Astrology Lab

The Universe At Your Fingertips Activity: Activities With Astrology

Question: Is Astrology a science, or a pseudoscience? What is a pseudoscience?
Activity Description
Activity 1: Testing Astrology with the Birthdays of the residents
Astrologers will tell you that the Sun sign (which is the sign of the zodiac the Sun was in when a
individual was born) is a crucial factor for the occupation a person chooses and a strong
determinant of overall personality as it relates to ones !ob" As an e#ample of how we can test
such a hypothesis, students can e#amine the birthdates of the $% men who have successfully run
for the !ob of &resident of the 'nited States"
After all, it ta(es a certain (ind of personality to be &resident (outgoing, well)spo(en, ambitious)"
If personality and occupation are strongly affected by Sun sign, we should find that the birthdays
of the &residents are clustered in one (or a few) signs" If Sun signs do not affect personality and
occupation, the &residents birthdays should be randomly distributed among the zodiac signs"
%) *ill out a wor(sheet to determine the astrological signs of the $% &residents and discuss their
results" +ou will need to review the concept of random distribution before doing this activity"
,) -a(e a &rediction. /ow many &residents do you e#pect to find under each sign if the
birthdays of the $% &residents are randomly distributed among the %, signs of the zodiac?
Activities With Astrology: Questions and Analysis
%" Which sign do you thin( will have the greatest number of &residents? Why?

," /ow many &residents birthdays fall under each of the 0odiac signs?
Aries 111111 2ibra 111111
3aurus 111111 Scorpio 111111
4emini 111111 Sagittarius 111111
5ancer 111111 5apricorn 111111
2eo 111111 A6uarius 111111
7irgo 111111 &isces 111111
8" Which sign has the largest number of &residents? /ow many?

$" Which sign has the smallest number of &residents? /ow many?

9" 2oo(ing at your results, do you see any pattern?

:" Would you say the birth dates of the &residents are strongly clustered in one or a few signs?
!"tending the Activity:
$) What are some other ways to test this hypothesis? What other occupations are also
personality)driven but have more than $% people in them
Activity #: $oroscopes fro% Different Astrologers
In this activity, you will compare horoscopes in different newspapers from the same day"
%" /ow well do the predictions of different astrologer agree for your sign?
," /ow specific are the newspaper statements?
8" In what ways could the statements apply to different people?
$" Why are some of the characterizations in the horoscopes so vague?
Activity &: 'i"ed(up $oroscopes
In this activity, you will try to find your own sign from a variety of unidentified signs in a
horoscope column" 'se an astrology column from a recent newspaper (today, yesterday, or last
wee(end)" It is best to use an out)of)town newspaper so students are not li(ely to have seen it"
5ut out the horoscopes and remove the dates, signs and any telltale references to the sign, li(e
;youre a real lion at times"; <e sure to ma(e a copy of the full column for yourself and put it
aside" -i# up the order of the descriptions, and give each one a number from % to %," 3ransfer
these numbers to your copy for future reference"
%" Write your name on a piece of paper" 'sing the horoscope handout provided, read through
the horoscopes and choose which one most closely describes you"
," =id you choose your own sign?
)ound(up
%) /ow is astrology a pseudoscience?
,) Is astrology accurate, and would you still rely on horoscopes to help you in your life?
8) /ow have things changed astronomically since the development of astrology?
$) /as astrology changed with these things?
