Chinese Wheel Zodiac
Chinese Wheel Zodiac
See also: Zodiac (disambiguation)
In astronomy, the zodiac (Greek: ζῳδιακός) is the ring of constellations that lines the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the Sun across the sky over the course of the year. The Moon and planets also lie within the ecliptic, and so are also within the constellations of the zodiac. In astrology, the zodiac denotes those signs that divide the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude. As such, the zodiac is a celestial coordinate system, to be more precise, an ecliptic coordinate system, taking the ecliptic as the origin of latitude, and the position of the sun at vernal equinox as the origin of longitude.
It is known to have been in use by the Roman era, based on concepts inherited by Hellenistic astronomy from Babylonian astronomy of the Chaldean period (mid-1st millennium BC), which, in turn, derived from an earlier system of lists of stars along the ecliptic. The construction of the zodiac is described in Ptolemy's Almagest (2nd century AD). It was originally described in Rigveda. The term zodiac may also refer to the region of the celestial sphere encompassing the paths of the Moon and the planets corresponding to the band of about eight arc degrees above and below the ecliptic. The zodiac of a given planet is the band that contains the path of that particular body; e.g., the "zodiac of the Moon" is the band of five degrees above and below the ecliptic. By extension, the "zodiac of the comets" may refer to the band encompassing most short-period comets
The term zodiac derives from Latin zōdiacus , which in its turn comes from the Greek ζῳδιακὸς κύκλος ( zōdiakos kuklos ), meaning circle of animals , derived from ζώδιον ( zōdion ), the diminutive of ζῶον ( zōon ) animal . The name is motivated by the fact that half of the signs of the classical Greek zodiac are represented as animals as well as two mythological hybrids.
Although the zodiac remains the basis of the ecliptic coordinate system in use in astronomy besides the equatorial one, the term and the names of the twelve signs are today mostly associated with horoscopic astrology.
History
Further information: Babylonian zodiac, History of astronomy, and History of astrologyThe division of the ecliptic into the zodiacal signs originates in Babylonian ("Chaldean") astronomy during the first half of the 1st millennium BC, likely during Median/"Neo-Babylonian" times (7th century BC), continuing earlier (Bronze Age) systems of lists of stars. Babylonian astronomers at some point during the early 1st millennium BC divided the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude to create the first known celestial coordinate system: a coordinate system that boasts some advantages over modern systems (such as equatorial coordinate system or ecliptic coordinate system). The Babylonian calendar as it stood in the 7th century BC assigns each month a constellation, beginning with the position of the Sun at vernal equinox, which, at the time, was the Aries constellation ("Age of Aries"), for which reason the first astrological sign is still called "Aries" even after the vernal equinox has moved away from the Aries constellation. However, a scientific analysis of the location of the constellations suggests their determination in this region in the Bronze Age (~2700 BC), thereby suggesting an earlier establishment of the constellations.
Babylonia or Chaldea in the Hellenistic world came to be so identified with astrology that "Chaldean wisdom" became among Greeks and Romans the synonym of divination through the planets and stars.
Hellenistic astrology syncretically originated from Babylonian and Egyptian astrology. Horoscopic astrology first appeared in Ptolemaic Egypt. The Dendera zodiac, a relief dating to ca. 50 BC, is the first known depiction of the classical zodiac of twelve signs.
Hindu astrology adopted the Hellenistic zodiac during the Seleucid period (2nd to 1st centuries BC), a period of intense Indo-Greek cultural contact. The transmission of the zodiac system to Hindu astrology predated widespread awareness of the precession of the equinoxes, and the Hindu system ended up using a sidereal coordinate system (as opposed to the Tropical System followed by the Greeks), which resulted in the European and the Hindu zodiacs, even though sharing the same origin in Hellenistic astrology, gradually moving apart over two millennia that have passed since. The Sanskrit names of the signs are direct translations of the Greek names ( dhanus meaning "bow" rather than "archer", and kumbha meaning "water-pitcher" rather than "water-carrier").
Particularly important in the development of Western horoscopic astrology was the astrologer and astronomer Ptolemy, whose work Tetrabiblos laid the basis of the Western astrological tradition. Under the Greeks, and Ptolemy in particular, the planets, Houses, and signs of the zodiac were rationalized and their function set down in a way that has changed little to the present day. Ptolemy lived in the 2nd century AD, three centuries after the discovery of the precession of the equinoxes by Hipparchus around 130 BC, but he ignored the problem, by dropping the concept of a fixed celestial sphere and adopting what is referred to as a tropical coordinate system instead.
The High Middle Ages saw a revival of Greco-Roman magic, first in Kabbalism and later continued in Renaissance magic. This included magical uses of the zodiac, as found, e.g., in the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh.
