1 00:00:02,203 --> 00:00:03,671 (male narrator) Astrology, the celestial movements 2 00:00:03,704 --> 00:00:07,241 of the Sun, Moon, and planets among the stars, 3 00:00:07,275 --> 00:00:10,711 governing our personality and destiny. 4 00:00:10,744 --> 00:00:14,315 Astrology is not just based out of something in the thin air. 5 00:00:14,348 --> 00:00:17,251 It's a celestial fingerprint for somebody. 6 00:00:17,285 --> 00:00:19,787 (narrator) For centuries, millions of people, 7 00:00:19,820 --> 00:00:22,790 from paupers to powerful world leaders, 8 00:00:22,823 --> 00:00:26,394 have relied on the ancient system for answers. 9 00:00:26,427 --> 00:00:31,065 Mrs. Reagan had actually hired an astrologer 10 00:00:31,099 --> 00:00:34,602 to guide the schedule of the President. 11 00:00:34,635 --> 00:00:38,572 (narrator) But is there any proof astrology actually works? 12 00:00:38,606 --> 00:00:43,111 Astrological predictions are just guesswork. 13 00:00:43,144 --> 00:00:47,348 (narrator) Astrology has been fighting a cosmic battle for centuries. 14 00:00:47,381 --> 00:00:52,153 Is it a science or merely a superstition? 15 00:00:52,186 --> 00:00:54,822 [supernova explosion] 16 00:00:54,855 --> 00:01:00,661 (narrator) Ancient mysteries shrouded in the shadows of time. 17 00:01:00,694 --> 00:01:03,664 Now can they finally be solved 18 00:01:03,697 --> 00:01:07,335 by looking to the heavens? 19 00:01:07,368 --> 00:01:09,803 The truth is up there, 20 00:01:09,837 --> 00:01:13,141 hidden among the stars, 21 00:01:13,174 --> 00:01:16,577 in a place we call... 22 00:01:16,610 --> 00:01:21,315 The Universe. 23 00:01:21,349 --> 00:01:24,252 Astrology, an ancient system 24 00:01:24,285 --> 00:01:27,121 based on the idea that celestial phenomena 25 00:01:27,155 --> 00:01:29,190 in the universe have a direct effect 26 00:01:29,223 --> 00:01:31,825 on human lives on earth. 27 00:01:31,859 --> 00:01:34,228 Yet for centuries, the public has been mixing up 28 00:01:34,262 --> 00:01:38,432 astrology with astronomy. 29 00:01:38,466 --> 00:01:42,170 I am an Aquarius, so why should I care? 30 00:01:42,203 --> 00:01:43,637 I'm a scientist, right? 31 00:01:43,671 --> 00:01:46,240 However, I do realize, watching my students, 32 00:01:46,274 --> 00:01:49,410 that astrology is a great way to break the ice at a party. 33 00:01:49,443 --> 00:01:54,815 The first thing you ask a date is "what's your sign?" 34 00:01:54,848 --> 00:01:57,585 (narrator) The scientific community has questioned the legitimacy 35 00:01:57,618 --> 00:02:01,889 of astrology for centuries. 36 00:02:01,922 --> 00:02:04,925 Yet astrology is now big business, 37 00:02:04,958 --> 00:02:08,229 with thousands of internet sites, telephone lines, 38 00:02:08,262 --> 00:02:10,364 and newspaper columns. 39 00:02:10,398 --> 00:02:13,834 Nearly a billion people from all walks of life 40 00:02:13,867 --> 00:02:17,438 depend on the ancient system for advice. 41 00:02:17,471 --> 00:02:19,573 Wall Street executives now even support 42 00:02:19,607 --> 00:02:23,444 the booming business of financial astrology. 43 00:02:23,477 --> 00:02:24,945 There's a saying that millionaires 44 00:02:24,978 --> 00:02:27,515 don't use astrology, billionaires do. 45 00:02:27,548 --> 00:02:29,417 Anybody is gonna want to use a tool 46 00:02:29,450 --> 00:02:30,684 that's gonna help give them an edge 47 00:02:30,718 --> 00:02:33,287 and astrology absolutely does that. 48 00:02:33,321 --> 00:02:38,426 (narrator) But is there any scientific basis behind astrology? 49 00:02:38,459 --> 00:02:41,695 And how is it different from astronomy? 50 00:02:41,729 --> 00:02:45,333 Astronomy has its real origins in astrology 51 00:02:45,366 --> 00:02:50,838 because the first astronomers were actually the astrologers. 52 00:02:50,871 --> 00:02:52,873 (narrator) To understand this, we have to travel back 53 00:02:52,906 --> 00:02:56,944 to the Babylonians, who lived in what is now Iraq, 54 00:02:56,977 --> 00:03:01,382 during the second millennium B.C. 55 00:03:01,415 --> 00:03:03,784 There, a select class of sky-watchers 56 00:03:03,817 --> 00:03:09,223 viewed the mysterious heavens as a gigantic projection screen. 57 00:03:09,257 --> 00:03:12,726 They formed stories surrounding ominous celestial objects 58 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:17,565 that they believed were mighty gods controlling life on earth. 59 00:03:17,598 --> 00:03:20,701 In ancient times, when we didn't understand 60 00:03:20,734 --> 00:03:22,836 what those objects were up in the sky, 61 00:03:22,870 --> 00:03:26,307 there were some people who began to keep track of them 62 00:03:26,340 --> 00:03:31,312 and try and relate those, perhaps, godlike beings 63 00:03:31,345 --> 00:03:33,947 to everyday lives here on earth. 64 00:03:33,981 --> 00:03:37,351 People observing the heavens immediately noticed 65 00:03:37,385 --> 00:03:40,988 that there was a daily rhythm to the sky. 66 00:03:41,021 --> 00:03:44,425 That rhythm was that everything rose in the east 67 00:03:44,458 --> 00:03:48,362 and set in the west, on a daily cycle. 68 00:03:48,396 --> 00:03:50,464 But over the years, ancient people noticed 69 00:03:50,498 --> 00:03:53,601 that there were seven objects in the sky 70 00:03:53,634 --> 00:03:55,669 that had a motion separate 71 00:03:55,703 --> 00:03:59,773 from that daily rising and setting. 72 00:03:59,807 --> 00:04:03,577 (narrator) The seven objects were the Sun, Moon, 73 00:04:03,611 --> 00:04:07,315 and the five planets visible to the human eye. 74 00:04:07,348 --> 00:04:08,782 Jupiter, 75 00:04:08,816 --> 00:04:09,850 Saturn, 76 00:04:09,883 --> 00:04:10,984 Mars, 77 00:04:11,018 --> 00:04:12,820 Venus, 78 00:04:12,853 --> 00:04:15,723 and Mercury. 79 00:04:15,756 --> 00:04:19,660 The early astrologers created the seven days of the week 80 00:04:19,693 --> 00:04:24,632 based on these celestial bodies. 81 00:04:24,665 --> 00:04:26,734 And this began the Babylonian Era, 82 00:04:26,767 --> 00:04:30,671 when they were tracking and charting cycles of time. 83 00:04:30,704 --> 00:04:34,708 So with this first form of astrology, 84 00:04:34,742 --> 00:04:36,710 it was more about fate and destiny, 85 00:04:36,744 --> 00:04:38,879 and looking at the gods in the sky 86 00:04:38,912 --> 00:04:41,649 to see how they could best survive 87 00:04:41,682 --> 00:04:45,018 the cycles of time that they were in. 88 00:04:45,052 --> 00:04:50,758 (narrator) Astrology quickly spread throughout Asia and Europe. 89 00:04:50,791 --> 00:04:53,994 By the 4th century B.C., Greek astrologers 90 00:04:54,027 --> 00:04:58,999 made a big discovery. 91 00:04:59,032 --> 00:05:01,735 The Sun moved across a pattern of stars 92 00:05:01,769 --> 00:05:03,871 in a restricted narrow path, 93 00:05:03,904 --> 00:05:07,741 which is now known to scientists as the ecliptic. 94 00:05:07,775 --> 00:05:13,447 Now you can imagine the Sun projected against the stars 95 00:05:13,481 --> 00:05:15,916 over the course of the year, and you can't see those stars 96 00:05:15,949 --> 00:05:18,852 because it's daytime, but they're there. 97 00:05:18,886 --> 00:05:22,756 And the path that the Sun makes over the course of the year, 98 00:05:22,790 --> 00:05:26,727 among the stars, that is the path of the ecliptic. 99 00:05:29,730 --> 00:05:32,500 (narrator) The ancient astrologers divided the ecliptic band 100 00:05:32,533 --> 00:05:35,603 into 12 equal parts based on 12 collections, 101 00:05:35,636 --> 00:05:39,707 or patterns of stars, known as constellations. 102 00:05:39,740 --> 00:05:41,875 They noticed that some of these constellations 103 00:05:41,909 --> 00:05:46,414 vaguely resembled animals and named them accordingly. 104 00:05:46,447 --> 00:05:51,018 There was a pattern of stars that we call Leo today, 105 00:05:51,051 --> 00:05:53,654 that looked like a lion. 106 00:05:53,687 --> 00:05:55,789 There was one, which looked like a bull, 107 00:05:55,823 --> 00:05:58,992 which we, today, call Taurus. 