THE ZODIAC


What is the Zodiac?

The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8 degrees north and south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic or ecliptic plane, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. 

Also within this zodiac belt appear the Moon and the brightest planets, along their orbital planes. 

The zodiac is divided along the ecliptic into 12 equal parts, called ‘signs’, each occupying 30 degrees of celestial longitude. 

These signs roughly correspond to astronomical constellations.

The signs have been used to determine the time of the year by identifying each sign with the days of the year the Sun is in the respective sign.

In Western Astrology, the time of each sign is associated with different attributes. 

The zodiacal system and its angular measurement in 360 sexagesimal degree originated with Babylonian astronomy during the 1st millennium BC.

It was only then communicated into Greek astronomy by the 2nd century BC, as well as into developing the Hindu zodiac. 

Due to the procession of the equinoxes,  the time of year that the Sun is in a given constellation has changed since Babylonian times.

The zodiac forms a celestial coordinate system, or more specifically an ecliptic coordinate system, which takes the ecliptic as the origin of latitude and the Sun's position at vernal equinox as the origin of longitude. 


In modern astronomy, the ecliptic coordinate system is still used for tracking Solar System objects. 

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