Did you know that the night sky has 88 constellations? Humans have cataloged and labeled them all over the period of thousands of years. However, only 12 are exceptionally well-known and continue to play a role in modern astrological systems. The zodiac signs are a set of 12 constellations that correlate to the various months of the year.
Starting with the vernal equinox one of the crossings of the ecliptic with the celestial equator each of these occupys a sector of the sky that makes up 30 of the ecliptic. Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces are the astrological signs in the following order: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Here is a list of all the zodiac signs and their associated dates. Your zodiac sign is determined by your birthdate falling inside one of those dates.
Granted, current science has proven astrology to be an ancient fallacy, a method of correlating celestial motions to events and behaviors on Earth. However, given their lack of understanding of human psychology, astronomy, and the reality that Earth was not the center of the universe, such patterns were vital for ancient humans.
In This Article...
What is the order of the 12 zodiac signs?
The zodiac is a belt-shaped section of the sky that stretches approximately 8 degrees north or south of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year (as measured in celestial latitude). The Moon’s and visible planets’ courses are all within the zodiac belt.
The zodiac is divided into twelve signs in Western astrology, and formerly astronomy: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Each sign occupies 30 degrees of celestial longitude and roughly corresponds to the star constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn
These astrological signs make up a celestial coordinate system, or more specifically, an ecliptic coordinate system, in which the ecliptic serves as the origin of latitude and the vernal equinox serves as the origin of longitude.
What constellation follows Virgo?
On May nights in the Northern Hemisphere, Virgo the Maiden rises high above the southern horizon. This is the ideal time of year to see this, the largest of the zodiac constellations. After Hydra, Virgo is the second-largest constellation in the sky. There’s a simple way to finding this constellation thanks to its brightest star, Spica.
Remember this helpful mnemonic device to locate Virgo: Spica to Arcturus and arc to Arcturus. What exactly does that imply? You can follow the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle to a bright orangish star named Arcturus in the constellation Botes by following the curvature of its handle. Then “drive a spike” (or “speed on down” as the term goes) to Spica.
The stars of the Maiden
Spica is the 16th brightest star in the sky, and it marks a bundle of wheat that the Maiden is holding. Spica is a magnitude 0.98 star 262 light years away from Earth.
The binary star Gamma Virginis, or Porrima, is the next brightest star in Virgo. Porrima is a magnitude 2.74 star located towards the constellation’s center, above (northwest of) Spica. It’s a whopping 38 light-years away. The constellation’s third brightest star can be found in the constellation’s northern reaches. Vindemiatrix is a magnitude 2.85 star at a distance of 102 light-years.
The Virgo Cluster
The constellation Virgo is known for its hundreds of galaxies. The Virgo Cluster is located west of Vindemiatrix, at the border of Coma Berenices. The Virgo Cluster is the Milky Way’s nearest big collection of galaxies. The Virgo Cluster is located at the heart of the Local Supercluster, which is a huge collection of galaxies. The Milky Way is part of the Local Supercluster, which also includes the Local Group of galaxies.
The Milky Way’s and our Local Group’s escape velocity is being slowed by the gravitational attraction of the Virgo Cluster in the Local Supercluster. We are speeding toward the Virgo cluster, which is one of the few sites in the cosmos that we are speeding toward. As a result, the galaxies in the Virgo Cluster are among the few that have a blueshift rather than a redshift. These several galaxies will eventually combine into a single massive clump.
On the border of Virgo and Coma Berenices is a galaxy with one of the highest blueshifts. Among the other objects in the Virgo Cluster, one galaxy, M90, is moving quickly. Because of its close proximity to other galaxies, it is likewise being stripped of gas and dust. This galaxy can be seen with a telescope across a 60 million light-year span at magnitude 9.5.
M49, M58, M59, M60, M84, M86, M87, and M89 are other galaxies in this position that are between 8th and 9th magnitude. Scanning between the constellations Virgo and Coma Berenices reveals a slew of galaxies.
M87, or Virgo A
M87 is a unique galaxy in the Virgo Cluster that deserves to be highlighted. It shines at magnitude 8.6 and is so easily visible using any telescope or even binoculars. M87 is 60 million light-years from Earth. Its spherical collection of stars is around half a million light-years across, or about five times the diameter of the Milky Way. The galaxy’s halo, on the other hand, has a diameter of around a million light-years, which is big, but astronomers expected it to be even larger. They assume something severed the halo’s creation early on.
The biggest known number of globular clusters can be found in M87. The Milky Way has around 200 globular clusters, whereas M87 has thousands. These clusters could be dwarf galaxies dragged in by M87’s gravity.
M87 contains a jet that stretches thousands of light-years outward from its core. The jet comes from a massive black hole in the galaxy’s core. In fact, in 2019, M87’s black hole was the first to be imaged.
The Sombrero Galaxy
Apart from the huge cluster, M104, also known as the Sombrero Galaxy, is another bright and prominent galaxy. It shares the constellation’s southeastern boundary with Corvus the Crow. In photos, M104 is a magnificent galaxy. Small telescopes can view it because of its magnitude of 8.3. It’s a dusty spiral with a bright core that’s edge-on. M104 is about 55 million light-years from Earth.
