One of the biggest debates within astrology is which system to use. There are many to choose from, the most popular being Tropical, Sidereal and Vedic. A massive issue with all of these systems however is that they do not align with astronomy. Because of this, a new approach is needed, and that new approach is Astronomical Astrology. Keep reading to better understand why to utilize Astronomical Astrology for more accurate interpretation.
When you hear, “It’s Aries Season!” - you would expect to find the sun within the zodiac constellation of Aries. But when you look at the astronomy associated with the dates of the Tropical Aries Season, the sun is still in alignment with Pisces when looking from an Astronomical perspective. Astronomical Astrology corrects for these errors by looking at the current astronomy and concluding where the planets are in astrology by determining where they are within astronomy.
If this is a new concept to you, and you had just assumed that astrology and astronomy were always aligned, that might have been true in the past but due to the precession of the equinox and the earth’s tilt, the sky has quite literally shifted positions from our perspective here on Earth. What was true 2000 years ago is not accurate today, the same as how in 2000 years from now what is accurate today will not be accurate then.
When using the Astronomical Astrology system, we are able to get a clearer and broader picture not only of the 13 signs of the zodiac (yes, 13 - INCLUDING Ophiuchus) aka zodiac constellations but also integrating fixed star alignments within surrounding constellations.
Let’s first understand how we determine which constellations are signs of the Zodiac.
The Sun’s Ecliptic Path
The Sun’s Ecliptic Path is the 360° path that the sun travels along through the fixed stars over the course of a years time.
In the image below, observe the Red Line. This line is the Sun’s Ecliptic Path:
We determine the signs/constellations of the Zodiac by observing which constellations the Sun travels through from our vantage point here on Earth. The 13 Constellations aka Zodiac Signs the Sun travels through, in order, are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
Zodiac Constellation Sizes
Within Astronomical Astrology, the zodiac constellations all vary in sizes. For example, Aries takes up 21° of the Sun’s 360° ecliptic path whereas Virgo takes up 47°, and Scorpio takes up 9°. It will take the sun longer to travel through Virgo than Aries or Scorpio, in this example. When we relate this over to Astrology, you can expect more people to have zodiac placements within Virgo than Aries or Scorpio, based on probability due to Virgo’s larger size. Within most other systems of astrology, they have oversimplified each zodiac constellation as being an equal 30°, which gives extremely inaccurate results. Most tropical astrology calculations end up being about 25° - 30° off of where the planets really were in the sky, which is a HUGE miscalculation and error.
Within the Astronomical Astrology system, not only do we look at accurate degrees of the zodiac constellations, we also look at fixed star alignments within surrounding constellations for a deeper understanding through mythology and associated archetypes.
This part is a newer perspective and approach but many astronomers, astrologers and occultists of the past understood these concepts extremely well, it is more so a lost and/or hidden art at this point.
Fixed Star Alignments
Fixed stars are the stars that we look up and see in the sky. The planets and luminaries (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) transit or orbit through the fixed stars.
For example, there are many fixed stars within the Leo constellation. When the Sun or another planet is “in Leo”, they are aligned with the stars in Leo.
In Astronomical Astrology, we take into consideration the fixed star alignments in correspondence to the degree of the Sun’s 360° ecliptic path. If you have, let’s say, Mars at 16° Leo, then your Mars placement is also in alignment with “Rho Leonis” a star in Leo. By incorporating fixed star alignments according to Zodiac degree, we can gain a deeper understanding of additional energetic influences that were impacting Mars on the day you were born.
Beyond the Zodiac
Staying with the Mars at 16° Leo example, you would also have another alignment to the “Beta Sextantis” star within the Sextans constellation, which is in alignment to and neighboring Leo. Each constellation has unique history, mythology and energetic archetypes that we can use to give an even deeper interpretation of your specific planetary placement.
Alignments to Sextans for example, can result in these attributes:
Let’s take a look at this same example but within astronomy software (I like Stellarium) — Mars at 16° Leo in alignment with Rho Leonis within Leo and Beta Sextantis within Sextans:
Astronomical Astrology is essentially a more advanced but highly accurate version of astrological interpretation. If you’re wondering, YES, I do have Virgo placements meaning I highly appreciate accuracy and details.
Within Astronomical Astrology, we look at these factors for interpretation:
Degree of planet/luminary
Fixed star alignments within zodiac constellations AND neighboring constellations
History and Mythology associated with each constellation
Energetic Archetypes of each constellation for astrological interpretation
Magnitude of Star (brightness)
Distance/Proximity of aligned star to the planet/luminary
This approach heavily integrates astrology and astronomy, allowing us to view our natal and transit charts from a much broader energetic perspective.
If you would like to learn more about the Astronomical Astrology system, I have developed a full course going over everything in great detail.
Download the full course here:
The Astronomical Astrology Course comes with a natal chart, but if you’re more interested in having your natal chart interpreted for you instead, you can get a reading with me here!
About the Author:
Lillia Polivoda -
Astronomical Astrologer and Owner of Astrology Vibez
Leo Sun
Capricorn Moon
Libra Rising
Leo Mercury
Virgo Venus
Leo Mars