3his activity was written by Andrew *ra(noi (*oothill 5ollege and Astronomical Society of the
&acific) and incorporates suggestions by =iane Almgren, =aniel /elm and =ennis Schatz"
5opyright > %??9, Astronomical Society of the &acific, 8?@ Ashton Ave", San *rancisco, 5A
?$%%," 3his activity may be reproduced for nonprofit purposes"
Your Astrology Defense *it +y Andrew Fra,noi
It happens to all of us ) astronomers, amateurs, and teachers" We tell someone about our interest
in the heavens and 6uic(ly get drawn into a debate about astrology" *or many of us its hard to
(now how to respond politely to someone who ta(es this ancient superstition seriously"
3he revelation that daily schedules in the Aeagan White /ouse were arranged and rearranged
based on the predictions of a San *rancisco astrologer focused new attention on astrologys
widespread public acceptance" -ore than ever, we are li(ely to face 6uestions about astrology,
especially among young people" So here is a 6uic( guide to some of the responses you can ma(e
to astrologers claims"
The Tenets of Astrology
3he basis of astrology is disarmingly simple. a persons character and destiny can be understood
from the positions of the Sun, -oon, and planets at the moment of his or her birth" Interpreting
the location of these bodies using a chart called the horoscope, astrologers claim to predict and
e#plain the course of life and to help people, companies, and nations with decisions of great
import"
Implausible as such claims may sound to anyone who (nows what and how distant the Sun,
-oon, and planets really are, a %?B$ 4allup &oll revealed that 99 percent of American teenagers
believe in astrology" And every day thousands of people around the world base crucial medical,
professional, and personal decisions on advice received from astrologers and astrological
publications"
3he details of its precise origins are lost in anti6uity, but astrology is at least thousands of years
old and appears in different forms in many cultures" It arose at a time when human(inds view of
the world was dominated by magic and superstition, when the need to grasp the patterns of
nature was often of life)and)death importance"
5elestial ob!ects seemed in those days to be either gods, important spirits, or, at the very least,
symbols or representatives of divine personages who spent their time tin(ering with humans
daily lives" &eople eagerly searched for heavenly signs of what the gods would do ne#t"
Seen in this conte#t, a system that connected the bright planets and ;important; constellations
with meaningful life 6uestions was appealing and reassuring" (Astrologers believe that the
important constellations are the ones the Sun passes through during the course of a yearC they call
these the constellations of the zodiac") And even today, despite so much effort at science
education, astrologys appeal for many people has not diminished" *or them, thin(ing of 7enus as
a cloud)covered desert world as hot as an oven is far less attractive than seeing it as an aid in
deciding whom to marry"
Ten !%+arrassing Questions
A good way to begin thin(ing about the astrological perspective is to ta(e a s(eptical but good)
humored loo( at the logical conse6uences of some of its claims" /ere are my %@ favorite
6uestions to as( supporters of astrology.
1- What is the li,elihood that one(twelfth of the world.s population is having the sa%e ,ind
of day/
&roponents of newspaper astrology columns (which appear in more than %,,@@ dailies in the
'nited States alone) claim you can learn something about your day by reading one of %,
paragraphs in the morning paper" Simple division shows that this means $@@ million people
around the world will all have the same (ind of day, every single day" 4iven the need to fill so
many bills at once, it is clear why astrological predictions are couched in the vaguest and most
general language possible"
#- Why is the %o%ent of +irth0 rather than conception0 crucial for astrology/
Astrology seems scientific to some people because the horoscope is based on an e#act datum. the
sub!ects time of birth" When astrology was set up long ago, the moment of birth was considered
the magic creation point of life" <ut today we understand birth as the culmination of nine months
of steady development inside the womb" Indeed, scientists now believe that many aspects of a
childs personality are set long before birth"
I suspect the reason astrologers still adhere to the moment of birth has little to do with
astrological theory" Almost every client (nows when he or she was born, but it is difficult (and
perhaps embarrassing) to identify a persons moment of conception" 3o ma(e their predictions
seem as personal as possible, astrologers stic( with the more easily determined date"
&- 1f the %other.s wo%+ can ,eep out astrological influences until +irth0 can we do the sa%e
with a cu+icle of stea,/
If such powerful forces emanate from the heavens, why are they inhibited before birth by a thin
shield of muscle, flesh, and s(in? And if they really do and a babys potential horoscope is
unsatisfactory, could we delay the action of the astrological influences by immediately
surrounding the newborn with a thin cubicle of stea( until the celestial signs are more
auspicious?
2- 1f astrologers are as good as they clai%0 why aren.t they richer/
Some astrologers answer that they cannot predict specific events, only broad trends" Dthers claim
to have the power to foresee large events, but not small ones" <ut either way astrologers could
amass billions by forecasting general stoc()mar(et behavior or commodity futures, and thus not
have to charge their clients high fees" In Dctober, %?BE, how many astrologers actually foresaw
<lac( -onday when the stoc( mar(et too( such a large tumble and warned their clients about it?