Virgo in mythology
Persephone, the harvest goddess’s daughter, is personified by Virgo. According to Greek myth, Earth used to be perpetually springtime. Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, the god of the underworld.
Demeter, filled with sadness, renounced her duty as a goddess of the Earth. The world’s fertility and fruitfulness were harmed. According to legend, Earth would not become fertile again until Persephone returned. Hades was ordered by Zeus to return Persephone to Demeter. Persephone was also told by Zeus that she could not consume anything until she returned. Unfortunately, Hades handed Persephone a pomegranate on purpose.
Persephone was thus returned to her mother, but she must return to the underworld for four months every year due to the pomegranate. Persephone is reunited with Demeter, and spring comes to the Northern Hemisphere to this day. When Persephone is in the underworld, the winter season reigns supreme.
Virgo is not visible in the early evening sky in the Northern Hemisphere in late fall, winter, and early spring. The return of Virgo to the sky at nightfall in the months of April and May corresponds to the start of the spring season.
The Virgo the Maiden constellation is the largest of the zodiac constellations. It’s easy to remember thanks to a helpful mnemonic device and the bright star Spica.
Which zodiac is the most intelligent?
Aquarius is the zodiac sign with the highest intelligence. Uranus, the planet of invention, creativity, and expanded consciousness, rules them. As a result, this air sign does more than just process information and spit it back out: they evaluate, comprehend, and expand on it. “They’re creative, unconventional, and frequently ahead of their time,” Kovach adds. “They have a good understanding of how upcoming trends work and may have a picture of the future that others don’t.”
Aries, who should you marry?
Libra (opposites attract), Sagittarius, and Leo are the most compatible signs for Aries in friendship and romantic relationships (fellow fire signs will speak their same passionate language).
Are you a Virgo or a Libra on September 22nd?
The sun leaves the sign of Virgo and enters the sign of Libra on September 22 or 23 every year. If you were born around those dates, you may identify with the characteristics of the Virgo-Libra cusp sign. Being born on the first or last days of a zodiac sign season, however, does not automatically make you a mix of two signs. Because planets may only be in one zodiac sign at a time, identifying as a Scorpio has no astrological grounding “Sign of the cusp.” I’m sorry to break it to you, but even if your birthday falls on the last day of Virgo season, you’re still a Virgo, not a so-called Virgo-Libra cusp. Here, I’m only the cosmic messenger.
Cusp signs aren’t genuine, but that doesn’t mean those born along the Virgo-Libra cusp aren’t affected by both signs. There are many reasons why they may feel like a mix of two zodiac archetypes, and a birth chart reading can help you figure out why. Mercury and Venus, for example, are two of the planets in the solar system “The sun’s personality planets”) always stay within a few of zodiac signs. This indicates that a Virgo may have planets in Libra, or that a Libra may have planets in Virgo. This could manifest in a person’s personality as a mix of Virgo and Libra zodiac sign attributes, in which case researching Virgo-Libra cusp traits could be beneficial.
Let’s look at the Virgo-Libra energy junction now that that’s out of the way. During the last month of the summer, the sun is in the earth sign Virgo, assisting us in finding some stability and being prepared as we prepare for the change of seasons. The airy Libra season, on the other hand, energizes our interpersonal interactions and helps us strike a balance between our own demands and those of others (which begins on the day of the fall equinox). Each sign’s energy builds on the significance of the previous one, and the zodiac’s order depicts a journey through the seasons. All zodiac signs have an opportunity to unite with the transitional energy as the sun transits through the Virgo-Libra cusp each year.
Even if being a cusp sign isn’t an astrological idea, you can still have a lot of Virgo and Libra zodiac energy in your birth chart. Understanding Virgo-Libra cusp features can be beneficial to anybody in late summer and early fall, not just those born around that time.
Virgo is a virgin for a reason.
We may learn a lot about Virgo by looking at its ruling planet, Mercury, which rules communication, intellect, and travel and is also linked to the sign of Gemini.
Mercury appears as a quick-thinking, talkative, and lively force in Gemini (a mutable air sign). However, because Virgo is an earth sign, it represents Mercury’s more self-contained vitality.
With the help of Mercury, Virgo’s role is to sort through the harvest, distinguishing what is necessary from what isn’t. Virgo is dedicated to this work, which is why they are known as the zodiac’s editors.
The “virginity” of Virgo isn’t often associated with sexual purity. It has to do with the sign’s commitment to purity and service. It also proves that Virgos are entirely capable of looking after themselves.
Virgo is a changeable sign, which means it helps us shift from one season to the next (in the Northern Hemisphere, Virgo season begins when summer transitions to fall), thus it has a mental and physical flexibility and vitality, similar to Gemini, another Mercury-ruled sign.
In this annual astrology forecast, find out what the year 2022 holds for Virgo.