Desenmascarando a Oficuo

Debunking the 13th Zodiac Sign

The media was recently abuzz with results from Minnesota astronomy instructor Parke Kunkle, who reported some startling findings in the field of astrology. It was claimed that the zodiac sign under which you were born might not really be where you thought it was. According to Kunkle, the signs of the zodiac have shifted over time since they were first discovered and codified by the Babylonians approximately 3,000 years ago due to a "wobble" in the Earth's axis caused by the Moon's gravitational pull. Those who thought they were Scorpios might suddenly be Libras and those who thought they were Pisces could now be Aquarians. In addition to that, a thirteenth sign called Ophiuchus (meaning "Serpent-bearer" in Greek and pronounced "Ooh-FEE-yew-kus") had appeared in the last few millennia, right in between Scorpio and Sagittarius.

Unfortunately, the part of the story that hasn't gotten much attention is that this earthly wobble is old news – it's been nearly 2,000 years since the phenomenon was first discovered. That a contemporary scientist appears to be ill-informed on the work of the Roman era's greatest astronomer, Claudius Ptolemy, is disappointing. Ptolemy is the father of the geocentric (earth centered) view of the universe, which was debunked almost five centuries ago by the heliocentric (sun centered) view of the universe theorized by Nicolaus Copernicus and popularized with the support of Galileo Galilei. However, Ptolemy's geocentric map of the solar system accurately records the position of the Sun, Moon and planets relative to Earth. For example, when the Moon is full, it is on the opposite side of the earth from the Sun. This reality is reflected in Ptolemy's geocentric model of the universe; despite being inaccurate in relationship to the solar system, Ptolemy's geocentric model still precisely predicts the location of the Moon opposite the Sun in accordance with us seeing it as full.

When Ptolemy constructed his map, though, it was as both astronomer and astrologer. Long before our contemporary astronomy instructor was seeking headlines, the Greeks and then the Romans had noticed that the Babylonian astrological system was no longer accurate. Ptolemy's breakthrough was to make Earth and its inhabitants the central focus of astrology and astronomy. Sure, astronomers have since backed the heliocentric mode of the Copernican system, but the geocentric Ptolemaic map of the solar system will still show them where a planet or constellation is in the night sky.

Así que ya no se preocupen que seguirán con su signo!

Fuente de información: Un correo que me llego!