A zodiac sign is a term used in astrology to describe the position of the sun in relation to the stars at the time of a persons birth. There are 12 zodiac signs, each representing a 30-degree sector of Earth's 360-degree orbit around the sun. The Western zodiac originated in Babylonian astrology and was later influenced by the Hellenistic culture. Each sign was named after a constellation the sun annually moved through while crossing the sky. The 12 astrological signs of the zodiac are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
The constellations that make up the zodiac are irregular in size and shape, and the sun regularly passes through one constellation (Ophiuchus) that is not considered a member of the zodiac. Over the centuries, Western astrology's zodiacal divisions have shifted out of alignment with the constellations they were named after by axial precession of the Earth while Hindu astrology measurements correct for this shifting.
Astrology can give us a glimpse of a person's basic characteristics, preferences, flaws, and fears by analyzing the projection of the position of planets, the Sun, and the Moon on the Ecliptic at the moment of birth. Each of the 12 horoscope signs belongs to one of the four elements – Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. Although astrology is an extremely complex study, the most fundamental principle of astrology centers on the 12 familiar star signs of the zodiac.
