Zodiac Types

Tropical vs Sidereal

In essence, the tropical Zodiac is a mathematical construct that calculates the signs in accordance with the seasons of the year whereas the sidereal Zodiac looks at the actual position of the constellations in the sky. About two and a half thousand years ago, when the tropical Zodiac was fixed, these two were the same. Since then the precession of the equinoxes has meant that they have drifted apart.

According to the tropical Zodiac, the annual parade of signs begins with the sign of Aries at the vernal equinox (first day of spring) in the Northern hemisphere. In the sidereal Zodiac Aries begins when the Sun actually enters the constellation's assigned area of sky - the vernal equinox currently falls in Pisces according to this system.

The sidereal Zodiac can thus be argued as more "real" than the tropical one, however the majority of Western astrologers in the US and Europe continue to use the tropical system. There are a relatively small number of strong supporters of the sidereal system.

The tropical Zodiac is one normally used in the West today. When we tell people our Star Sign we're usually referring to the tropical zodiac.