What are constellations?
A constellation is a group of stars that appear to form a pattern or a picture. Currently there are 88 constellations that are recognised as “official” by the International Astronomical Unit as of 1930. Each constellation is a collection of stars that are distributed in space in three dimensions, all different distances from earth. They appear to be in the same plane because we are viewing them from very, very, very far away. There are 50 ancient constellations, and 38 modern constellations that were identified by astronomers in the 1500’s, 1600’s, and 1700’s who used telescopes instead of the naked eye, and connected the dimmer stars located between the ancient constellations to make new ones.
How are the constellations named?
Most of the constellation names we know today came from the ancient Middle Eastern, Roman, and Greek cultures (the Greeks consolidated the earlier works by the Ancient Babbilonian, Egyptian, and Assyrian cultures). They would identify clusters of stars as gods, goddesses, animals, and objects of their stories. In some cases the constellations had ceremonial or religious significance, but in other cases they simply helped mark the passage of time between planting and harvesting. They were not the only cultures to do this but rather the ones most notable.
Are all stars a part of a constellation?
There are billions of stars but only a fraction of them make up the shapes of our constellations. The International Astronomical Unit listed the 88 official constellations, both modern and ancient, and drew a boundary around each one, dividing the imaginary celestial sphere surrounding Earth into 88 pieces. They might not all be constellations themselves, however they do all fall within the boundaries of one of the 88 constellation regions. Astronomers consider any star within a constellation boundary to be a part of that constellation, even though it’s not a part of the actual picture, but not everyone shares this view.
What are the Zodiacs?
The zodiac group or “belt” as it’s often known, are the constellations that fall along the plane of the ecliptic. The Earth orbits our Sun once every year, but when viewed from Earth the Sun appears to trace a circular path, this path is referred to as the ecliptic or the plane of the ecliptic. In total there are 12 zodiac constellations, all listed here below in the order they appear in throughout the year.
It is through the aforementioned constellations that our Sun appears to pass during the year. This annual cycle of the zodiac was used by ancient cultures to determine the time of year, similar to full moons. This whole idea that there were 12 signs along the zodiac that were 30° wide and that the sun moved through these signs regularly during the year was codified by Ptolemy. Even the word zodiac comes from the Greek, from a term for a “sculpted animal figure”.
Why Don’t the Constellations Line Up with the Astrological dates?
The astrological signs were identified and connected to the calendar about 2500 years ago and the timing of Earth’s seasons has shifted since then. Earth wobbles a little like a top, making its axis point in different directions at different times. Because the direction of the Earth’s axis of rotation determines at which point in the Earth’s orbit the seasons will occur, this wobble will cause a particular season to occur at a slightly different place over time. Through time the seasons have shifted with respect to the background of the zodiac constellations. Five thousand years ago, our Sun passed through Taurus during the spring equinox; today it is in Pisces at the start of spring. So If you ever wonder why your horoscope may be off a bit, perhaps by several thousand years ... this shift may be the reason for that.
Cancer Zodiac Sign
Mythology
Cancer was a creature sent by Hera to destroy Heracles, one of Zeus’ illegitimate children whom she hated the most. The giant grab latched on to Heracles’ foot as he was battling the Hydra. He already had his hands full as it was and before finishing off the Hydra, he turned his attention to the crab and crushed it. As a reward for the crab’s obedience and sacrifice, Hera placed it’s image among the stars
Astrology
According to Astrology Cancer is considered a water sign and is one of the four cardinal signs, which are the signs that indicate a change of season when the sun makes its annual passage into them.
