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Sorry to break it to you, but your star sign probably isn't your star sign any more.

Image: iStock.

Even those of us who think star signs are total bollocks can’t resist scanning the horoscope section of the paper every Sunday morning. Come on, you know you love it.

There’s something weirdly delightful about being ascribed tailored personality traits based on your date of birth, even though those characteristics are vague enough to apply to just about anyone on the planet (this is called the Forer effect).

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However, reports this morning suggest the zodiac has been lying to us, and not just about that lottery win you were meant to have last week. Not to alarm you, but there’s a good chance you’re not the fiesty Sagittarian or analytical Virgo you’ve always been told you were; in fact, you could belong to an astrological sign that hasn’t even existed until now.

Cue: hysteria. So why are we taking this opportunity to strip you of your (star sign) identity?

The zodiac was conceived roughly 2000 years ago by the ancient Greeks, who devised star signs based on the constellations that sat behind the sun at the time.

However, according to the BBC's Stargazing Live, the Earth's position in relation to the stars has been constantly changing over the ensuing centuries, due to a 'wobbling' of the planet caused by the moon and the sun.

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Astronomer Dr Radmilla Topalovic told the program that the original constellations are now out by a month — but the astrological calendar hasn't been updated to reflect this shift. Oops.

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This is kind of awkward for people who swear by their star signs (and have tattoos to prove it) because it transpires that 86 per cent of us were born under a different constellation to our star sign. Which means we've been living a lie our entire lives.

There's a new world order, folks. Many of the Pisces among us are actually Capricorns, while all you Taurean bulls are probably Aries sheep instead. On the plus side, cuspies no longer need to straddle two different sides and choose between two horoscopes. Finally, some definition in life!

If you've grown up thinking you were an adventurous Sagittarian, surprise! — you actually belong to a brand new sign called Ophiuchus, or the Serpent Bearer. This guy was actually omitted from the original zodiac, very possibly because our ancient astrologers were a bit fussy and wanted the path of the sun to be split into 12 equal parts because it was more mathematically pleasing.

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If it's any consolation, 'Serpent Bearer' sounds pretty badass. And look, if you're really upset about all this, you can take the 'Ignorance is bliss' route and continue reading the horoscope of your choice. No judgement.

You can find out whether your sign has shifted using the BBC's interactive guide. We refuse to be held accountable for your ensuing identity crisis. But in the meantime, we can help you find the cult beauty product that suits your sign...

 

Has your star sign changed? Are you upset about it? It's okay, we won't tell anyone.