108 00:05:59,026 --> 00:06:00,861 Now today we call a place 109 00:06:00,894 --> 00:06:03,897 that has a number of animals in it a zoo. 110 00:06:03,931 --> 00:06:08,769 And from that same root word, they got the word "zoodaic" 111 00:06:08,802 --> 00:06:10,671 or zodiac. 112 00:06:10,704 --> 00:06:13,874 We call them constellations, they call them signs, 113 00:06:13,907 --> 00:06:17,845 through which the seven gods travel. 114 00:06:17,878 --> 00:06:19,747 (Robert Ohotto voiceover) If you look at the constellations, 115 00:06:19,780 --> 00:06:22,483 they don't really look like a bull or a ram, necessarily. 116 00:06:22,516 --> 00:06:24,618 But they were really projecting their interior 117 00:06:24,652 --> 00:06:27,788 psychic perspective out onto these stars 118 00:06:27,821 --> 00:06:30,057 through their myths and stories, and then trying to make sense 119 00:06:30,090 --> 00:06:33,827 of their lives and how they lived. 120 00:06:33,861 --> 00:06:36,730 (narrator) For thousands of years, people used astrology 121 00:06:36,764 --> 00:06:41,134 to make decisions about when to hunt, harvest, or wage war. 122 00:06:41,168 --> 00:06:43,671 [war cries] 123 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:47,741 Many kings, queens, and emperors 124 00:06:47,775 --> 00:06:52,613 relied on astrologers for virtually every move they made. 125 00:06:52,646 --> 00:06:54,948 And of course, the kings and queens of old, 126 00:06:54,982 --> 00:06:56,750 they were very superstitious. 127 00:06:56,784 --> 00:06:58,752 They realized that if they make the wrong turn, 128 00:06:58,786 --> 00:07:00,087 [imitates slicing noise] 129 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:01,989 I mean, someone's gonna take over the throne. 130 00:07:02,022 --> 00:07:05,025 And they tried to use the Sun and the stars 131 00:07:05,058 --> 00:07:08,929 as a way to predict the future. 132 00:07:08,962 --> 00:07:14,502 (narrator) But in the 17th Century, astrology came under scrutiny. 133 00:07:14,535 --> 00:07:17,004 Based on observations made by others, 134 00:07:17,037 --> 00:07:19,640 Astrologer and physicist, Johannes Kepler, 135 00:07:19,673 --> 00:07:23,210 proposed the three laws of planetary motion 136 00:07:23,243 --> 00:07:27,681 to describe how the planets orbit the Sun. 137 00:07:27,715 --> 00:07:32,620 Kepler's laws helped to usher in a new science called astronomy. 138 00:07:32,653 --> 00:07:34,922 However, he, and many other scientists, 139 00:07:34,955 --> 00:07:38,826 continued to practice astrology. 140 00:07:38,859 --> 00:07:41,762 (Michio Kaku voiceover) Thousands of years ago, we didn't have NASA. 141 00:07:41,795 --> 00:07:44,131 We didn't have the National Science Foundation. 142 00:07:44,164 --> 00:07:45,666 Kepler, Johannes Kepler, 143 00:07:45,699 --> 00:07:48,001 one of the greatest early astronomers, 144 00:07:48,035 --> 00:07:50,938 made his living by being an astrologer. 145 00:07:50,971 --> 00:07:55,075 And so all the great astronomers of old, let's face it, 146 00:07:55,108 --> 00:07:57,711 they made pocket money by being on the payroll 147 00:07:57,745 --> 00:08:01,014 of a superstitious king or queen who wanted to know, 148 00:08:01,048 --> 00:08:03,016 "what is your sign?" 149 00:08:03,050 --> 00:08:04,885 (narrator) But the invention of the telescope, 150 00:08:04,918 --> 00:08:08,756 in the early 1600s, overturned the ancient view 151 00:08:08,789 --> 00:08:10,123 of the universe, 152 00:08:10,157 --> 00:08:15,829 and challenged the very basis of astrology. 153 00:08:15,863 --> 00:08:19,166 Astronomers began to realize that stars that made up 154 00:08:19,199 --> 00:08:22,135 the 12 constellations are not twinkling dots 155 00:08:22,169 --> 00:08:24,805 imbedded in a flat background, 156 00:08:24,838 --> 00:08:27,808 but are actually distant suns at very different distances 157 00:08:27,841 --> 00:08:30,878 from Earth, and from each other. 158 00:08:30,911 --> 00:08:33,847 [thrilling music] 159 00:08:33,881 --> 00:08:37,050 * 160 00:08:37,084 --> 00:08:39,186 Turn it on. 161 00:08:39,219 --> 00:08:41,622 We're setting up lights in this field 162 00:08:41,655 --> 00:08:44,224 to form one of the most recognizable images 163 00:08:44,257 --> 00:08:46,026 in the night sky. 164 00:08:46,059 --> 00:08:51,699 * 165 00:08:51,732 --> 00:08:55,603 Behind me, is a replica of the Big Dipper. 166 00:08:55,636 --> 00:08:57,137 Like the real the real Big Dipper, 167 00:08:57,170 --> 00:08:59,172 this appears to be a two-dimensional, 168 00:08:59,206 --> 00:09:02,042 or flat, pattern of lights against the sky. 169 00:09:02,075 --> 00:09:05,045 However, these stars are actually not close 170 00:09:05,078 --> 00:09:06,747 to each other in space. 171 00:09:06,780 --> 00:09:08,849 But are, in fact, different distances, 172 00:09:08,882 --> 00:09:11,785 both from our earth and from one another. 173 00:09:11,819 --> 00:09:14,187 If we could see our Big Dipper from any other point 174 00:09:14,221 --> 00:09:17,825 in the universe, what we would see is that 175 00:09:17,858 --> 00:09:21,662 the familiar pattern of stars that we know so well disappears. 176 00:09:21,695 --> 00:09:24,665 And instead, the stars become randomly oriented 177 00:09:24,698 --> 00:09:28,035 next to one another in the sky. 178 00:09:28,068 --> 00:09:31,905 (narrator) The Big Dipper isn't even a constellation. 179 00:09:31,939 --> 00:09:33,206 It's an asterism. 180 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:35,042 A smaller pattern of stars 181 00:09:35,075 --> 00:09:37,010 within a much bigger constellation 182 00:09:37,044 --> 00:09:39,246 named Ursa Major. 183 00:09:39,279 --> 00:09:42,315 And Ursa Major isn't even included in the constellations 184 00:09:42,349 --> 00:09:46,186 that make up the astrological zodiac. 185 00:09:46,219 --> 00:09:48,956 Astronomers soon realized there could be 186 00:09:48,989 --> 00:09:51,959 endless numbers of constellations 187 00:09:51,992 --> 00:09:55,663 depending on your point of reference in the universe. 188 00:09:55,696 --> 00:09:58,866 Constellations are completely made up. 189 00:09:58,899 --> 00:10:01,301 There's no reality to them. 190 00:10:01,334 --> 00:10:04,972 Different civilizations assigned different star patterns 191 00:10:05,005 --> 00:10:06,640 different names. 192 00:10:06,674 --> 00:10:09,910 This is very much like playing Connect the Dots. 193 00:10:09,943 --> 00:10:13,280 (narrator) The International Astronomical Union would eventually agree 194 00:10:13,313 --> 00:10:17,250 on an official set of constellations, 195 00:10:17,284 --> 00:10:20,688 which are simply artificial aids to help study the stars 196 00:10:20,721 --> 00:10:23,724 of the universe. 197 00:10:23,757 --> 00:10:27,995 (Andrew Fraknoi voiceover) We actually divided the sky into 88 boxes. 198 00:10:28,028 --> 00:10:31,932 And each box contains some well-known constellation. 199 00:10:31,965 --> 00:10:33,867 This, by the way, is no different 200 00:10:33,901 --> 00:10:35,803 from what we did in the United States 201 00:10:35,836 --> 00:10:38,839 when we drew boxes and made the states. 202 00:10:38,872 --> 00:10:43,744 Kansas is every bit as made-man as one of the constellations 203 00:10:43,777 --> 00:10:45,979 in the sky. 204 00:10:46,013 --> 00:10:49,049 (narrator) By the 18th Century, astrology and astronomy 205 00:10:49,082 --> 00:10:52,786 became completely separate disciplines. 206 00:10:52,820 --> 00:10:55,723 And scientists stripped all forms of spiritualism 207 00:10:55,756 --> 00:10:58,992 from the scientific study of the stars. 208 00:10:59,026 --> 00:11:00,894 Astrology and astronomy seemed to part ways 209 00:11:00,928 --> 00:11:02,796 during the Enlightenment period. 