What’s the difference between “Astrology” and “Astronomy?”  Can you really believe the daily horoscopes you read in the paper or online?  Do the stars and planets hold the key to your future?

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary astronomy is, “the study of objects and matter outside the earth’s atmosphere and of their physical and chemical properties,” while astrology is, “the divination of the supposed influences of the stars and planets on human affairs and terrestrial events by their positions and aspects.”  Astronomers use telescopes and deep space probes to study the planets and stars, while astrologers make predictions about our daily lives based on the positions of the planets, or the stars under which we were born.

Astrology is very popular: According to a 2005 Gallup poll 25% of Americans believe in astrology.  Over 90% of young adults in the United States know their birth signs.   Americans spend over $200 million every year on astrology.  Astrology has even influenced America’s national leaders: First Lady Nancy Reagan consulted a San Francisco astrologer as she advised President Reagan on his daily White House schedule.  Yet while the scientific community views astronomy as a science, it views astrology as a pseudo-science – as pure hokum.   Who’s right?

Interestingly, astrology gave birth to modern astronomy.  Astrology traces its origins back 3,500 years to ancient Babylon.  The Babylonians paid careful attention to the appearance of certain bright stars each year so as to determine when to plant and harvest crops, and when to hold their annual religious rituals.  They also believed the appearance of different planets were omens of when to wage war, when to marry, etc.   For these reasons, the Babylonians had a strong incentive to carefully study the motions of the planets and stars.

The Babylonians established the astrological signs used today, which include Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.  These are the constellations (areas of the night sky) through which the sun appears to move throughout the course of each year.  In ancient times the sun appeared to be in the constellation Aries in late March and April of each year.  And so people who were born during that time of year were said to have the birth sign of “Aries.”   The Babylonians applied the same logic for the remaining 11 birth signs.

Astrology continued to motivate the study of astronomy for thousands of years until astronomy and astrology parted company just a few hundred years ago.  Indeed, such notable astronomers as Galileo, Copernicus and Kepler practiced, or contributed to, astrology.

The Debate

Today’s scientists make a number of arguments against astrology:

• They’ve conducted statistical studies that show there is no relationship between people’s personalities and birth signs.
• They question why astrologers focus on the alignment of planets and the stars at the time of a person’s birth, as opposed to the time of conception.
• Until just a few centuries ago, the outer planets of the solar system – such as Uranus and Neptune – had not been discovered.  Does this mean, scientists ask, that the horoscopes created during the previous millennia were incorrect?  And given that we keep discovering new planets in our solar system, doesn’t this mean today’s horoscopes cannot be trusted?
• If astrologers really can predict the future, they should be making a ton of money on Wall Street.  So why aren’t they all superrich?
• If, as astrologers believe, the positions of the planets at the time of birth influence one’s personality by virtue of each planet’s gravitational force on the infant, then what about the gravitational force exerted by the doctor who delivers the infant?  After all, it can be mathematically proven that the gravitational force exerted by a distant planet on a baby’s body is insignificant compared to the gravitational force exerted by, say, a human near the infant.
• If, as some astrologers concede, the gravity of the planets does not affect humans at the time of birth, what planetary force does?
• If, as some astrologers maintain, the distance of planets from each infant doesn’t matter, why do astrologers focus so much on planets?  Why not take into account the positions of distant galaxies, for example?

Astrologers respond to these sorts of critiques as follows:

• Scientific studies of astrology are based on random samples of people with different birth dates and personality types.  But astrology rejects the notion of randomness in the universe.
• Astrology is not a precise science like physics or chemistry: it’s more holistic.  We make broad statements about the future.  For example, your horoscope might indicate that, “Today is a good day for you to conclude that business deal.”  But your horoscope won’t advise you when you should buy 1,000 shares of AT&T!
• In a sense, astrology does take into account all of the galaxies in space – as well as the positions of the planets – since astrology focuses on the constellations, which include not only the planets of our solar system, but galaxies and other astronomical objects as well.
• The discovery of new planets doesn’t mean past horoscopes were wrong, only that they were incomplete.  As new planets are discovered, horoscopes become more accurate.
• Regarding conception vs. birth … While most horoscopes are based on the date of a person’s birth (“birth sign”), there are astrologers who base their horoscopes on the time of conception.  We each have a choice of horoscopes to follow!
• As to what planetary forces do affect humans at birth, astrologers remind astronomers that there is much about the universe that astronomy has yet to explain.

Furthermore, astrologers argue, many thinkers advocate a more holistic view of humanity and our place in the universe – a view that integrates science, spirituality, psychology, religion, and philosophy.  This new approach is based in large measure on the evolution of the natural and social sciences.  For example, in its study of the development of personality, psychology first focused on the influence of the family, then the influence of society, and is now exploring the influence of the environment/nature (“eco-psychology”).  The next logical step for psychology may very well be “astro-psychology,” a.k.a. “astrology.”  In physics, the eminent physicist Dr. John Wheeler (a colleague of Albert Einstein, and who is credited with the analytic “discovery” of black holes) postulated in his cybernetic theory of the universe that essentially all cause and effect is due to cosmic ray fluctuations – the software driving a digital universe.  We know that the moon influences animals, human female cycles, etc.  We know the sun (through charged particles) has fundamental influences on human behavior, health, and technology.   Quantum physics underscores the interconnectedness of all matter in the universe, and the illusory nature of time and space.  In short, these insights from science itself open new ways of thinking about how the universe – including the planets and stars – affect us in our daily lives.

Astrology will likely continue to be debated in the scientific — and religious — communities.  Perhaps most people  will continue to read their horoscopes just for fun!