Sidereal astrology

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Sidereal astrology

Sidereal astrology is the system of astrology

Astrology

Astrology is a group of systems, traditions, and beliefs which hold that the relative positions of astronomical object and related details can provide useful information about personality, human affairs, and other terrestrial matters....
used by some Western and all Jyotish astrologers

Astrology

Sidereal time

Sidereal time is a measure of the position of the Earth in its rotation around its axis, or time measured by the apparent diurnal motion of the vernal equinox, which is very close to, but not identical to, the motion of stars....
zodiac

Zodiac

Zodiac denotes an annual cycle of twelve stations along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the heavens through the constellations that divide the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude....
. Its primary feature is that the signs of the zodiac align to the sky constellation

Constellation

A constellation is a group of stars that appear to have a physical proximity in the sky. The stars in a constellation are often vastly distant from each other, but they appear close to each other from the perspective of Earth....
s of the same name. The signs therefore run between dates which are different from the tropical zodiac used in the West. For example, Aries runs from March 21 to April 20 in the tropical zodiac but extends from April 14 to May 14 in the sidereal (although the precise dates may vary depending on the sidereal system used).

In effect, in most Western astrology the link between sign and sky constellation is perceived differently than in Sidereal astrology.

It was introduced to the West by the Irish

Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
astrologer Cyril Fagan

Cyril Fagan

Cyril Fagan was an astrology, who claimed historical use of sidereal astrology in the west and established it as a separate field from tropical astrology....
in 1944 and is practiced by a minority of Western astrologers.

Background
The classical zodiac

Zodiac

Greek astronomy

Greek astronomy is the astronomy of those who wrote in the Greek language in classical antiquity i.e. see Aristarchus of Samos Greek astronomer/mathematician and his heliocentric model of the solar system....
as defined by Ptolemy

Ptolemy

Tropical Astrology

Tropical astrology is a type of astrology based on a zodiac whose points of reference are the tropics. The word tropic comes from the Greek for "turning point," and originally meant the point at which the sun at sunrise and sunset appears to turn, and to move north in the northern hemisphere and south in the southern hemisphere along the...
in nature, defining the signs relative to vernal equinox regardless of the position of constellations.

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Background

The classical zodiac

Zodiac

Greek astronomy

Ptolemy

Tropical Astrology

The precession of the equinoxes

Precession of the equinoxes

In astronomy, precession refers to a gravitationally-induced slow but continuous change in an astronomical body's rotational axis or orbital path....
, a phenomenon discovered c. 130 BC by Hipparchus

Hipparchus

Hipparchus, the common Latinization of the Greek Hipparkhos, can mean:* Hipparchus, the ancient Greek astronomer** Hipparchic cycle, an astronomical cycle he created...
and known to Ptolemy, results in a shift between the two systems of about one degree every 70 years.

The vernal equinox lay near the beginning of the Aries

Aries (constellation)

Aries is one of constellations of the zodiac, located between Pisces to the west and Taurus to the east. Its name is Latin for sheep, and its symbol is , representing a ram's horns....
constellation around 500 BC, consistent with a Babylonian

Neo-Babylonian Empire

The term Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean refers to Babylonia under the rule of the 11th dynasty, from the revolt of Nabopolassar in 626 BC until the invasion of Cyrus the Great in 539 BC, notably including the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II....
origin of the system.

While classical tropical astrology is based on the orientation of the Earth relative to the Sun and planets of the solar system

Solar System

The Solar System consists of the Sun and those Astronomical object bound to it by gravity: the eight planets and five dwarf planets, their 173 known Natural satellite, and billions of Small Solar System body....
, sidereal astrology deals with the position of the Earth relative to both of these as well as the stars of the celestial sphere

Celestial sphere

In astronomy and navigation, the celestial sphere is an imagination rotation sphere of "gigantic radius", concentric spheres and coaxial with the Earth....
. The actual positions of certain fixed stars

Star

A star is a massive, luminous ball of Plasma that is held together by its own gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth....
as well as their constellations is an additional consideration in the horoscope. (Over very long astronomical time scales, these fixed stars are of course themselves far from stationary.)

Some sidereal astrologers denounce tropical astrologers for failing to relate to the "actual heavens," seeing in this a fundamental degeneration of the subject (Kenneth Bowser, The Traditional Astrologer magazine, (Ascella), Issue 14, May 1997, pp.23-27 ).

