On this date, according to the pseudoscience of astrology, the sun is entering the constellation of Leo the Lion. In fact, as the banner graphic at the top of the page shows, the Sun is still within the boundaries of the constellation Cancer the Crab, having just entered that region two days ago.
   The difference between the two locations of the Sun, the correct astronomical vs. the incorrect astrological, is due to the effects of precession, or more specifically, the precession of the Earth’s axis. The Earth wobbles on its axis like a spinning top does as the top slows down. So, in approximately 26,000 years the Earth will have spun, or wobbled one time. This is a repetitive cycle and over the course of one precession cycle the poles of the Earth trace out a circle against the background stars over their respective pole. any star on or nearest to this precession circle is the pole star. Currently the north pole of the Earth points toward Polaris and within this century, due to precession, will point the closest it will be, and then over time the Earth’s north pole will shift away.
   Another effect of precession has been to cause the celestial grid system to shift moving the original signs of the zodiac by at least one constellation to the west. In other words the Sun is more to the east which in effect means that whatever your zodiacal sign may be according to astrology, you are really the constellation to the west, or before it according to Astronomy.
   Click here to read a little more about precession from a previous blog.
   It is written elsewhere that astrology came into practice somewhere around 3000 BC as observational astronomy evolved from oral to written and graphic formats. So the basis for at least Sun astrology is the position of the Sun relative to stars in the background some 3,000 years ago. However we now know that due to the effects of precession the Sun’s position is no longer as it was during the beginnings of astrology. The two-part slideshow below shows the sun’s position today within Cancer, 22 July 2013 AD, and then shifts to show the sun in Leo 3,000 years ago on 22 July 1013 BC. Precession has shifted the sun’s position one constellation to the west.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.