news sciences: Sun in zodiac constellations, 2020

Fanciful antique-looking picture of man carrying a long snake scattered with the stars of the Ophiuchus constellation, as published in Urania’s Mirror, a set of 32 constellation cards from 1824.

Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer isn’t an astrological sign, but it is one of the constellations of the zodiac. In other words, many people are born when the sun appears in front of this constellation. In 2019, the sun will cross into Ophiuchus on November 30. Image via IanRidpath.com.

You might know that the real sun in the real sky does not appear in front of a constellation of the zodiac within the same range of dates you’ll see listed in astrological horoscopes. That’s because astrology and astronomy are different systems. Astrologers typically indicate the sun’s position with signs while astronomers use constellations. We were asked for:

… a list of the constellations that fall on the ecliptic with the exact degrees.

And we’ve located this information in Guy Ottewell’s Astronomical Calendar 2020. Below, you’ll find the dates for the sun’s entry into each zodiacal constellation during the year 2020, plus the sun’s ecliptic longitude – its position east of the March equinox point on the ecliptic – for each given date.

We are using the boundaries for the zodiacal constellations established by the International Astronomical Union in the 1930s.

The sun resides at a longitude of 0^o on the ecliptic at the March equinox. The sun is at 90^o ecliptic longitude at the June solstice, 180^o ecliptic longitude at the September equinox and 270^o ecliptic longitude on the December solstice. Image via Wikipedia

Date of sun’s entry into each zodiacal constellation (and corresponding ecliptic longitude):

Dec 18, 2019: Sun enters constellation Sagittarius (266.61 degrees)

Jan 20, 2020: Sun enters constellation Capricornus (299.73 degrees)

Feb 17, 2020: Sun enters constellation Aquarius (327.90 degrees)

Mar 11, 2020: Sun enters constellation Pisces (351.59 degrees)

Apr 18, 2020: Sun enters constellation Aries (29.10 degrees)

May 13, 2020: Sun enters constellation Taurus (53.48 degrees)

Jun 21, 2020: Sun enters constellation Gemini (90.44 degrees)

Jul 20, 2020: Sun enters constellation Cancer (118.27 degrees)

Aug 10, 2020: Sun enters constellation Leo (138.20 degrees)

Sep 16, 2020: Sun enters constellation Virgo (174.17 degrees)

Oct 30, 2020: Sun enters constellation Libra (217.82 degrees)

Nov 23, 2020: Sun enters constellation Scorpius (241.15 degrees)

Nov 30, 2020: Sun enters constellation Ophiuchus (248.05 degrees)

Dec 18, 2020: Sun enters constellation Sagittarius (266.62 degrees)

Source: Timetable of astronomical events

Click here to know which constellation of the zodiac presently backdrops the sun.

Earth-centered ecliptic coordinates as seen from outside the celestial sphere. Ecliptic longitude (red) is measured along the ecliptic from the vernal equinox at 0^o longitude. Ecliptic latitude (yellow) is measured perpendicular to the ecliptic. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Constellations of the zodiac:

Moon lovers! Order this year’s EarthSky lunar calendar here

Dates of sun’s entry into astrological signs versus astronomical constellations. Chart and more explanation at Guy’s Ottewell’s blog. Used with permission.

Bottom line: Sun-entry dates to zodiac constellations in 2020, using boundaries for constellations set by the International Astronomical Union in the 1930s.

Click here to learn dates the sun enters each sign of the zodiac.

What is the zodiac?

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2S3RLFV