Vedic astrology

Ancient Vedic astrology is based on the sidereal or visible zodiac, accounting for the shift of the equinoxes by a correction called ayanamsa

Ayanamsa

Ayanamsa is the Sanskrit term for the longitudinal difference between the Tropical Astrology or Sayana and Sidereal astrology or Nirayana zodiacs....
. The difference between the Vedic and the Western zodiacs is currently around 24 degrees. This corresponds to a separation of c. 1700 years, when the vernal equinox was approximately at the center of the constellation Pisces

Pisces (astrology)

Pisces is the twelfth astrological sign in the Zodiac, which originates from the Pisces . In western astrology this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation because of the Precession ....
and the tropical zodiac coincided with the sidereal one (around 285 AD according to N C Lahiri). The separation is believed to have taken place in the centuries following Ptolemy

Ptolemy

Claudius Ptolemaeus , known in English as Ptolemy , was a Roman Greek mathematics, Greek astronomy, geographer and astrologer. He lived in History of Roman Egypt, and was probably born there in a town in the Thebaid called Ptolemais Hermiou; he died in Alexandria around 168 AD....
, apparently going back to Indo-Greek transmission of the system. But earlier Greek astronomers like Eudoxus spoke of vernal equinox at 15° in Aries, while later Greeks spoke of vernal equinox at 8° and then 0° in Aries (cf. p.16, S. Jim Tester in ref.), which suggests use of sidereal zodiac in Greece before Ptolemy and Hipparchus. The ayanamsa

Ayanamsa

Ayanamsa is the Sanskrit term for the longitudinal difference between the Tropical Astrology or Sayana and Sidereal astrology or Nirayana zodiacs....
correction has always been made in Vedic astrology, whose existence spans around thousands of years.

Cyril Fagan

Cyril Fagan was an astrology, who claimed historical use of sidereal astrology in the west and established it as a separate field from tropical astrology....
assumes the origin of the zodiac in 786 BCE, when the vernal equinox lay somewhere in mid-Aries, based on a major conjunction that occurred that year (), corresponding to a difference of some 39 degrees or days.

Signs vs. astronomical constellations of the zodiac

Nearly all astrologers, tropical and sidereal, agree that the ecliptic should be divided into twelve equal segments to form the zodiac; they differ on where the zodiac begins.

Thus, most sidereal astrologers simply divide the ecliptic into 12 equal signs of 30 degrees but approximately aligned to the 12 zodiac constellations. Assuming an origin of the system in 786 BCE, this results in an identical system as that of the classical tropical zodiac, shifted by 25.5 days, i.e., if in tropical astrology, Aries is taken to begin at March 21, sidereal Aries will begin on April 15.

The 13 astronomical constellations of the ecliptic

A small number of sidereal astrologers (such as Walter Berg

Walter Berg

Walter Berg is the pen name of British astronomer / astrologer Barry Parkinson who is the founder of 13-zodiac astrology, ?a sidereal system that uses the actual star constellations of the true zodiac?....
) wish to include other constellations, such as Ophiuchus

Ophiuchus

Ophiuchus is a large constellation located around the celestial equator. Its name is Greek language for 'snake-holder', and it is commonly represented as a man grasping the snake that is represented by the constellation Serpens....
, in their zodiac and use 13 signs instead of 12. This results in a system completely unrelated to the zodiac as described by Ptolemy. While Ptolemy noted that Ophiuchus is in contact with the ecliptic, he was aware that the twelve signs were just conventional names for 30 degrees segments (especially since the Aries sign had ceased to be in contact with the Aries constellation already in his time).

For the purpose of determining the constellations in contact with the ecliptic, the constellation boundaries as defined by the International Astronomical Union

International Astronomical Union

The International Astronomical Union is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy....
in 1930 are used. For example, the Sun enters the IAU boundary of Aries on April 19 at the lower right corner, a position that is still rather closer to the "body" of Pisces than of Aries. Needless to say, the IAU defined the constellation boundaries without consideration of astrological purposes.

