Written by: Grishma Upreti - 23052, Grade XII
Posted on: 12 December, 2022
The positions of the sun, the moon, the planets, sensitive angles at the time of an event, such as the moment of a person's birth, and other astrological aspects are depicted in an astrological chart or diagram known as horoscope. The Greek terms ōra and scopus, mean ‘time’ and ‘observer’ respectively, and they are the sources of the English word, ‘horoscope.’ It is the foundation of the horoscopic traditions of astrology and is employed as a kind of divination regarding occurrences related to the moment in time that it symbolises. Newspapers, both online and in print frequently include horoscope articles.
The word ‘horoscope’ is used in common parlance to refer to an astrologer's interpretation, which is typically based on a solar system of sun sign astrology, strictly based on the sun's position at the time of our birth; or it is solely based on the calendar significance of an event, as in Chinese astrology. In particular, many periodicals and newspapers publish prognostic columns that are purportedly based on celestial influences in relation to the zodiacal placement of the sun on the person's birth month. Birth charts, known as kundali in Hindu astrology, are said to be based on the motion of the stars and the moon. When a person's kundali is verified, auspicious events and rituals are initiated, including marriages where the boy and the girl's birth charts match.
No scientific studies have ever been conducted to validate astrological predictions, and the methods used to develop interpretations are pseudo-scientific. The transmission of the alleged link between a person's birth and the location of the stars in the sky cannot be explained by any known interaction in the context of modern science. In all of the studies that have been conducted, keeping strict methods that include a control group and complete blinding between experimenters and subjects, horoscopes have not been found to have any influence beyond random chances. Furthermore, research on the Forer or Barnum effect has shown that personality profiles and forecasts may be made sufficiently all-encompassing to please the majority of people in a huge audience.
