Brooklyn, NY-  The Babylonians used astrology and the zodiac to measure celestial time, but today many people focus on their zodiac sign to read their horoscope and determine things about their lives and themselves.

Astrology is the study of movements and relative positions of the moon, sun, and planets in our solar system related to their influence on human affairs. It’s known to have developed in early civilizations of Mesopotamia with the Babylonians, eventually catching on and spreading globally. The study of astrology and horoscopes and its validity is something that is still debated by some.

A Psychology Today article stated that, through looking at various studies, it’s been found that, “Some scientists noticed that schizophrenics were more likely than others to have February birthdays. Also, January and March birthdays.” This has also been found with different mental illnesses and certain personality traits. The study doesn’t prove the validity of astrology itself, but more that the month you were born could correlate with certain things.

On the other hand a Washington Times article explained a study done on people born within minutes of each other. The study observed over 2,000 people and looked at about 100 characteristics for each pair. It was found that the pairs of people did not have as many similarities as astrology indicates.

A senior in MBHS, Kaya Fridman expressed that, “horoscopes are a form of indulgence for me, it’s fun to read your traits and about yourself.” Fridman’s belief in the legitimacy of astrology isn’t as strong as it formerly was, but she still enjoys checking her horoscope and knowing people’s signs. “I believed in astrology because the signs aligned with my friends traits and my own,”

Senior, Miles Slade disagrees with her views, “It’s too general to matter, it’s more self affirming than a real thing.”

Astrology is still a popular business despite its lack of hard scientific evidence. It’s up to the person to decide whether they believe it or not.