Aries is a sign of the zodiac. Represented by the ram. It is a northern constellation of 156 stars, of which fifty are visible. It is the first of the twelve signs in the zodiac, which the sun enters at the vernalequinox, about the 21st of March. The first point in Aries is that where the equator cuts the ecliptic in the ascending node, and from which the right ascensions of heavenly bodies are reckoned on the equator, and their longitudes upon the ecliptic. Owing to the precession of the equinoxes the sign Aries no longer corresponds with the constellation Aries, which it did 2000 years ago. Research Aries
Gemini, the Twins, is the third sign of the zodiac, so named from its two brightest stars, Castor, of the first magnitude, farthest to the west, and Pollux, of the second, fartliest to the east. Its constituent stars form a binary system revolving in about 250 years. The sun is in Gemini from about the 21st May until about the 21st June, or the longest day. Research Gemini
In astrology, horoscope is a scheme or figure of the twelve houses, or twelve signs of the zodiac, in which is marked the disposition of the heavens at a given time and place, and by which astrologers tell the fortunes of persons, according to the position of the stars at the time of their birth. To each of the houses is assigned a particular virtue or influence. The ascendant is that part of the heavens which was rising in the east at the moment; this is the first and most important house, or house of life, and contains the five degrees above the horizon and the twenty-five beneath it. Other houses are those of riches, marriage, death, etc. Research Horoscope
The zodiac was the name given by the ancient Greeks to the heavens. It was an imaginary belt in the celestial sphere, extending about 80 degrees on either side of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun among the stars. The width of the zodiac was determined originally so as to include the orbits of the Sun and Moon and of the five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) that were known to the people of ancient times.
The zodiac is divided into 12 sections of 300 degrees each, which are called the signs of the zodiac. Starting with the vernalequinox and then proceeding eastward along the ecliptic, each of the divisions is named for the constellation situated within its limits in the second century BC. The names of the zodiacal signs are Aries, the Ram; Taurus, the Bull; Gemini, the Twins; Cancer, the Crab; Leo, the Lion; Virgo, the Virgin; Libra, the Balance; Scorpio, the Scorpion; Sagittarius, the Archer; Capricorn, the Goat; Aquarius, the Water Bearer; and Pisces, the Fish. Because of the precession of the equinoxes about the ecliptic, a 26,000-year cycle, the first point of Aries retrogrades about 10 degrees in 70 years, so that the sign Aries today lies in the constellationPisces. In about 24,000 years, when the retrogression will have completed the entirecircuit of 3600, the zodiacal signs and constellations will again coincide.
It is believed that the zodiacal signs originated in Mesopotamia as early as 2000 BC . The Greeks adopted the symbols from the Babylonians and passed them on to the other ancient civilisations. The Egyptians assigned other names and symbols to the zodiacal divisions. The Chinese also adopted the 12-fold division, but called the signs rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, serpent, horse, sheep, monkey, hen, dog, and pig. Independently, the Aztec Indians devised a similar system. Research Zodiac
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Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Aries