210 00:11:02,830 --> 00:11:05,733 And it was the same period that the movement of the planets 211 00:11:05,766 --> 00:11:07,768 was simply just the movement of the planets, 212 00:11:07,801 --> 00:11:11,939 and not the movement of, also, psychological influences. 213 00:11:11,972 --> 00:11:15,075 (narrator) But many remain convinced that astrology determines 214 00:11:15,108 --> 00:11:17,210 people's personalities. 215 00:11:17,244 --> 00:11:20,147 So what happens when we challenge two astrologers 216 00:11:20,180 --> 00:11:22,049 to do an astrological reading 217 00:11:22,082 --> 00:11:25,185 on one of the 20th Century's most famous people 218 00:11:25,218 --> 00:11:27,220 without revealing his name. 219 00:11:27,254 --> 00:11:29,389 Just when and where he was born. 220 00:11:34,394 --> 00:11:36,429 (narrator) Astrology, an ancient tradition 221 00:11:36,463 --> 00:11:40,400 that proclaims the stars, Sun, Moon, and planets 222 00:11:40,433 --> 00:11:44,738 are guardians of our strengths, ambitions, and destiny. 223 00:11:47,274 --> 00:11:50,377 But after thousands of years of existence, 224 00:11:50,410 --> 00:11:52,880 astrology suffered a decline, 225 00:11:52,913 --> 00:11:55,382 as the Western world turned to astronomy 226 00:11:55,415 --> 00:11:59,386 for a scientific study of the universe. 227 00:11:59,419 --> 00:12:01,254 The two disciplines diverged, 228 00:12:01,288 --> 00:12:04,057 with astronomy becoming strictly about the observations 229 00:12:04,091 --> 00:12:06,026 of the heavens and their predictions 230 00:12:06,059 --> 00:12:07,427 made through physical laws 231 00:12:07,460 --> 00:12:11,298 whereas astrology continued to be the predictions 232 00:12:11,331 --> 00:12:12,833 of the lives of individuals 233 00:12:12,866 --> 00:12:14,367 based on the apparent positions 234 00:12:14,401 --> 00:12:18,105 of astronomical objects in the sky. 235 00:12:18,138 --> 00:12:22,943 (narrator) In the 1930s, astrology experienced a sudden resurgence 236 00:12:22,976 --> 00:12:25,212 with the introduction of daily horoscope columns 237 00:12:25,245 --> 00:12:27,347 in newspapers. 238 00:12:27,380 --> 00:12:30,250 They provided brief forecasts of a person's day 239 00:12:30,283 --> 00:12:32,986 based on their Sun sign, 240 00:12:33,020 --> 00:12:36,289 or the position of the Sun at the moment of their birth 241 00:12:36,323 --> 00:12:40,861 as it passed through the 12 constellations of the zodiac. 242 00:12:40,894 --> 00:12:43,931 The daily horoscopes quickly gained popularity 243 00:12:43,964 --> 00:12:46,399 and helped to sell newspapers. 244 00:12:46,433 --> 00:12:50,270 But were they peddling a false bill of goods? 245 00:12:50,303 --> 00:12:53,106 If you think about it, what that implies 246 00:12:53,140 --> 00:12:55,909 is that 1/12 of the world 247 00:12:55,943 --> 00:12:57,510 will be having the same kind of day. 248 00:12:57,544 --> 00:13:01,248 If you divide the entire world into 12 groups 249 00:13:01,281 --> 00:13:04,017 by the date that they happen to be born, 250 00:13:04,051 --> 00:13:08,321 then 1/12 of the world would be having the same kind of day. 251 00:13:08,355 --> 00:13:11,892 (Alex Filippenko voiceover) Now what are the odds that 1/12 of the world's population, 252 00:13:11,925 --> 00:13:13,894 about 500 million people, 253 00:13:13,927 --> 00:13:17,064 are having nearly the same type of day? 254 00:13:17,097 --> 00:13:21,034 Moreover, all of the predictions are pretty vague and general. 255 00:13:21,068 --> 00:13:23,904 You can find aspects that seem to pertain 256 00:13:23,937 --> 00:13:26,139 to the day that you're having. 257 00:13:26,173 --> 00:13:29,376 (narrator) Even astrologers admit that daily newspaper horoscopes 258 00:13:29,409 --> 00:13:32,079 are far too simplistic. 259 00:13:32,112 --> 00:13:34,114 When astronomers reduce astrology 260 00:13:34,147 --> 00:13:36,917 just to a Sun sign understanding to debunk it, 261 00:13:36,950 --> 00:13:38,385 they're really missing the complexity 262 00:13:38,418 --> 00:13:43,957 of the actual birth chart that every individual has. 263 00:13:43,991 --> 00:13:47,160 (narrator) Astrologers say a true horoscope is a personal birth, 264 00:13:47,194 --> 00:13:49,329 or natal chart. 265 00:13:49,362 --> 00:13:51,999 A cosmic map that considers the influence 266 00:13:52,032 --> 00:13:55,002 of, not only the Sun, but also the Moon, 267 00:13:55,035 --> 00:13:58,138 and the planets at the exact date, time, 268 00:13:58,171 --> 00:14:01,374 and place of birth of a specific person. 269 00:14:01,408 --> 00:14:03,911 (Robert Ohotto voiceover) I do think the horoscope is absolutely scientific. 270 00:14:03,944 --> 00:14:05,545 It's something that charts 271 00:14:05,578 --> 00:14:07,881 exactly where everything was in the sky 272 00:14:07,915 --> 00:14:09,382 at that exact moment for that particular person 273 00:14:09,416 --> 00:14:11,118 when they were born. 274 00:14:11,151 --> 00:14:13,453 And what that sets off is this clock of destiny 275 00:14:13,486 --> 00:14:16,056 that the horoscope speaks to. 276 00:14:16,089 --> 00:14:19,359 So it's a dynamic, empirical tool to see 277 00:14:19,392 --> 00:14:20,894 when are you scheduled, in your life, 278 00:14:20,928 --> 00:14:23,964 to have certain shifts and transformations. 279 00:14:23,997 --> 00:14:27,167 I mean, these things are about fate and destiny. 280 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:30,003 (narrator) To test the accuracy of the horoscope, 281 00:14:30,037 --> 00:14:34,007 two well-respected astrologers are provided the date, time, 282 00:14:34,041 --> 00:14:36,676 and location of birth, of an anonymous person 283 00:14:36,709 --> 00:14:40,580 from history, in order to create a birth chart. 284 00:14:40,613 --> 00:14:43,116 So as astrologers, we used to have to use 285 00:14:43,150 --> 00:14:46,987 lots of calculations and table to create birth charts. 286 00:14:47,020 --> 00:14:50,023 Now we're able to generate charts with computers 287 00:14:50,057 --> 00:14:51,158 and programs. 288 00:14:51,191 --> 00:14:52,359 What we need are three primary things 289 00:14:52,392 --> 00:14:53,426 to create any birth chart. 290 00:14:53,460 --> 00:14:56,429 We need somebody's birthdate, 291 00:14:56,463 --> 00:15:02,002 and this person's birthdate is May 29, 1917. 292 00:15:02,035 --> 00:15:04,137 And then, we also need exact birth time. 293 00:15:04,171 --> 00:15:07,040 So 3:00 P.M. 294 00:15:07,074 --> 00:15:12,279 And then this person was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. 295 00:15:12,312 --> 00:15:14,481 I entered all the information and it created this chart, 296 00:15:14,514 --> 00:15:17,484 which is blown up and represented here. 297 00:15:17,517 --> 00:15:21,454 (narrator) A birth chart positions the signs in the 12 houses, 298 00:15:21,488 --> 00:15:24,958 or constellations, and the Sun, Moon, and planets, 299 00:15:24,992 --> 00:15:28,028 at their rightful celestial longitudes. 300 00:15:28,061 --> 00:15:32,032 The astrologer then analyzes the aspects, or angles, 301 00:15:32,065 --> 00:15:34,067 the planets make to each other, 302 00:15:34,101 --> 00:15:38,405 in order to get a reading of the person. 303 00:15:38,438 --> 00:15:42,542 So for this particular person, we have a rising sign of Libra. 304 00:15:42,575 --> 00:15:45,045 The Sun sign, over here, is in Gemini. 305 00:15:45,078 --> 00:15:49,016 And the Moon, over here, in the 11th house, is in Virgo. 306 00:15:49,049 --> 00:15:51,284 I see that the Sun in Gemini is in the 8th house here. 307 00:15:51,318 --> 00:15:53,286 Gemini is the sign of being a teacher, 308 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:56,023 a communicator, orator. 309 00:15:56,056 --> 00:15:59,392 This person comes in with a real strong desire to serve. 310 00:15:59,426 --> 00:16:01,161 [cheering] 311 00:16:01,194 --> 00:16:02,562 Whoever this person was 312 00:16:02,595 --> 00:16:06,133 probably had an incredible ability to orate and speak 313 00:16:06,166 --> 00:16:09,702 about whatever he or she was passionate about. 