3- Are all horoscopes done +efore the discovery of the three outer%ost planets incorrect/
Some astrologers claim that the Sun sign (the location of the Sun in the zodiac at the moment of
birth), which most newspaper horoscopes use e#clusively, is an inade6uate guide to the effects of
the cosmos" 3hese serious practitioners (generally those who have missed out on the lucrative
business of syndicated columns) insist that the influence of all ma!or bodies in the solar system
must be ta(en into account ) including the outmost planets 'ranus, Feptune, and &luto, which
were not discovered until %EB%, %B$:, and %?8@, respectively"
If thats the case, what happens to the claim many astrologers ma(e that their art has led to
accurate predictions for many centuries? Werent all horoscopes cast before %?8@ wrong? And
why didnt the inaccuracies in early horoscopes lead astrologers to deduce the presence of
'ranus, Feptune, and &luto long before astronomers discovered them?
4- 5houldn.t we conde%n astrology as a for% of +igotry/
In a civilized society we deplore all systems that !udge individuals by se#, s(in color, religion,
national origin, or other accidents of birth" +et astrologers boast that they can evaluate people
based on another accident of birth ) the positions of celestial ob!ects" Isnt refusing to date a 2eo
or hire a 7irgo as bad as refusing to date a 5atholic or hire a blac( person?
6- Why do different schools of astrology disagree so strongly with each other/
Astrologers seem to disagree on the most fundamental issues of their craft. whether to account
for the precession of the Garths a#is (see the bo# below), how many planets and other celestial
ob!ects should be included, and ) most importantly ) which personality traits go with which
cosmic phenomena" Aead ten different astrology columns, or have a reading done by ten
different astrologers, and you will probably get ten different interpretations"
If astrology is a science, as its proponents claim, why are its practitioners not converging on a
consensus theory after thousands of years of gathering data and refining its interpretation?
Scientific ideas generally converge over time as they are tested against laboratory or other
evidence" In contrast, systems based on superstition or personal belief tend to diverge as their
practitioners carve out separate niches while !oc(eying for power, income, or prestige"
7- 1f the astrological influence is carried +y a ,nown force0 why do the planets do%inate/
If the effects of astrology can be attributed to gravity, tidal forces, or magnetism (each is invo(ed
by a different astrological school), even a beginning physics student can ma(e the calculations
necessary to see what really affects a newborn baby" 3hese are wor(ed out for many different
cases in Aoger 5ulver and &hilip Iannas boo( Astrology. 3rue or *alse (%?BB, &rometheus
<oo(s)" *or e#ample, the obstetrician who delivers the child turns out to have about si# times the
gravitational pull of -ars and about two thousand billion times its tidal force" 3he doctor may
have a lot less mass than the red planet, but he or she is a lot closer to the babyH
8- 1f astrological influence is carried +y an un,nown force0 why is it independent of
distance/
All the long)range forces we (now in the universe get wea(er as ob!ects get farther apart" <ut, as
you might e#pect in an Garth)centered system made thousands of years ago, astrological
influences do not depend on distance at all" 3he importance of -ars in your horoscope is
identical whether the planet is on the same side of the Sun as the Garth or seven times farther
away on the other side" A force not dependent on distance would be a revolutionary discovery for
science, changing many of our fundamental notions"
19- 1f astrological influences don.t depend on distance0 why is there no astrology of stars0
gala"ies0 and :uasars/
*rench astronomer Iean)5laude &ec(er has pointed out that it seems very small)minded of
astrologers to limit their craft to our solar system" <illions of stupendous bodies all over the
universe should add their influence to that of our tiny little Sun, -oon, and planets" /as a client
whose horoscope omits the effects of Aigel, the 5rab pulsar, and the Andromeda 4ala#y really
had a complete reading?
