I’m sure you’ve thought you might be an Aries based on your birthday, or maybe you thought you were a Capricorn. Whether you believe in the actual science of constellations, or the origins and history of these zodiacs, you might’ve never known that the serpent bearer, Ophiuchus (of-ee-yoo-kuss), was introduced to the zodiac around the 1970’s.

Thanks to Steven Schmidt, the snake charmer became one of the most controversial zodiac signs and the talk of the town in 2016. Before his discovery, there were originally only twelve zodiacs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, etc., Because of the new addition, people might have actually been born under the constellation Pisces even if traditionally, they were an Aries. You might be wondering, “why wasn’t it included in the first place?” The reason it wasn’t included was because the stars weren’t always like this. Several articles state that “the Earth has moved,” causing a shift in what we know compared to what the Babylonians knew. Plus, the Babylonians existed from around 2000 B.C., resulting in a change of the stars around us.

  According to earthsky.org and several other articles, they say that “the sun is in front of Ophiuchus from about November 30 to December 18 each year,” which is the reason why the serpent bearer is considered part of the zodiac.

Wait, but why might Ophiuchus be a controversial zodiac sign? It’s a constellation that lands behind the sun like the others, so why wasn’t it included when NASA “recalculated the zodiac”? While the snake charmer may be a constellation, it doesn’t mean that it’s a zodiac sign. A few articles, such as Space Place NASA and How Stuff Works, say that there’s a difference between astrology and astronomy. Astrology is the belief that one’s birthday can “explain your personality or predict future events.” Astronomy is the study of stars. How Stuff Works claims that Ophiuchus isn’t a sign of the zodiac, and instead, is only a constellation.

     Things are getting confusing in the astrology world, but whether or not you enjoy looking into your star sign or getting to know the constellations, most of it is just for fun. One thing is for certain– don’t take astrology seriously; it’s up to you what you wish to believe.