314 00:16:09,736 --> 00:16:11,471 There is another indicator here. 315 00:16:11,504 --> 00:16:13,706 In a relationship that we call The Grand Trine 316 00:16:13,740 --> 00:16:17,444 which exists between the Moon, Mars, 317 00:16:17,477 --> 00:16:19,546 and what we call the North Node. 318 00:16:19,579 --> 00:16:23,150 This suggests that it would be his or her destiny 319 00:16:23,183 --> 00:16:25,318 to be in the public eye. 320 00:16:25,352 --> 00:16:27,054 This is a person with potentially 321 00:16:27,087 --> 00:16:31,124 very great vision and lots of dreams. 322 00:16:31,158 --> 00:16:34,027 (narrator) The astrologers seem to provide similar readings 323 00:16:34,061 --> 00:16:36,029 of the mystery person... 324 00:16:36,063 --> 00:16:38,331 We choose to go to the Moon in this decade 325 00:16:38,365 --> 00:16:40,133 and do the other things. 326 00:16:40,167 --> 00:16:42,235 (narrator) Who happens to be the late president 327 00:16:42,269 --> 00:16:45,305 John F. Kennedy. 328 00:16:45,338 --> 00:16:50,277 But were these readings based on science or sheer luck? 329 00:16:50,310 --> 00:16:52,379 Would most presidents who were strong orators 330 00:16:52,412 --> 00:16:55,315 have similar charts? 331 00:16:55,348 --> 00:16:58,251 Different astrologers make different predictions, 332 00:16:58,285 --> 00:17:00,320 and as far as anyone can see, 333 00:17:00,353 --> 00:17:03,190 from a serious study of the predictions, 334 00:17:03,223 --> 00:17:08,228 they are really not matched by the observable facts. 335 00:17:08,261 --> 00:17:11,498 There's no statistically significant study 336 00:17:11,531 --> 00:17:15,335 that shows that astrological predictions are any better 337 00:17:15,368 --> 00:17:18,171 than just guesswork. 338 00:17:18,205 --> 00:17:20,773 (narrator) Despite skepticism amongst scientists, 339 00:17:20,807 --> 00:17:22,842 many people have relied on astrology 340 00:17:22,875 --> 00:17:27,380 to make crucial decisions that affected millions if lives. 341 00:17:27,414 --> 00:17:29,182 During World War II, 342 00:17:29,216 --> 00:17:33,686 Adolf Hitler secretly employed an astrologer, 343 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:35,722 who was later imprisoned when predicting 344 00:17:35,755 --> 00:17:39,859 Germany would lose the North African campaign. 345 00:17:39,892 --> 00:17:42,195 British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, 346 00:17:42,229 --> 00:17:44,831 also sought advice from an astrologer. 347 00:17:44,864 --> 00:17:50,837 As did former Russian president, Boris Yelstin. 348 00:17:50,870 --> 00:17:53,506 (narrator) During the 1980s, the Reagan Administration 349 00:17:53,540 --> 00:17:55,575 allowed the daily affairs of the White House 350 00:17:55,608 --> 00:17:59,846 to be strictly managed by an astrologer. 351 00:17:59,879 --> 00:18:03,516 (Andrew Fraknoi voiceover) Mrs. Reagan thought that election years 352 00:18:03,550 --> 00:18:07,687 ending with a zero were bad luck. 353 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:11,158 President Kennedy had been elected in 1960. 354 00:18:11,191 --> 00:18:12,825 He had died in Office. 355 00:18:12,859 --> 00:18:17,230 President Roosevelt, who was elected in 1940, died in Office. 356 00:18:17,264 --> 00:18:20,367 So she was very concerned that President Reagan 357 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:22,435 had been elected in 1980. 358 00:18:22,469 --> 00:18:26,239 And in his first term, there was a very serious 359 00:18:26,273 --> 00:18:27,440 assassination attempt. 360 00:18:27,474 --> 00:18:28,841 (woman) President Reagan. 361 00:18:28,875 --> 00:18:30,643 [gun shots ringing out] 362 00:18:32,245 --> 00:18:34,514 And what happened is that the Chief of Staff 363 00:18:34,547 --> 00:18:37,417 of the White House then had a color code 364 00:18:37,450 --> 00:18:39,552 on each day of the calendar. 365 00:18:39,586 --> 00:18:42,322 And the color code told them what was okay to do that day, 366 00:18:42,355 --> 00:18:44,257 what was not okay. 367 00:18:44,291 --> 00:18:46,893 And they postponed meeting so the President wouldn't fly 368 00:18:46,926 --> 00:18:50,463 on the astrologically unapproved days. 369 00:18:50,497 --> 00:18:54,167 (narrator) The Reagans were hardly alone. 370 00:18:54,201 --> 00:18:57,737 By the 1980s, an estimated 50 million Americans 371 00:18:57,770 --> 00:19:00,573 claimed to know their astrological signs, 372 00:19:00,607 --> 00:19:03,476 and followed their daily horoscope. 373 00:19:03,510 --> 00:19:05,778 [ominous music] 374 00:19:05,812 --> 00:19:08,448 But then, the scientific community responded 375 00:19:08,481 --> 00:19:14,287 with a bombshell that questioned astrology very foundation. 376 00:19:14,321 --> 00:19:17,290 Was everyone's zodiac sign completely wrong? 377 00:19:17,324 --> 00:19:18,391 [explosion] 378 00:19:23,496 --> 00:19:27,367 (narrator) Astrology seems like a science 379 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:30,603 with math, complicated diagrams, 380 00:19:30,637 --> 00:19:34,207 and a specialized vocabulary. 381 00:19:34,241 --> 00:19:39,246 But can it actually unlock the secrets of your destiny? 382 00:19:39,279 --> 00:19:42,815 Scientists claim there's a celestial phenomenon 383 00:19:42,849 --> 00:19:45,618 that throws the entire astrological zodiac 384 00:19:45,652 --> 00:19:48,688 into question. 385 00:19:51,358 --> 00:19:53,960 The early astrologers had observed the Sun 386 00:19:53,993 --> 00:19:57,464 spending about a month in each of the 12 signs of the zodiac 387 00:19:57,497 --> 00:20:01,000 over the course of one year. 388 00:20:01,033 --> 00:20:02,869 But there's one crucial thing 389 00:20:02,902 --> 00:20:06,373 that the ancient sky-watchers did not know. 390 00:20:06,406 --> 00:20:09,842 Due to gravitational tugs by the Moon and the Sun, 391 00:20:09,876 --> 00:20:13,946 the Earth's axis of rotation slowly wobbles. 392 00:20:13,980 --> 00:20:18,551 This wobble is called precession. 393 00:20:18,585 --> 00:20:20,520 To illustrate precession, 394 00:20:20,553 --> 00:20:22,722 here, I've got spinning gyroscope, 395 00:20:22,755 --> 00:20:25,358 which represents the spinning Earth. 396 00:20:25,392 --> 00:20:29,396 And you can see that its axis is tilted a little bit, 397 00:20:29,429 --> 00:20:31,664 and gravity is trying to topple it over. 398 00:20:31,698 --> 00:20:35,968 But instead of falling over, the gyroscope precesses. 399 00:20:36,002 --> 00:20:40,540 It rotates around an axis that goes through the pivot point. 400 00:20:40,573 --> 00:20:43,610 In the same way, Earth's axis of rotation 401 00:20:43,643 --> 00:20:46,413 is describing a conical path, 402 00:20:46,446 --> 00:20:51,017 which leads to precession of the equinoxes. 403 00:20:51,050 --> 00:20:54,487 (narrator) It takes 26,000 years for the precession 404 00:20:54,521 --> 00:20:57,924 of the Earth's axis to complete one cycle. 405 00:20:57,957 --> 00:21:00,793 As a result, in the more than 2,000 years 406 00:21:00,827 --> 00:21:03,630 since the Western horoscope was created, 407 00:21:03,663 --> 00:21:07,600 Earth's slow wobble has caused the Sun's position to lag behind 408 00:21:07,634 --> 00:21:10,537 by about a month. 409 00:21:10,570 --> 00:21:14,507 This has surprising implications for astrology. 410 00:21:14,541 --> 00:21:16,576 Because that precession of the Earth's axis 411 00:21:16,609 --> 00:21:19,479 is roughly every 26,000 years, 412 00:21:19,512 --> 00:21:22,982 that translates into, every 2,000 years, 413 00:21:23,015 --> 00:21:26,753 those 12 constellations have lagged by a whole constellation. 414 00:21:26,786 --> 00:21:29,356 So that means that every 2,000 years, 415 00:21:29,389 --> 00:21:32,091 if your astrology doesn't take that into account, 416 00:21:32,124 --> 00:21:34,661 you'll be a whole star sign out 417 00:21:34,694 --> 00:21:38,565 in your astrological predictions. 