The zodiac belt as we know it today, with or without the inclusion of the precession of the equinox and the wobble of the earth, are iconic images symbolic of the collective imaginations of ancient civilizations from the time the first human walked the earth to the present. The twelve constellations in the zodiac are symbols reflective of the cyclic process of becoming, natural evolutionary cycles of growth, death and rebirth.
Ancient civilizations aligned their calendar systems with the zodiac belt and movement of the sun and moon because it worked with the whole of the cosmic order, the seasons - the phases of the moon, and division of the annual rotation of the sun into four quadrants – the vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox and winter solstice. Not only did the belt of twelve constellations make sense to the naked eye, one major star configuration following another in a belt around the earth or solar system, it made sense in terms of the twelve annual revolutions of the moon around the earth and the division of the year by four quadrants or seasons.
With respect to the question of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, there are dozens of other constellations or stars that fill the night sky, that intrude on the stars that form the constellations in the zodiac belt, that fall in or around them, and their presence was not unknown, as illustrated by Kepler’s illustration in 1600 the constellations Scorpios and Sagittarius still follow closely, the tail of the scorpion curves just under the bow of the archer. The boundary between the two is ambiguous, all boundaries around the constellations mere projections of human civilization. Moreover, the constellation Ophiuchus is clearly not between the archer and scorpion but above them, with a star depicting his foot falling on the scorpion’s back. He is not new by any stretch, nor does he qualify as a zodiac sign, nor has he ever. He is quite impressive though!
With respect to the question of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, there are dozens of other constellations or stars that fill the night sky, that intrude on the stars that form the constellations in the zodiac belt, that fall in or around them, and their presence was not unknown, as illustrated by Kepler’s illustration in 1600 the constellations Scorpios and Sagittarius still follow closely, the tail of the scorpion curves just under the bow of the archer. The boundary between the two is ambiguous, all boundaries around the constellations mere projections of human civilization. Moreover, the constellation Ophiuchus is clearly not between the archer and scorpion but above them, with a star depicting his foot falling on the scorpion’s back. He is not new by any stretch, nor does he qualify as a zodiac sign, nor has he ever. He is quite impressive though!
Figure 1. Keppleri, Johannis. (1606). Ophiuchus, [Gk., The Serpent Bearer], a.k.a., Serpentarious. Retrieved from wikipedia.
