http://online.chabotcollege.edu/shildreth/astronomy/sunsigns2010.html

Where was the Sun when you were born?

The question of all questions for humanity, the problem which lies behind all others and is more interesting than any of them, is that of the determination of man's place in nature and his relation to the cosmos.- T.H. Huxley
 

Many people confuse astronomy and astrology; after all, they both begin with the root "astr", which comes from Greek meaning "star".   Astronomy is defined generally as the scientific study of the universe, including the solar system, stars and galaxies.  Astrology is defined as any of several traditions or systems in which knowledge of the apparent positions of celestial bodies is held to be useful in understanding, interpreting, and organizing knowledge about reality and human existence on earth.  While both involve the study of positions of planets and stars, they are still very different ideas.  In this assignment you'll explore a bit about "sunsign" astrology.

Assignment Summary:  Two Things to Do!

For the first part of this week's assignment, please create a short reply to the initial questions for Part A, and then continue with the investigation of where the Sun really was when you were born on your birthday.  We will do this activity in class as well.  THEN, do the Part A investigation again with at least one other friend or family member.  Record who you talked to, their answers to the same initial questions, and their reactions when you showed them the Sun's actual position on their Birthday. 

For Part B, read one of the two short pieces about astrology, and provide your reactions, as well as the citation for the reference(s) you read.

Remember to TYPE your answers, and aim for at least 250 words (about 1/2  - 1 page is fine).  Please note you can POST your assignment on Blackboard if you are absent from class  by the due date. 

Part A. (Investigation) Where was the Sun (really!) when you were born? (10 points)

First, answer the following question in a sentence or two:

Do you believe in astrology?   Do you read your horoscope?  Do you *believe* it? :)  Why or why not?

Second, try this activity with your Star and Planet Locator. (If you did not purchase an Edmunds Star and Planet Locator, you can use online tools to accomplish this activity.  Check out the Links in the Blackboard for help!) 

Most people can name their "Sun Sign" - the constellation of the zodiac supposedly nearest the Sun on their date of birth. Astrology columns in the newspaper and magazines use this sign to establish general personality characteristics, based on the twelve zodiacal constellations:

1) Start by noting your birthdate  (month & day only - you don't need the year!) and record your astrological sun sign based on the table above.

But is this really the constellation "behind" the Sun when you were born?  You can use the Star & Planet locator to find the location of the sun on your birthdate.  (If you a different type of locator, or have not yet purchased one, you can still do this task.  Most are marked with the required "ecliptic" line.) You also can use some online tools referenced in the Weblinks area of our online course site,)

2) Set your Edmunds Star and Planet Locator by rotating the blue calendar wheel so that your birthdate is next to NOON (close to the corner marked South). At Noon, we know (regardless of the date) that the Sun is on the meridian, the line running from North to South, dividing our sky into two hemispheres. The AM side (for "ante-meridian") is the side of the sky closer to the Eastern horizon; when the Sun is on this side of the sky, it is before Noon. The PM side (for "post-meridian") is the side closer to the West - the afternoon side.

Question for thought!  What if you weren't born right at noon on your birthday?  Will it make a difference in the constellation the Sun appears in front of?  We'll see a bit later!

3) Imagine a line running through the sky on your Locator from the north to the south.   This is your Meridian.  The Edmund's  Locator has string holes that could be used to create this meridian line! At noon, the Sun will be somewhere on this line.

4) Now Look for the ecliptic line on your Locator - it will be a dashed line labeled ECLIPTIC and you will see it running across the Locator at a slight angle from east to west. The ecliptic is the line representing the Sun's path across the sky during the year. So the Sun can always be found on the ecliptic.  

Mark the point on your Locator's sky where the ecliptic and the meridian cross. On your birthday, that is where the     Sun was! Now look at the zodiac constellation at or near that point  - one of the 12 constellations in the table at thes tart of this activity.  Find the closest one.  If you are EXACTLY between two, note that.  This will be your actual Sun sign!

5) Record your actual Sun sign.  Is it the same as the one you thought was "yours"? (To explain why your actual sign is probably NOT the same as your astrological sign, you will need to read more about precession.)

6) Do you think the results in the above activity depend on what time you were born? In other words, if you were born at night, would the position of the Sun be in front of a different background constellation than if you were born during the daytime?  Record either:

 Yes - I do believe that what TIME of day I was born affects my sunsign.

 No - I don't believe what TIME of day I was born affects my sunsign.

7) Most people believe their results depended on what time they were born, but that is NOT true!  Because we see the Sun rise in the sky, but we can't see the stars behind the sun in the daytime, we think the Sun is the only thing moving.  But the sun AND the stars are both moving, rising in the East, and setting in the West, together.  To see this, answer the following:

7a) Based on the table above, the sun appears to spend about 30 days or so "in front" of each of the twelve zodiac signs.  How long does it takes for the Sun to appear to go in front of all twelve zodiac constellations (that is, around the entire ecliptic once)?

7b) If you were born around the middle of the "window" of time for any particular zodiac sign (say around April 5 for an "Aries"), would the sign change if you were born a day earlier, or a day later?  So does the sun move much along the ecliptic in front of the same zodiac constellation in 24 hours?

7c) How far along the ecliptic will the Sun move in only 12 hours? (How many constellations will it pass through in just 12 hours? All twelve? Just six? Or not even one?)  So if you were born at 6 AM, would you have a different sun sign at 6 PM on the same day?

8) Even with the answers to the questions above, many people will still think that the results of your sunsign depend on the TIME you were born.  One way to recognize they do not is to ask yourself whether people born one day before or after you have different signs or the same sunsign? If they have the same sign, then the sun must not have moved much in 24 hours!  

8a) Ask others in class, or friends and family, to see if anyone has a birthday "near" to yours - say within 2-3 days. Record their name and birthdates and actual sunsigns.  Compare their sunsigns to yours.  Are the they same?  (If there is no one with a birthdate close to yours, look for two other people in the class with nearby birthdates, and compare their signs.)

9) Can you see "your" zodiacal constellation sunsign in the sky at midnight on your birthday? Why or Why not?

9a) To answer this, set your Star Locator for midnight on your birthday, and record the three zodiac constellations visible near the meridian line (the line running directly North-South across the sky).:

9b) Are any of these your actual (or astrological) sun signs? Why not?

9c) Try setting your Star Locator for 6 PM on your birthday. Where (east, west, or overhead) is your sunsign?

 

Answers to some of the questions are available!  But don't peek - answer them as best you can first, and THEN check...! :)

==> Remember to do this activity again with a friend, family member, or co-worker!  Record who you talked with, their expected sunsign, and their actual sign based on the star locator, and their reactions.

Part B. (Research) Astrology as a "pseudo-science"; Astronomy as a science. (10 points)
 

Read either:

The Scientific Exploration of Astrology.  (2006) The Case for and against Astrology  Available at: www.astrology-and-science.com.  You might want to explore this site and check out the site philosophy (or other articles for extra credit if you are interested!)

or

Fraknoi, A. (ed.) (1988) Horoscopes vs. Telescopes, a Focus on Astrology.  The Universe in the Classroom. No. 11  Astronomical Society of the Pacific.  http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/11/11.html

Share in a short paragraph your opinions of the article, and whether it makes a convincing case to you that Astrology is or is not "scientifically" valid.   Be sure you include some specific comment in your essay about what you read. Finish your essay by answering directly whether something being valid scientifically is important to you? 

Include the citation shown above for the article(s) you read; if you find others, please include a similarly formatted citation.