Testing Astrology
Gven if we give astrologers the benefit of the doubt on all these 6uestions ) accepting that
astrological influences may e#ist outside our current understanding of the universe ) there is a
devastating final point" &ut simply, Astrology doesnt wor(" -any careful tests have now shown
that, despite their claims, astrologers really cant predict anything"
After all, we dont need to (now how something wor(s to see whether it wor(s" =uring the last
two decades, while astrologers have somehow always been a little too busy to conduct
statistically valid tests of their wor(, physical and social scientists have done it for them" 2ets
consider a few representative studies"
&sychologist <ernard Silverman of -ichigan State 'niversity loo(ed at the birth dates of ,,?EB
couples who were getting married and $EB who were getting divorced in the state of -ichigan"
-ost astrologers claim they can at least predict which astrological signs will be compatible or
incompatible when it comes to personal relationships" Silverman compared such predictions to
the actual records and found no correlations" *or e#ample ;incompatibly signed; men and
women got married as fre6uently as ;compatibly signed; ones"
-any astrologers insist that a persons Sun sign is strongly correlated with his or her choice of
profession" Indeed, !ob counseling is an important function of modern astrology" &hysicist Iohn
-c4ervey at 5ase Western Aeserve 'niversity loo(ed at biographies and birth dates of some
:,@@@ politicians and %E,@@@ scientists to see if members of these professions would cluster
among certain signs, as astrologers predict" /e found the signs of both groups to be distributed
completely at random"J@?
3o overcome the ob!ections of astrologers who feel that the Sun sign alone is not enough for a
reading, physicist Shawn 5arlson of the 2awrence <er(eley 2aboratory carried out an ingenious
e#periment" 4roups of volunteers were as(ed to provide information necessary for casting a full
horoscope and to fill out the 5alifornia &ersonality Inventory, a standard psychologists
6uestionnaire that uses !ust the sorts of broad, general, descriptive terms astrologers use"
A ;respected; astrological organization constructed horoscopes for the volunteers, and ,B
professional astrologers who had approved the procedure in advance were each sent one
horoscope and three personality profiles, one of which belonged to the sub!ect of the horoscope"
3heir tas( was to interpret the horoscope and select which of the three profiles it matched"
Although the astrologers had predicted that they would score better than 9@ percent correct, their
actual score in %%: trials was only 8$ percent correct ) !ust what you would e#pect by guessingH
5arlson published his results in the =ecember 9, %?B9, issue of Fature, much to the
embarrassment of the astrological community"
Dther tests show that it hardly matters what a horoscope says, as long as the sub!ect feels the
interpretations were done for him or her personally" A few years ago *rench statistician -ichel
4au6uelin sent the horoscope for one of the worst mass murderers in *rench history to %9@
people and as(ed how well it fit them" Finety)four percent of the sub!ects said they recognized
themselves in the description"
4eoffrey =ean, an Australian researcher who has conducted e#tensive tests of astrology, reversed
the astrological readings of ,, sub!ects, substituting phrases that were the opposite of what the
horoscopes actually stated" +et the sub!ects in this study said the readings applied to them !ust as
often (?9 percent of the time) as people to whom the correct phrases were given" Apparently,
those who see( out astrologers !ust want guidance, any guidance"
Some time ago astronomers 5ulver and Ianna trac(ed the published predictions of well)(nown
astrologers and astrological organizations for five years" Dut of more than 8,@@@ specific
predictions (including many about politicians, film stars, and other famous people), only about
%@ percent came to pass" 7eteran reporters ) and probably many people who read or watch the
news ) could do a good deal better by educated guessing"
If the stars lead astrologers to incorrect predictions ? times out of %@, they hardly seem li(e
reliable guides for decisions of life and affairs of state" +et millions of people, including the
former *irst 2ady, seem to swear by them"
5learly, those of us who love astronomy cannot !ust hope that the publics infatuation with
astrology will go away" We must spea( out whenever it is useful or appropriate ) to discuss the
shortcomings of astrology and the sha(y ground it is based on" 3hose of us wor(ing with
youngsters can use these ideas to develop a healthy s(epticism in the students and encourage an
interest in the real cosmos ) the one of remote worlds and suns that are mercifully unconcerned
with the lives and desires of the creatures on planet Garth" 2ets not allow another generation of
young people to grow up tied to an ancient fantasy, left over from a time when we huddled by the
firelight, afraid of the night"