418 00:21:38,598 --> 00:21:40,600 (narrator) This would mean everyone has been reading 419 00:21:40,633 --> 00:21:42,935 the wrong horoscope. 420 00:21:42,969 --> 00:21:45,505 Your astrological sign would actually be the one 421 00:21:45,538 --> 00:21:48,808 that precedes your birth month. 422 00:21:48,841 --> 00:21:51,944 So for example, most people born in late March 423 00:21:51,978 --> 00:21:54,481 and early April, who think they're Pisces, 424 00:21:54,514 --> 00:21:56,416 are actually Aquarius. 425 00:21:56,449 --> 00:22:01,754 At least as far as the Sun's position is concerned. 426 00:22:01,788 --> 00:22:04,491 How do Western astrologers get around the dilemma 427 00:22:04,524 --> 00:22:08,395 caused by precession? 428 00:22:08,428 --> 00:22:12,499 The answer is they ignore the actual position of the stars. 429 00:22:12,532 --> 00:22:16,035 Instead, they divide the year into four seasons, 430 00:22:16,068 --> 00:22:18,070 and say that the period they call Aries 431 00:22:18,104 --> 00:22:21,641 starts at the moment of the spring, or vernal equinox. 432 00:22:21,674 --> 00:22:25,111 The Cancer begins at the moment of the summer solstice. 433 00:22:25,144 --> 00:22:28,381 Libra start at the autumnal equinox. 434 00:22:28,415 --> 00:22:31,684 And Capricorn, at the winter solstice. 435 00:22:31,718 --> 00:22:33,986 In Western astrology, we're not looking at it 436 00:22:34,020 --> 00:22:36,889 in terms of the background stars in the constellations. 437 00:22:36,923 --> 00:22:39,759 As far as the signs in the horoscope goes, 438 00:22:39,792 --> 00:22:42,529 it is based on the movement of our own planet 439 00:22:42,562 --> 00:22:46,499 and the equinoxes. 440 00:22:46,533 --> 00:22:48,401 (narrator) But since this new form of astrology 441 00:22:48,435 --> 00:22:52,071 ignores the actual position of the constellations, 442 00:22:52,104 --> 00:22:54,441 critics say it undermines the whole basis 443 00:22:54,474 --> 00:22:57,076 of the ancient system. 444 00:22:57,109 --> 00:23:01,180 I don't see how that can work because the characteristics 445 00:23:01,213 --> 00:23:05,785 that astrologers assign to some of the signs 446 00:23:05,818 --> 00:23:09,456 have to do with what the constellations look like. 447 00:23:09,489 --> 00:23:13,660 So the Pisces sign is associated with water 448 00:23:13,693 --> 00:23:15,995 because fish swim in water. 449 00:23:16,028 --> 00:23:17,964 So you can't then, suddenly, decide 450 00:23:17,997 --> 00:23:19,599 that the constellations and the signs 451 00:23:19,632 --> 00:23:23,503 have nothing to do with each other. 452 00:23:23,536 --> 00:23:26,639 (narrator) Modern astrologers insist, the real life force 453 00:23:26,673 --> 00:23:32,445 of astrology exists within the planets of our solar system. 454 00:23:32,479 --> 00:23:35,214 (Alanna Kaivalya voiceover) The word, planet, for an astrologer 455 00:23:35,247 --> 00:23:37,484 doesn't necessarily mean the same thing as it does 456 00:23:37,517 --> 00:23:39,051 for an astronomer. 457 00:23:39,085 --> 00:23:43,022 We use the word in the vein that the Greeks meant it. 458 00:23:43,055 --> 00:23:46,993 In the way that the planet literally means "wanderer." 459 00:23:47,026 --> 00:23:49,028 So for an astrologer, anything that moves against 460 00:23:49,061 --> 00:23:51,731 the background stars is a planet. 461 00:23:51,764 --> 00:23:54,534 So the Sun is not a planet, technically, 462 00:23:54,567 --> 00:23:56,769 but we call it a planet. 463 00:23:56,803 --> 00:24:00,172 (Robert Ohotto voiceover) Astrology is not just based out of something in the thin air. 464 00:24:00,206 --> 00:24:03,209 It's based out of actual configurations of planets, 465 00:24:03,242 --> 00:24:04,677 their relationships to each other, 466 00:24:04,711 --> 00:24:06,913 to create a map. 467 00:24:06,946 --> 00:24:09,749 A celestial fingerprint, or a sense of destiny 468 00:24:09,782 --> 00:24:12,218 for somebody, in terms of the life they're living 469 00:24:12,251 --> 00:24:15,054 and its timing. 470 00:24:15,087 --> 00:24:16,756 (narrator) One astrological phrase that's mentioned 471 00:24:16,789 --> 00:24:22,695 a lot in astrology is, "Mercury in retrograde." 472 00:24:22,729 --> 00:24:26,198 We've heard people describe it as a bad omen. 473 00:24:26,232 --> 00:24:29,235 A time when one shouldn't make big decisions. 474 00:24:29,268 --> 00:24:32,772 Or they blame bad decisions, or actions, 475 00:24:32,805 --> 00:24:37,544 on the movement of the tiniest planet in our solar system. 476 00:24:37,577 --> 00:24:42,081 But what does retrograde really mean? 477 00:24:42,114 --> 00:24:44,617 Retrograde is the apparent movement of a planet, 478 00:24:44,651 --> 00:24:48,220 seen from Earth, in the opposite direction of other bodies 479 00:24:48,254 --> 00:24:50,122 in the solar system when observed 480 00:24:50,156 --> 00:24:52,859 from a particular vantage point. 481 00:24:52,892 --> 00:24:55,061 It's caused by the different rates of speed 482 00:24:55,094 --> 00:24:58,631 at which a planet travels around the Sun. 483 00:24:58,665 --> 00:25:02,001 Mercury, being the closest, according to the laws of Newton, 484 00:25:02,034 --> 00:25:06,939 traveled faster because it's closer to the Sun. 485 00:25:06,973 --> 00:25:09,208 And, therefore, as the Earth and Mercury 486 00:25:09,241 --> 00:25:13,780 go around the Sun, Mercury seems to go backwards. 487 00:25:13,813 --> 00:25:16,015 And so we have this optical illusion. 488 00:25:16,048 --> 00:25:20,653 Forward can go backwards. 489 00:25:20,687 --> 00:25:23,255 (narrator) This illusion is something we can easily see 490 00:25:23,289 --> 00:25:26,225 in our everyday lives. 491 00:25:26,258 --> 00:25:30,096 (Alex Filippenko voiceover) Suppose you have two cars going along a highway. 492 00:25:30,129 --> 00:25:33,666 But one car is moving faster than the other. 493 00:25:33,700 --> 00:25:36,202 As it's passing the slower car, 494 00:25:36,235 --> 00:25:39,572 the slower car appears to be moving backward. 495 00:25:39,606 --> 00:25:41,273 It's not really moving backward. 496 00:25:41,307 --> 00:25:43,676 But it appears to be moving backward 497 00:25:43,710 --> 00:25:47,346 from the perspective of the faster car. 498 00:25:47,379 --> 00:25:51,283 In the same way, Mercury only appears 499 00:25:51,317 --> 00:25:53,152 to move backward for a while. 500 00:25:53,185 --> 00:25:57,724 But both Earth and Mercury continue to move forward 501 00:25:57,757 --> 00:26:00,026 in their orbits around the Sun. 502 00:26:00,059 --> 00:26:02,194 [mysterious music] 503 00:26:02,228 --> 00:26:05,665 (narrator) Mercury has three retrograde periods per year. 504 00:26:05,698 --> 00:26:08,968 Each lasting about three weeks. 505 00:26:09,001 --> 00:26:11,704 Astrologers claim that certain people are sensitive 506 00:26:11,738 --> 00:26:15,374 to this celestial phenomenon. 507 00:26:15,407 --> 00:26:19,111 (Alanna Kaivalya voiceover) Mercury is the planet that affects communication, 508 00:26:19,145 --> 00:26:20,747 short-range travel. 509 00:26:20,780 --> 00:26:23,616 So when it goes backwards, it means that those things 510 00:26:23,650 --> 00:26:27,219 are having a more difficult time moving forward, 511 00:26:27,253 --> 00:26:29,656 So during Mercury in retrograde, you want to be careful 512 00:26:29,689 --> 00:26:31,357 to start any new contracts. 513 00:26:31,390 --> 00:26:34,193 You want to, probably, plan some extra time for travel. 514 00:26:34,226 --> 00:26:36,963 This tends to be a time of plane delays. 515 00:26:36,996 --> 00:26:39,165 And you also want to be very careful and mindful 516 00:26:39,198 --> 00:26:41,167 of your speech and communication. 517 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:43,335 Particularly through technology. 