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The Age of Aquarius
Among astrologers, the start-date of the Age of Aquarius is a topic of much debate. In 1929, the International Astronomical Union defined the edges of the 88 Official Constellations. The edge established between the constellations of Pisces and Aquarius technically places the beginning of the Aquarian Age at around 2400-2600 AD. Many astrologers dispute this approach because of the varying size of constellations, and feel that the Ages should also vary in length. Approximated dates for entering the Age of Aquarius range from 1447 AD (Terry MacKinnell) to 3621 AD (John Addey).
Precession of the Equinoxes
The Earth revolves around the Sun in an elliptical pattern. The point at which Earth is closest to the Sun is called Perihelion (Summer Solstice) and the point furthest from the Sun is called Aphelion (Winter Solstice). The Equinoxes (Spring and Autumn) are the only two points on this path where the tilt of the Earth is neither pointed away nor towards the Sun (the point where the celestial equator and the ecliptic intersect.)
The path on which the Earth makes its journey is called the Plane of the Ecliptic. From the Sun's perspective, all 8 planets, the asteroids and the kuiper belt objects all exist within a few degrees of this plane. The tilt of the Earth's axis is understood in terms of this plane, and is currently 23.5 degrees off of perpendicular. Although the amount of tilt (23.5 degrees) does not change very much, the direction of this tilt, in relation to the Sun, does change, and is on a repeating cycle that takes 25,920 years to complete. It is due to this 'wobble' that the time at which Earth reaches its Perihelion changes slightly with with every passing year, taking 25,920 years to come to the same exact point once again. Today, we reach Perihelion on December 21st. 11,000 years ago on December 21st, we would be at Aphelion.
At the moment of sunrise, if you were to draw a line from Earth, through the Sun, and extend it to the heavens, it would point at a region of space known as the Zodiac. As the Earth makes its yearly path around the Sun, the Zodiacal backdrop of the Sun changes, going through 12 constellations known as the Constellations of the Zodiac. This is what is referred to when we say 'Sun Sign'. For example, on September 22nd at sunrise, this imaginary line drawn from Earth through the Sun and beyond, points to the constellation of Libra. Each morning, this line points slightly more into Libra until evetually (on October 21st) the line will be pointing to the constellation of Scorpio.
Each year at the Spring Equinox (March 21st), if you draw this imaginary line, it will point to the constellation of the current Astrological Age. As the months pass, the astrological signs occur in this order: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Due to the precession of equinoxes, the Astrological Ages occur in the opposite order. Around 4,000 years ago, we were in the Age of Aries, followed 2,160 years later by the Age of Pisces. Depending on which school of thought you subscribe to, we are now either at the end of the Age of Pisces, or the beginning of the Age of Aquarius.
When the constellations were first being named and categorized (about 4,000 years ago), there were 13 major constellations that dominated this area of the sky. For purposes of numerological importance and cohesion with the gregorian calendar, Ophiuchus was omitted, leaving us with 12 major regions of the sky that are collectively called the Constellations of the Zodiac.