The dates the Sun passes through the 13 astronomical constellations of the ecliptic

Ecliptic

The ecliptic is the apparent path that the Sun traces out in the sky during the year. As it appears to move in the sky in relation to the stars, the apparent path aligns with the planets throughout the course of the year....
are listed below, accurate to the year 2002. The dates will increment by one day every 70½ years, and already several have changed. The corresponding tropical

Tropical Astrology

Constellation Constellation A constellation is a group of stars that appear to have a physical proximity in the sky. The stars in a constellation are often vastly distant from each other, but they appear close to each other from the perspective of Earth....		Tropical date	Sidereal Date	Sun is in constellation
	Aries Aries (astrology) Aries, the domestic sheep, is the first astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Aries . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....	March 21 - April 20	April 15 - May 15	April 19 - May 13
	Taurus Taurus (astrology) Taurus is the second astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Taurus . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....	April 21 - May 21	May 16 - June 15	May 14 - June 19
	Gemini Gemini (astrology) Gemini is the third astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Gemini . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....	May 22 - June 21	June 16 - July 15	June 20 - July 20
	Cancer Cancer (astrology) Cancer is the fourth astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Cancer . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....	June 22 - July 22	July 16 - August 15	July 21 - August 9
	Leo Leo (astrology) Leo is the fifth astrological sign of the Zodiac, originating from the Leo . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....	July 23 - August 22	August 16 - September 15	August 10 - September 15
	Virgo Virgo (astrology) Virgo is the sixth astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Virgo . In western astrology, the sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....	August 23 - September 23	September 16 - October 15	September 16 - October 30
	Libra Libra (astrology) Libra is the seventh astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Libra . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....	September 24 - October 23	October 16 - November 15	October 31 - November 22
	Scorpius	October 24 - November 22	November 16 - December 15	November 23 - November 29
	Ophiuchus Ophiuchus Ophiuchus is a large constellation located around the celestial equator. Its name is Greek language for 'snake-holder', and it is commonly represented as a man grasping the snake that is represented by the constellation Serpens....			November 30 - December 17
	Sagittarius Sagittarius (astrology) Sagittarius is the ninth astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Sagittarius . In western astrology, the sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....	November 23 - December 21	December 16 - January 14	December 18 - January 18
	Capricornus	December 22 - January 20	January 15 - February 14	January 19 - February 15
	Aquarius Aquarius (astrology) name= Aquarius\| image= Aquarius.svg\| Symbol= Water Bearer\| Tropical Start Date= January 20\| Tropical Finish Date= February 19\| Sidereal Start Date= February 15...	January 21 - February 19	February 15 - March 14	February 16 - March 11
	Pisces Pisces (astrology) Pisces is the twelfth astrological sign in the Zodiac, which originates from the Pisces . In western astrology this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation because of the Precession ....	February 20 - March 20	March 15 - April 14	March 12 - April 18

The 21 zodiacal constellations of the planets

Because of their inclination from the ecliptic

Ecliptic

The ecliptic is the apparent path that the Sun traces out in the sky during the year. As it appears to move in the sky in relation to the stars, the apparent path aligns with the planets throughout the course of the year....
, the planets are not restricted to the 13 constellations of the ecliptic. The eight planets pass through 21 constellations. Thus there are 21 astronomical constellations of the zodiac. These are, in addition to the 13 constellations listed above, Cetus

Cetus

Cetus is a constellation in the northern sky. Its name refers to Cetus , a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called 'the whale' today....
, Corvus

Corvus (constellation)

Corvus is a small constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for raven or crow. It includes only 11 stars visible to the naked eye . It was one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy, who only counted 7 stars, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations....
, Crater

Crater (constellation)

Crater is a constellation. Its name is Latin for cup, and in Greek mythology it is identified with the cup of the god Apollo . It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 1st century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations....
, Hydra

Hydra (constellation)

Hydra is the largest of the 88 modern constellations, measuring 1303 square degrees. It has a long history, having been included among the 48 constellations listed by the 1st century astronomer Ptolemy....
, Orion

Orion (constellation)

Orion , often referred to as "The Hunter," is a prominent constellation ? one of the largest, most conspicuous, and most recognizable in the night sky....
, Pegasus

Pegasus (constellation)

Pegasus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the winged horse Pegasus in Greek mythology. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 1st century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations....
, Scutum

Scutum

Scutum is a small constellation introduced in the seventeenth century. Its name is Latin for shield....
, and Sextans

Sextans

Sextans is a minor celestial equator constellation which was introduced in the 17th century by Johannes Hevelius. Its name is Latin for the sextant , an instrument that Hevelius made frequent use of in his observations....
.

Sidereal astrology

Background

Vedic astrology

Cyril Fagan

Signs vs. astronomical constellations of the zodiac

The 13 astronomical constellations of the ecliptic

The 21 zodiacal constellations of the planets

See also

External links