 signs.

Tearing through the supposed reasoning and logic of the Babylonians for only including 12 signs into the Zodiac system, NASA said that in reality 45 days should be apportioned to Virgo in a year as it is in straight line with the Earth for much more time than its counterparts.

The blog posted by NASA read that in a bid to make a tidy match with the 12 month calendar, the Babylonians ignored the fact that the Sun moves through 13 constellations not 12. It also said that the Babylonians went on to divide the year equally between the 12 signs without any sound reasoning.

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