For those of you who believe that heavenly bodies (astronomical) have influence over your lives, you may be in for a rude awakening.

No, I am not going to try to debunk the myths of astrological signs having an influence over your wealth, health, love-life and mood. I will, though, help you learn about the stars, constellations, and the addition of a NEW astrological sign (if you are willing to read a little, which, by the way, is an EXCELLENT way of learning).

NASA has a post on their site that, first and foremost, points out that there is a significant difference between astronomy and astrology. Astronomy is science. Astrology is bunk (not their words, of course).

In a nutshell, NASA talks about the origins of the Zodiac calendar (created over 3,000 years ago by the Babylonians, there were actually 13 signs, not 12, etc); they talk about the way Earth is tilted on its axis, which, over time, changes our orientation to the stars; they also mention the 13th astrological sign, Ophiuchus (don't even ask me how to pronounce that!).

So, in another nutshell (allergic to nuts, yet?), here is the deal: your astrological sign, or the one you THOUGHT you had, might be different now, 3,000 years later.

According to PBS, here is a better interpretation of the Zodiac calendar:

Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20
Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11
Pisces: March 11-April 18
Aries: April 18-May 13
Taurus: May 13-June 21
Gemini: June 21-July 20
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23-29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17

- PBS website

It looks like I used to be a Libra!  Now, I am a skeptic.  Go figure.

More From 97.3 The Dawg