The zodiacal signs remain in use as the basis of an ecliptic coordinate system, though modern astronomers have tended to use an equatorial coordinate system since Early Modern times. One can see that the use of the sidereal coordinate remained in use throughout the medieval period, e.g., in "de mensura astrolabii liber" by Hermannus Contractus, who gives the locations of stars in stereographic projection for the construction of an astrolabe. He gives the zodiac coordinate of Antares as 14. Scorpius , equalling a J2000.0 ecliptic longitude of 224° (the 14th degree from the beginning of Scorpius at 210°).
Some authors have drawn parallels between the Babylonian zodiac and the Bible. 19th century theologian E. W. Bullinger interpreted the creatures appearing in the books of Ezekiel and Revelation as the middle signs of the four quarters of the Zodiac, with the Lion as Leo, the Bull is Taurus, the Man representing Aquarius and the Eagle standing in Some authors have linked the twelve tribes of Israel with the twelve signs. Martin and others have argued that the arrangement of the tribes around the Tabernacle (reported in the Book of Numbers) corresponded to the order of the Zodiac, with Judah, Reuben, Ephraim and Dan representing the middle signs of Leo, Aquarius, Taurus and Scorpio, respectively. Such connections were taken up by Thomas Mann, who in his novel Joseph and His Brothers , attributes characteristics of a sign of the zodiac to each tribe in his rendition of the Blessing of Jacob.
The twelve signs
Main article: Astrological signWhat follows is a list of the twelve signs of the zodiac (with the ecliptic longitudes of their first points), where 0° Aries is understood as the vernal equinox, with their Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and Babylonian names (but note that the Sanskrit and the Babylonian name equivalents denote the constellations only, not the tropical zodiac signs). Also, the "English translation" is not usually used by English speakers. The Latin names are standard English usage.
The zodiacal symbols are Early Modern simplifications of conventional pictorial representations of the signs, attested since Hellenistic times. The symbols are encoded in Unicode at positions U+2648 to U+2653. there is also a 13 star/ zodiac sign. It is Ophiuchus. It is based on a human though.
Ophiuchus: The 13th Zodiac Sign From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Ophiuchus Shaina.
Ophiuchus
List of stars in Ophiuchus
Abbreviation: Oph Genitive: Ophiuchi Symbolism: the snake-holder / the healer Right ascension: 17 h Declination: 0° Area: 948 sq. deg. (11th) Main stars: 10 Bayer/Flamsteed stars: 62 Stars with known planets: 4 Bright stars: 5 Nearby stars: 8 Brightest star: ? Oph (Ras Alhague) (2.1m) Nearest star: Barnard's Star (5.96 ly) Messier objects: 7 Meteor showers: Ophiuchids; Northern May Ophiuchids; Southern May Ophiuchids; Theta Ophiuchids Bordering constellations: Hercules, Serpens Caput, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Serpens Cauda, Aquila Visible at latitudes between +80° and ?80° Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of July
Ophiu
BBC - Birmingham Features - Chinese Zodiac Signs
Welcome to the Chinese New Year of the Monkey. Find out your Chinese zodiac sign here.
Chinese Blog
Ancient Chinese Astrology is based on two wheels moving at a different rate. One wheel gives the zodiac of twelve animals and is based on Jupiter’s zodiacal position.
Chinese Zodiac Word Wheel: Printable Worksheet - EnchantedLearning.com
Chinese Zodiac Word Wheel: This 2-page print-out makes a Chinese zodiac word wheel; it consists of a base page together with a wheel that spins around. When you spin the wheel ...
Chinese Zodiac Chopsticks - Tiger (8.25 Inch)
Tiger Zodiac Wheel Red Envelopes $1.8 ... The years form a twelve-year cycle of Chinese zodiac signs, each named after an animal.
Chinese Zodiac (1)
Wheels of Fate ... The following images of 12 animal signs of the Chinese Zodiac are my painting similar to the ...
Chinese Zodiac Wheel | OrigamiUSA
Folded by Emily Grossman (age 9) from NY. Design by Michael LaFosse
The Animal Zodiac Wheel
The Chinese Zodiac Wheel. Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake: Horse, Ram, Monkey.
Chinese Zodiac Word Wheel: Printable Worksheet ...
Chinese Zodiac Word Wheel: This 2-page print-out makes a Chinese zodiac word wheel; it consists of a base page together with a wheel that spins around. When you spin the wheel ...
Flickr Picks – Chinese Zodiac Horoscope Wheel | Jobs ...
AndWat posted the following photo of a Chinese Zodiac horoscope wheel: It's an interesting zodiac wheel, probably used for some sort of horoscope
Chinese Zodiac Compatibility
Chinese zodiac horse Chinese zodiac wheel Chinese zodiac elements Chinese zodiac symbols Chinese zodiac calendar Chinese new year zodiac
