Zodiac Zodiac The zodiac is an area of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The paths of the Moon and visible planets are also within the belt of the zodiac. In Western astrology, and formerly astronomy, the zodiac is divided into twelve signs, each occupying 30° of celestial longitude and roughly corresponding to the constellations Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. The twelve astrological signs form a
Zodiac tropical zodiac used in Western astronomy and astrology, this means that the tropical "sign" of Aries currently lies somewhere within the "constellation" Pisces ("Age of Pisces"). The sidereal coordinate system takes into account the ayanamsa, "ayan" meaning "transit" or "movement", and "amsa" meaning "small part", i.e. movement of equinoxes in small parts. It is unclear when Indians became aware of the precession of the equinoxes, but Bhaskar II's 12th-century treatise "Siddhanta Shiromani" gives equations for measurement of precession of equinoxes, and says his equations are based on some lost equations of "Suryasiddhanta" plus the equation of Munjaala. The discovery of