To be as blunt as possible, astrology is not a science, it is a meme. It has no scientific validity and rather is regarded as pseudoscience. There are still many people, however, who credit astrology to be factual and believe that one’s zodiac sign actually correlates to their personality. Meanwhile, astronomy is a scientific study of everything in space and is based on complete fact, not made-up stories. 

On social media, we often see zodiac signs being applied to personality, clothes, and people’s love lives, when in reality, they are solely present to increase our screen time and social media addiction. It is another form of fake news. It is important to note that zodiac signs are simply constellations that are in line with the Earth and Sun as the planet follows its orbit. 

Recently, NASA wanted to readdress the difference between astronomy and astrology and make clear that only one was a science. Along with that, they also clarified a lie that has been circling for quite some time. 

Did you know that there are actually 13 constellations in the zodiac and not 12? Some 3000 years ago, the Babylonians decided 12 was a neater number than 13, and therefore chose to disclude the 13th constellation, Ophiuchus. They wanted to divide the Zodiac into 12 in order to match the 12 months on the calendar. NASA, however, ‘re-discovered’ that anyone born between November 29th and December 17th would no longer be a Scorpio or Sagitarrius, but instead an Ophiuchus. This means that the Scorpio window would shift by 7 days, thus causing the entire astrology chart to shift. Many Pieces, Leos, and Libras would have different star signs. 

“The line from Earth through the sun points to Virgo for 45 days, but it points to Scorpius for only 7 days,” NASA said. “To make a tidy match with their 12-month calendar, the Babylonians ignored the fact that the sun actually moves through 13 constellations, not 12. Then they assigned each of those 12 constellations equal amounts of time.” 

Astrology is full of nothing but lies, yet people still invest so much money into taking advice from astrologers despite the fact that horoscopes are based entirely on lies and outdated information. We can see this happen often in matchmaking processes, since people truly believe that the zodiac signs and astrology can help depict which two people would live a restful life when there is no evidence at all that this is true. 

Astrology is simply a money-making business, and sure you can go ahead and read your horoscope for the day, but please do not actually believe it. All those statements are based on nothing but lies. Astrologers base their predictions on 12 zodiac signs, but there are actually 13, so the entire foundation of the subject is skewed.  

In contrast, astronomy is the study of the sun, moon, stars, comets, gas, dust, and other celestial objects. Modern astronomy falls into two categories: the theoretical and observational. Observational astronomy focuses on the direct observation of planets, galaxies, and so forth while theoretical astronomy focuses on modeling how these systems have evolved. Both are very much proven by science through theorems, laws, and observational fact. It takes lots of money to research and explore the mysteries and unknowns of space. NASA and private industries such as SpaceX and Blue Origin fund projects in order to make discoveries possible.

Just remember, even though astronomy and astrology sound similar and come from common roots, they are nothing alike. Astronomy is the study of the universe and its contents outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Astronomers examine the positions, motions, and properties of celestial objects whereas Astrology attempts to connect these positions and motions of celestial objects to people and events on Earth. Astrology is nothing short of pure stupidity.