Nicole del Cardayre | Staff Writer | The sky has shifted.
The stars have changed.
The Earth's axis is different.
Because of these changes, NASA (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has introduced a 13th zodiac sign; Ophiuchus.
A big question is asked regarding the changes of the zodiac calendar: Will this change make people alter their personalities to match their new zodiac sign?
“I like my sign, and it seems to be pretty accurate. I'm a Pisces and if the Ophiuchus is true, then I'd be an Aquarius, but I don't see myself as that at all,” said junior Julia Walsh.
In September, Cosmopolitan magazine published an article about NASA’s sighting of the 13th zodiac sign. This article was the main catalyst that spread awareness of Ophiuchus. For people who strongly identify with their sign and read daily horoscopes, the article came as a shock.
“I don't really like the new sign and I think a lot of others don't either because it shifts everything and a lot of people are defined by their signs,” said Walsh.
Because of the slight date change in the zodiac signs, some people’s zodiac personalities have changed drastically.
For example, a Leo’s personalities are characterized as outgoing and powerful; however, with the new zodiac dates, Leos will now become Cancers who are characterized to be driven by their emotions and shy.
“I don't think I will change my sign because I've related to the Cancer zodiac sign for a while, but I may look at what my other sign could possibly be and compare how relatable it is to who I am. I feel like most people won't really notice it unless it directly affects their astrological marking by making them change to a new sign or adopting the new sign. I think for a while it may be confusing to people, especially if they've related to their sign for so long, but I don't feel people will change their personalities because of the change of their zodiac sign,” said junior Alexis Eliopoulos.
And with the 13th sign being added to the zodiac calendar, there is controversy regarding the shift of the signs. Ophiuchus’ dates are Nov. 29 to Dec. 17, shifting all of the sign’s dates by approximately a month.
“I like my sign, and it seems to be pretty accurate. I'm a Pisces and if the Ophiuchus is true, then I'd be an Aquarius, but I don't see myself as that at all,” said junior Julia Walsh.
For people who strongly identify with their sign and read daily horoscopes, the article came as a shock.
“I don't really like the new sign and I think a lot of others don't either because it shifts everything and a lot of people are defined by their signs,” said Walsh.
Because of the slight date change in the zodiac signs, some people’s zodiac personalities have changed drastically.
For example, a Leo’s personalities are characterized as outgoing and powerful; however, with the new zodiac dates, Leos will now become Cancers who are characterized to be driven by their emotions and shy.
“I don't think I will change my sign because I've related to the Cancer zodiac sign for a while, but I may look at what my other sign could possibly be and compare how relatable it is to who I am. I feel like most people won't really notice it unless it directly affects their astrological marking by making them change to a new sign or adopting the new sign. I think for a while it may be confusing to people, especially if they've related to their sign for so long, but I don't feel people will change their personalities because of the change of their zodiac sign,” said Eliopoulos.
Ophiuchus means “Serpent holder” in Latin. It is the only zodiac sign that is connected to a person; Imhotep, an ancient Egyptian. All of the other signs have animals as their symbols.
The traits associated with Ophiuchus are curiousness, jealousy, strong leadership skills, and competitiveness.
According to astrology zodiac signs, the 12 original zodiac signs were meant to further one’s understanding of personality traits and view the potential one has. Each sign has multiple traits that can be applied to everybody’s lives.
Horoscopes combine all the aspects of the zodiac signs and predict the future of people’s lives. Horoscopes can be found almost anywhere online, in magazines and social media. “When I read the daily horoscopes that magazines or Snapchat articles have it’s kind of weird to see how insanely accurate they are,” said junior Katie Snider.
Some people take horoscopes very seriously and believe them to be true, while others do not share this common belief.
“If the new zodiac were really important, it would have been added in before now. However, I think the addition of the new zodiac will prove to be very interesting because it may force people to re-evaluate where they stand on the zodiac calendar,” said Eliopoulos.