518 00:26:43,369 --> 00:26:46,005 [watch ticking] 519 00:26:46,038 --> 00:26:48,274 Whether Mercury, or any other planet, 520 00:26:48,307 --> 00:26:52,344 is in retrograde motion, or the normal prograde motion, 521 00:26:52,378 --> 00:26:55,214 should have no effect, whatsoever, 522 00:26:55,247 --> 00:26:57,717 on how our day goes, or our well-being, 523 00:26:57,750 --> 00:27:02,388 or our futures, or our careers. 524 00:27:02,421 --> 00:27:06,959 (narrator) Scientists insist that astrology must be wrong. 525 00:27:06,993 --> 00:27:08,828 But is it possible that the ancient system 526 00:27:08,861 --> 00:27:13,299 is actually driven by a known fundamental force 527 00:27:13,332 --> 00:27:14,233 in the universe? 528 00:27:19,839 --> 00:27:21,741 (narrator) Astrology. 529 00:27:21,774 --> 00:27:26,012 Some believe it's a cosmic blueprint for life. 530 00:27:26,045 --> 00:27:28,147 But is there any evidence of a force 531 00:27:28,180 --> 00:27:31,718 that empowers the planets, Sun, and Moon, 532 00:27:31,751 --> 00:27:35,421 to affect human behavior and destiny at the moment of birth? 533 00:27:35,454 --> 00:27:37,857 [baby crying] 534 00:27:37,890 --> 00:27:41,794 A lot of astrology talks about how crucial it is 535 00:27:41,828 --> 00:27:44,697 to know, at time of birth, what was going on 536 00:27:44,731 --> 00:27:46,332 in the night sky. 537 00:27:46,365 --> 00:27:49,969 That implies that there's some sort of mechanism 538 00:27:50,002 --> 00:27:53,339 connecting the motion of celestial objects 539 00:27:53,372 --> 00:27:57,409 to influences on someone at birth. 540 00:27:57,443 --> 00:28:00,312 [baby crying] 541 00:28:02,048 --> 00:28:04,416 (narrator) But what kind of mechanism? 542 00:28:04,450 --> 00:28:08,154 According to the law of physics, there are four fundamental 543 00:28:08,187 --> 00:28:10,122 forces of nature by which particles, 544 00:28:10,156 --> 00:28:14,861 or planets, can interact with each other. 545 00:28:14,894 --> 00:28:18,164 They are gravity, electromagnetism, 546 00:28:18,197 --> 00:28:23,135 the strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force. 547 00:28:23,169 --> 00:28:25,271 Scientists argue that if astrology 548 00:28:25,304 --> 00:28:27,406 has any basis in reality, 549 00:28:27,439 --> 00:28:31,944 it needs to rest on one of these four basic forces. 550 00:28:31,978 --> 00:28:36,282 But is there any evidence it does? 551 00:28:36,315 --> 00:28:39,752 Gravity, which is one of the most fundamental forces 552 00:28:39,786 --> 00:28:43,289 in the universe, is the pull of all stuff 553 00:28:43,322 --> 00:28:45,124 on all other stuff. 554 00:28:45,157 --> 00:28:47,293 Every piece of matter in the universe 555 00:28:47,326 --> 00:28:49,428 attracts every other piece of matter. 556 00:28:49,461 --> 00:28:53,766 And so we, the Earth, are pulled into orbit around the Sun. 557 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:57,169 We, in turn, pull the Moon into orbit around the Earth. 558 00:28:59,806 --> 00:29:03,409 (narrator) So could gravity be the source by which celestial objects 559 00:29:03,442 --> 00:29:06,913 affect humans on Earth? 560 00:29:06,946 --> 00:29:10,382 The gravity of an object depends on two things. 561 00:29:10,416 --> 00:29:12,551 How much mass it has. 562 00:29:12,584 --> 00:29:15,788 And how far away it is 563 00:29:15,822 --> 00:29:20,359 The more massive an object is, the stronger its gravity. 564 00:29:20,392 --> 00:29:25,497 Yet the closer it is, the more its gravity affects you. 565 00:29:25,531 --> 00:29:29,035 A way of thinking about that is to imagine that my voice 566 00:29:29,068 --> 00:29:30,903 is accompanied by several other voices. 567 00:29:30,937 --> 00:29:32,304 [all speaking at once] 568 00:29:32,338 --> 00:29:34,006 And so what's actually going to happen 569 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:35,875 is that it's gonna be very hard for you to hear me. 570 00:29:35,908 --> 00:29:39,411 I'm gonna have to raise my voice. 571 00:29:39,445 --> 00:29:42,181 But if they start moving away, 572 00:29:42,214 --> 00:29:43,816 then the effects of their voices, 573 00:29:43,850 --> 00:29:46,452 even though there are many more of them than my voice, 574 00:29:46,485 --> 00:29:48,320 will actually get weaker, 575 00:29:48,354 --> 00:29:50,923 and produce a much less significant effect 576 00:29:50,957 --> 00:29:54,827 than just me standing here talking to you. 577 00:29:54,861 --> 00:29:57,830 That's very much like a planet being far away. 578 00:29:57,864 --> 00:30:01,300 Even though it's very massive, its effects are very weak, 579 00:30:01,333 --> 00:30:04,803 compared to effects locally that may be much stronger. 580 00:30:09,308 --> 00:30:12,979 (narrator) Mars is the closest planet to Earth. 581 00:30:13,012 --> 00:30:15,948 But does it have a measurable gravitational effect on a human 582 00:30:15,982 --> 00:30:17,549 at the moment of birth? 583 00:30:17,583 --> 00:30:20,152 [baby crying] 584 00:30:20,186 --> 00:30:23,890 Regardless of the position of Mars in the sky, 585 00:30:23,923 --> 00:30:26,893 its gravitational effect on the baby 586 00:30:26,926 --> 00:30:31,330 is much less than that of the doctor delivering the baby. 587 00:30:31,363 --> 00:30:33,933 The doctor has a lot less mass, 588 00:30:33,966 --> 00:30:36,435 but the doctor is much, much closer than Mars. 589 00:30:36,468 --> 00:30:41,273 And so the gravitational effect is much greater. 590 00:30:41,307 --> 00:30:42,909 (narrator) Gravity can't be the physical mechanism 591 00:30:42,942 --> 00:30:45,544 that governs astrology. 592 00:30:45,577 --> 00:30:49,581 But could astrology be linked to another force of nature? 593 00:30:49,615 --> 00:30:52,251 Electromagnetism. 594 00:30:52,284 --> 00:30:56,522 It's the force that acts between electrically charged particles, 595 00:30:56,555 --> 00:31:02,294 producing electricity, magnetism, and light. 596 00:31:02,328 --> 00:31:05,631 Electromagnetism affects a lot of what's going on here 597 00:31:05,664 --> 00:31:09,969 on Earth, in terms of how we broadcast radio signals, 598 00:31:10,002 --> 00:31:11,503 how things are attracted to each other, 599 00:31:11,537 --> 00:31:13,305 how things bump into each other. 600 00:31:13,339 --> 00:31:18,577 That's all controlled by the electromagnetic force. 601 00:31:18,610 --> 00:31:22,314 The Moon, planets, and even the human body, 602 00:31:22,348 --> 00:31:24,583 are composed of electrically charged particles, 603 00:31:24,616 --> 00:31:28,354 like electrons and protons that make up atoms. 604 00:31:28,387 --> 00:31:30,456 But positive protons and negative electrons 605 00:31:30,489 --> 00:31:33,459 cancel each other out and make the atoms 606 00:31:33,492 --> 00:31:35,327 electrically neutral. 607 00:31:35,361 --> 00:31:39,031 Electromagnetic forces shouldn't influence people 608 00:31:39,065 --> 00:31:42,134 in their daily lives or at the moment of birth, 609 00:31:42,168 --> 00:31:45,437 because between electrically neutral bodies, 610 00:31:45,471 --> 00:31:48,707 there's essentially no electromagnetic interaction. 611 00:31:48,740 --> 00:31:52,444 Now Earth is neutral, the planets are neutral, 612 00:31:52,478 --> 00:31:54,646 there should be no electromagnetic interactions 613 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:57,283 among them. 614 00:31:57,316 --> 00:32:00,519 (narrator) What about the two remaining fundamental forces of nature? 615 00:32:00,552 --> 00:32:04,423 The weak nuclear force and the strong nuclear force? 616 00:32:04,456 --> 00:32:07,526 The strongest of all the known forces. 617 00:32:07,559 --> 00:32:11,263 It's the glue that hold together atomic nuclei, 618 00:32:11,297 --> 00:32:14,166 which all living things are made of. 619 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:16,402 The strong and weak nuclear forces 620 00:32:16,435 --> 00:32:21,607 are influential only over extremely tiny distances 621 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:24,210 the sizes of sub-atomic particles. 