Astrology has become popular throughout the years

Astrology has become popular throughout the years – that is ‘astrology’ as the influence it has on the lives of people. In fact, a total of 84 millions American are into Astrology all because of the following reasons.

1. It has a universal and strong appeal. It tackles the self amidst its surrounding and the roots or personal nature. Therefore, it has become a pastime for most.

2. Astrology offers decision making for those who don't want to do it themselves. This applies to those who believe in ‘astrology’ – the one connected to fate and horoscope.

3. Those who are avid astrologers are more confident because they feel that they have uncovered secrets and knowledge most people don't have an inkling of.

Yet, despite the hype, a poll recently revealed that seven out of ten Americans don't believe in the craft. Simply because it doesn't completely answer the question "how exactly does it work?"

Astrology: Is it Fact or Fiction?

"The truth is out there." That is the adage made popular by the sci-fi series "The X-Files" starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Though debunked, the interest for what is out there is still rooted in such arts and crafts – one of which is astrology.

They say that the future is written in the stars. The positioning of the stars (dependent on your time, date and place) pretty much serve as factors on what you are like as a person. Some soothsayers even claim that your destiny is already written for you.

So here is a good question – is astrology fact or fiction? Sure, it’s up to the person. Some believe that the stars are somehow responsible. Others know that they make their own destinies.

But here is one thing we will clarify. The word ‘astronomy’ we’re pertaining to here is the belief that the cosmic objects influence the lives of people living on Earth. This isn't the science that deals with celestial objects.

First and foremost, let’s discuss the history. Ancient people tried to come up with the answer to this question 6000 years ago. In Mesopotamia during the period of the "Cradle of Civilization," there was a tribe called the Chaldeans who turned to the stars when they were in need of guidance.

While they were staring up in the sky during the evening, the Chaldeans made an important discovery. They noted that the zodiacal constellation most visible from dusk up to dawn was located in the East. Therefore, their belief on astrology was connected to the study of the celestial objects, as presented by Copernicus.

It was also the Chaldeans who selected the twelve constellations which represent the night sky and also each month of the year. They came up with the zodiacal path where the Sun, the Moon and the planets orbit around. The Chaldeans actually made the foundation for the study that is now known as astrology.

In Astrology, the primary question is, "What’s your sign?" Now, by logic, everyone would say their zodiac (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces).

For astrologers, the Sun is located in each sign for 30 days. This is popularly known as "horoscope" which you find in magazines or newspapers. For example, a person who was born on September 20 is born under the sign of Virgo the Virgin. Oddly enough, when we look up in the sky on September 20, the sun isn't located in Virgo but in Libra the Scales.

This is where ‘the load of bunkum’ begins for some people. According to non-believers, how would everyone born under a particular sign have the same luck or misfortune on the very same day?

Regardless of this disbelief, avid astrologers continue to prepare the horoscopes by relying on their astronomical researches and theories tested by science in order to calculate which positions the various planets will be in on a given day. Science is the first step in this method, therefore ‘astrology’ pertains to both the study of the stars influencing the lives of individuals as well as the study of the cosmic beings.

Yet at the moment, even if we are connecting the influences of the stars and the planets in our lives, as how the Chaldeans, Babylonians, Egyptians and Greeks did 22 centuries ago, astrology is the calculated system that ahs been developed, thanks to scientific principles.

Therefore, it isn't just a mixture of myth and magic. There is something cosmic and celestial with the whole creation of astrology. It really depends on which ‘astrology’ we really are talking about.

Poor Maligned Pluto

Last year, astronomers publicly announced that Pluto isn't a planet anymore. It wasn't able to fulfill the guidelines. Therefore, the solar system is now composed of eight planets.

The International Astronomical Union has removed Pluto’s planetary status which it's had since it was discovered in 1930. The definition of what makes a planet a planet has been updated and pretty much different from Copernicus’ labor of love.

New regulations state that a planet is defined as a celestial body orbiting around the sun. It must have a sufficient mass in order to gravitate itself and to overcome the body forces. Therefore, its orbit must be of a round shape.

At a conference consisting of 2500 astronomers who came from a total of 75 countries, demoting Pluto was a plan that was popular. It also declared two objects cruising around Pluto as dwarf planets. These are Ceres, an asteroid, which was discovered in 1800s and 2003 UB313 also known as Xena, an icy object that is a bit bigger than Pluto. Meanwhile, Charon, which is the largest moon of Pluto, won't be considered for another designation.

This discussion resulted to an agreement that basis tests must be undergone before a celestial object is considered to be a planet. Such talk is necessary because admitting to being a planet is like becoming a member of a cosmic club for the elite.

At the moment, there are only eight planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. So what will now happen to the popular phrase concocted "My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas?" (This is a way for students to remember the solar system.) Will it now be shortened to "My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us… Now?

Pluto was disqualified because it has an oblong orbit which overlaps that of Neptune’s. This being the case, it is classified as a "dwarf planet" also known as "minor planets." This new definition also led to another class of lesser objects orbiting the sun. The third class is deemed as "small solar system bodies." The examples are comets, asteroids and natural satellites.

The demotion of Pluto from planet to dwarf planet has repercussions. It can affect NASA’s New Horizons mission. This is the 961/27 year travel to Pluto in order to discover it further.

It’s just ironic that for decades, Pluto, which is farthest from the sun, was nicknamed to be the smallest planet because of its pint-size. This debate has been ongoing since the argument that Pluto is only one four-hundredths of the total mass of the planet we’re living on which is Earth.

But it pretty much remained to be the ninth planet because it was the only object residing within the Kuiper Belt or the disc-shaped zone wherein thousands of planetary objects and comets gravitate.

In the 1990s, it was confirmed that the Kuiper Belt contained several other bodies that are similar to Pluto. This triggered doubts among scientists: on whether Pluto really is a planet or merely an object?

Then this debate heated further when Michael Brown and his colleagues discovered a celestial object that is bigger and further away from the sun, compared with Pluto. This is the UB313 which was measured by the Hubble Space Telescope at 2400 kilometers in terms of diameter. Plus, it is 710 kilometers longer when set alongside Pluto.

Now, it has sealed its fate – it isn’t a planet anymore. At least this announcement is exciting. Pluto has long been the center of contention amidst groups of astronomers because of its different way of orbiting the sun.

The only adjustment we have to do is how to educate children. Which brings us back to the sentence mentioned earlier which helps them recall the structure of the solar system.

"My very earnest mother just served us now." No more nine pizzas. No need for the word pizza to represent Pluto because it is no longer a major planet despite all the debates and contentions it has sparked throughout a number of decades.

Nonetheless, the solar system will be explored further in order to uncover the interesting celestial bodies and objects flying out there.