622 00:32:24,243 --> 00:32:26,712 There should be no effect whatsoever, 623 00:32:26,745 --> 00:32:30,016 in terms of the nuclear forces, between the planets, 624 00:32:30,049 --> 00:32:32,418 at the time of birth, and the baby. 625 00:32:32,451 --> 00:32:35,054 [baby crying] 626 00:32:35,087 --> 00:32:36,588 (narrator) Astrology doesn't appear to be linked 627 00:32:36,622 --> 00:32:39,758 to any detectable force. 628 00:32:39,791 --> 00:32:42,028 But could the ancient system be governed 629 00:32:42,061 --> 00:32:46,098 by one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the universe? 630 00:32:51,603 --> 00:32:53,272 (narrator) Astrology. 631 00:32:53,305 --> 00:32:57,143 An ancient tradition that links the patterns of our solar system 632 00:32:57,176 --> 00:33:00,646 with the patterns of our lives. 633 00:33:00,679 --> 00:33:03,615 But what force in the universe could enable the positions 634 00:33:03,649 --> 00:33:06,385 and motions of the planets and stars 635 00:33:06,418 --> 00:33:10,689 to affect us here on Earth. 636 00:33:10,722 --> 00:33:13,092 None of the four known forces of nature 637 00:33:13,125 --> 00:33:18,064 appear to be the smoking gun. 638 00:33:18,097 --> 00:33:21,133 But could modern science have missed something? 639 00:33:21,167 --> 00:33:24,803 Could astrology be governed by a mysterious, undetectable force 640 00:33:24,836 --> 00:33:28,107 in our universe? 641 00:33:28,140 --> 00:33:31,410 Science can't even tell us what consciousness is, 642 00:33:31,443 --> 00:33:32,678 but we know it's there. 643 00:33:32,711 --> 00:33:35,581 So it's very similar to astrology. 644 00:33:35,614 --> 00:33:39,051 We can interpret them and share the influences with people, 645 00:33:39,085 --> 00:33:42,654 but we don't exactly know how it works. 646 00:33:42,688 --> 00:33:44,756 (narrator) Unlike the known forces of nature, 647 00:33:44,790 --> 00:33:47,526 astrologers theorize that this unknown force 648 00:33:47,559 --> 00:33:50,529 that governs astrology is completely independent 649 00:33:50,562 --> 00:33:52,231 of distance. 650 00:33:52,264 --> 00:33:56,535 Meaning the Sun, Moon, and all the planets in our solar system 651 00:33:56,568 --> 00:34:00,806 have an equal effect on humans on Earth. 652 00:34:00,839 --> 00:34:03,509 Given that no experiment shows the force 653 00:34:03,542 --> 00:34:06,112 that astrology's using, that the force doesn't follow 654 00:34:06,145 --> 00:34:08,614 any of the known laws of science, 655 00:34:08,647 --> 00:34:12,050 I think the simplest hypothesis is that there is no such force. 656 00:34:16,622 --> 00:34:19,558 (narrator) Scientists assert that astrology hasn't kept up 657 00:34:19,591 --> 00:34:21,560 with the times. 658 00:34:21,593 --> 00:34:23,562 There are thousands of newly discovered objects 659 00:34:23,595 --> 00:34:26,565 and phenomenon in the universe that are pushing the boundaries 660 00:34:26,598 --> 00:34:31,137 of astronomy, and testing the legitimacy 661 00:34:31,170 --> 00:34:35,407 of astrology. 662 00:34:35,441 --> 00:34:38,710 Sagittarius, the 15th largest constellation, 663 00:34:38,744 --> 00:34:41,413 is thought to loosely resemble an archer, 664 00:34:41,447 --> 00:34:45,417 half-man, half-horse, drawing his bow. 665 00:34:45,451 --> 00:34:48,754 Astrology claims that people born under this sign 666 00:34:48,787 --> 00:34:51,690 are energetic and enthusiastic. 667 00:34:51,723 --> 00:34:54,893 But scientists discovered one of the most exotic things 668 00:34:54,926 --> 00:34:58,664 within the constellation. 669 00:34:58,697 --> 00:35:00,766 A black hole. 670 00:35:00,799 --> 00:35:04,503 A super massive object with such powerful gravity 671 00:35:04,536 --> 00:35:09,475 that nothing can escape from it, including light. 672 00:35:09,508 --> 00:35:12,644 The cosmic beast swallows gigantic volumes of gas, 673 00:35:12,678 --> 00:35:18,250 and dust, and anything else that gets near it. 674 00:35:18,284 --> 00:35:22,788 But does it have any effect on humans here on Earth? 675 00:35:22,821 --> 00:35:24,856 (Alex Filippenko voiceover) In the constellation, Sagittarius, 676 00:35:24,890 --> 00:35:29,561 26,000 light-years away, is the center of our galaxy. 677 00:35:29,595 --> 00:35:33,165 And we've discovered that there's a giant black hole, 678 00:35:33,199 --> 00:35:36,502 4 million times as massive as the Sun, 679 00:35:36,535 --> 00:35:39,338 right there, in the middle of our galaxy. 680 00:35:39,371 --> 00:35:41,940 That's really neat but it has nothing to do 681 00:35:41,973 --> 00:35:45,211 with any physical effect on our lives, 682 00:35:45,244 --> 00:35:47,413 in terms of what careers we should have, 683 00:35:47,446 --> 00:35:48,780 what people we should date, 684 00:35:48,814 --> 00:35:50,516 what kind of a day we're gonna have. 685 00:35:50,549 --> 00:35:52,218 [bell tolls] 686 00:35:53,919 --> 00:35:57,456 (narrator) According to astrology, the constellation, Cancer, 687 00:35:57,489 --> 00:35:59,591 symbolizes a crab. 688 00:35:59,625 --> 00:36:04,496 Those born under the sign are said to be maternal homebodies. 689 00:36:04,530 --> 00:36:10,402 But scientists have recently made a big discovery. 690 00:36:10,436 --> 00:36:12,738 The constellation is home to solar systems 691 00:36:12,771 --> 00:36:17,309 containing planets resembling Earth. 692 00:36:17,343 --> 00:36:19,511 Part of the reason the discovery of extra solar planets 693 00:36:19,545 --> 00:36:21,780 is so exciting, is that we might be 694 00:36:21,813 --> 00:36:25,684 seeing planets that are potentially like our own Earth. 695 00:36:25,717 --> 00:36:27,853 Planets that received enough light from their star, 696 00:36:27,886 --> 00:36:30,822 that they could warm enough to have liquid water. 697 00:36:30,856 --> 00:36:32,958 And hopefully, with liquid water, 698 00:36:32,991 --> 00:36:36,595 the chances to be host for life. 699 00:36:36,628 --> 00:36:40,932 But none of these things are included in astrology at all. 700 00:36:40,966 --> 00:36:45,537 (narrator) Astrologers acknowledge all the new scientific discoveries 701 00:36:45,571 --> 00:36:46,972 but claim that the most important 702 00:36:47,005 --> 00:36:51,610 astrological influences exist in our own solar system, 703 00:36:51,643 --> 00:36:54,946 not the universe at large. 704 00:36:54,980 --> 00:36:57,916 The reality is that if we were to incorporate 705 00:36:57,949 --> 00:36:59,618 all of the new discoveries, 706 00:36:59,651 --> 00:37:02,621 we would have an overwhelming body of things to consider. 707 00:37:02,654 --> 00:37:04,456 So we have to play triage a little bit 708 00:37:04,490 --> 00:37:05,924 and narrow it down to the things 709 00:37:05,957 --> 00:37:07,593 that seem to have the most important 710 00:37:07,626 --> 00:37:10,796 and influential effects on us. 711 00:37:10,829 --> 00:37:12,398 I think you can lose the forest for the trees 712 00:37:12,431 --> 00:37:14,933 if you get too crazy, and go too far out, 713 00:37:14,966 --> 00:37:17,603 and start to look at too many variable pieces. 714 00:37:17,636 --> 00:37:19,771 What's most important is just to take in this little space 715 00:37:19,805 --> 00:37:22,541 that we're all involved with, within the solar system, 716 00:37:22,574 --> 00:37:24,510 and understand your place in it. 717 00:37:29,915 --> 00:37:32,751 (narrator) Despite the lack of hard evidence, 718 00:37:32,784 --> 00:37:34,720 many people still swear by astrology 719 00:37:34,753 --> 00:37:39,858 when making the most important decisions of their lives. 720 00:37:39,891 --> 00:37:43,061 So what happens when scientists take the biggest claim 721 00:37:43,094 --> 00:37:48,500 in all of astrology and put it to the test? 722 00:37:54,005 --> 00:37:56,041 (narrator) Astrology and astronomy 723 00:37:56,074 --> 00:37:58,677 have been engaged in a cosmic rift 724 00:37:58,710 --> 00:38:00,879 for centuries. 725 00:38:00,912 --> 00:38:04,015 Astrologers claim their system is scientific. 726 00:38:04,049 --> 00:38:06,084 Astronomers, on the other hand, 727 00:38:06,117 --> 00:38:08,454 dismiss it as a superstition. 728 00:38:08,487 --> 00:38:11,623 However, in order to be fair and accurate, 729 00:38:11,657 --> 00:38:14,593 the scientific community decided it was time 730 00:38:14,626 --> 00:38:17,863 to test astrology themselves. 731 00:38:17,896 --> 00:38:20,366 When scientists or educators 732 00:38:20,399 --> 00:38:23,535 have asked astrologers for proof 733 00:38:23,569 --> 00:38:26,004 that their system works, their response is 734 00:38:26,037 --> 00:38:28,974 they're just too busy helping people 735 00:38:29,007 --> 00:38:30,709 to devise experiments 736 00:38:30,742 --> 00:38:33,345 and do any kind of proving of astrology. 737 00:38:33,379 --> 00:38:35,681 Besides which, astrology doesn't need any proof 738 00:38:35,714 --> 00:38:39,084 'cause they have thousands of years of satisfied customers. 739 00:38:39,117 --> 00:38:42,454 So if the astrologers didn't want to advance any proofs 740 00:38:42,488 --> 00:38:44,723 about whether astrology works or it doesn't, 741 00:38:44,756 --> 00:38:48,694 maybe we could help them out and do some experiments ourself. 742 00:38:48,727 --> 00:38:50,128 (narrator) In one study, 743 00:38:50,161 --> 00:38:53,532 scientists tested one of astrology's biggest claims-- 744 00:38:53,565 --> 00:38:56,001 is the ancient system accurate at predicting 745 00:38:56,034 --> 00:38:58,069 which Zodiac signs are compatible 746 00:38:58,103 --> 00:39:02,007 or incompatible when it comes to relationships? 747 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:04,443 At Michigan State University, 748 00:39:04,476 --> 00:39:07,045 a psychologist collected the marriage and divorce records 749 00:39:07,078 --> 00:39:09,114 for the state of Michigan 750 00:39:09,147 --> 00:39:10,849 and surveyed the Zodiac signs 751 00:39:10,882 --> 00:39:13,585 among approximately 3,000 couples 752 00:39:13,619 --> 00:39:17,656 who got married and 500 who got divorced. 753 00:39:17,689 --> 00:39:19,691 (Andrew Fraknoi) Psychologists tried to see 754 00:39:19,725 --> 00:39:22,728 were more compatible signs married 755 00:39:22,761 --> 00:39:25,564 and more incompatible signs divorced? 756 00:39:25,597 --> 00:39:28,400 And the answer was it was completely random. 757 00:39:28,434 --> 00:39:31,437 The divorces were evenly spread among the signs. 758 00:39:31,470 --> 00:39:33,639 The marriages were evenly spread among the signs. 759 00:39:33,672 --> 00:39:35,741 Nothing about getting married or getting divorced 760 00:39:35,774 --> 00:39:39,645 was visible in their astrological characteristics. 761 00:39:41,613 --> 00:39:44,182 (Michio Kaku) These stars you see at night, 762 00:39:44,215 --> 00:39:48,119 trillions upon trillions of miles away... 763 00:39:48,153 --> 00:39:50,856 and yet some people believe 764 00:39:50,889 --> 00:39:52,924 that the motion of these gigantic objects 765 00:39:52,958 --> 00:39:56,061 is just there so you can meet a tall, dark, 766 00:39:56,094 --> 00:39:59,097 handsome stranger tomorrow. 767 00:39:59,130 --> 00:40:02,033 (narrator) If astrology can't predict compatibility, 768 00:40:02,067 --> 00:40:04,603 can it provide clues about a person's 769 00:40:04,636 --> 00:40:07,706 most suitable profession? 770 00:40:07,739 --> 00:40:10,676 In a well-publicized study, 771 00:40:10,709 --> 00:40:13,579 a French psychologist looked at famous people 772 00:40:13,612 --> 00:40:15,447 to see if occupations lined up 773 00:40:15,481 --> 00:40:18,650 with particular signs of the Zodiac. 774 00:40:18,684 --> 00:40:22,420 The best-known finding was called "The Mars Effect." 775 00:40:25,691 --> 00:40:29,094 It alleged that champion athletes were born... 776 00:40:29,127 --> 00:40:31,062 when the planet Mars, 777 00:40:31,096 --> 00:40:34,065 known astrologically as the Warrior Planet, 778 00:40:34,099 --> 00:40:36,602 was rising or at its highest point 779 00:40:36,635 --> 00:40:38,837 when viewed from earth. 780 00:40:38,870 --> 00:40:41,973 (Alex Filippenko) That study has been repeated later 781 00:40:42,007 --> 00:40:45,844 with a much more carefully selected sample, 782 00:40:45,877 --> 00:40:48,046 with much more careful procedures. 783 00:40:48,079 --> 00:40:51,617 And there, the correlations with athletes 784 00:40:51,650 --> 00:40:54,586 are no better than the correlations that you get 785 00:40:54,620 --> 00:40:56,121 among just a random sample of people 786 00:40:56,154 --> 00:40:59,858 who are not star athletes. 787 00:40:59,891 --> 00:41:03,929 (Andrew Fraknoi) The idea that somehow the position of Mars 788 00:41:03,962 --> 00:41:06,632 the day I'm born is important, 789 00:41:06,665 --> 00:41:08,867 that it will tell them something about my life 790 00:41:08,900 --> 00:41:10,736 or my destiny-- that's nonsense. 791 00:41:10,769 --> 00:41:14,139 There's no evidence for it either in the statistical tests 792 00:41:14,172 --> 00:41:16,742 or in the examinations of the mechanism 793 00:41:16,775 --> 00:41:20,011 of how astrology works. 794 00:41:20,045 --> 00:41:23,649 (narrator) Astrology cannot pass the test of science, 795 00:41:23,682 --> 00:41:27,953 but that doesn't seem to sway the true believers. 796 00:41:27,986 --> 00:41:30,756 The National Science Foundation recently reported 797 00:41:30,789 --> 00:41:32,824 that almost half of all Americans 798 00:41:32,858 --> 00:41:35,994 think astrology is scientific. 799 00:41:36,027 --> 00:41:40,632 (Alanna Kaivalya) Astrology isn't science in terms of hard, fast science. 800 00:41:40,666 --> 00:41:43,001 But it's more like psychology. 801 00:41:43,034 --> 00:41:45,236 Astrology shows us the habits and patterns 802 00:41:45,270 --> 00:41:47,739 and tendencies of the human psyche, 803 00:41:47,773 --> 00:41:49,975 and then, of course, the person's individual free will 804 00:41:50,008 --> 00:41:51,843 has to interact with that in some way, 805 00:41:51,877 --> 00:41:56,047 and there's no control group for that particular experiment. 806 00:41:56,081 --> 00:41:59,150 There are things that we just don't know. 807 00:41:59,184 --> 00:42:02,020 (Clifford Johnson) In some ways, a lot of astrology 808 00:42:02,053 --> 00:42:04,723 is a narrative that people find 809 00:42:04,756 --> 00:42:08,226 gives meaning to things that sometimes seems random. 810 00:42:08,259 --> 00:42:11,897 As long as the narratives are not being misused, 811 00:42:11,930 --> 00:42:14,099 not being used to deceive people, 812 00:42:14,132 --> 00:42:15,967 I think it's perfectly fine. 813 00:42:17,869 --> 00:42:21,973 (narrator) Astrology and astronomy share a common origin... 814 00:42:22,007 --> 00:42:25,210 but now they're completely separate disciplines. 815 00:42:25,243 --> 00:42:27,613 Astronomers admit humans do have 816 00:42:27,646 --> 00:42:30,215 a deep connection to the universe... 817 00:42:30,248 --> 00:42:34,052 but not in the way astrologers think. 818 00:42:34,085 --> 00:42:36,755 We ar directly connected to the cosmos. 819 00:42:36,788 --> 00:42:39,157 The atoms in our bodies 820 00:42:39,190 --> 00:42:42,994 are made for us by previous generations of stars, 821 00:42:43,028 --> 00:42:45,096 distributed throughout the universe 822 00:42:45,130 --> 00:42:47,633 by the explosions of stars. 823 00:42:47,666 --> 00:42:51,837 The warmth of the sun, the energy of the sun 824 00:42:51,870 --> 00:42:54,740 made life on earth possible. 825 00:42:54,773 --> 00:42:57,743 What I would hope is that people will look at the universe 826 00:42:57,776 --> 00:43:00,746 as a modern mystery and try to learn more about 827 00:43:00,779 --> 00:43:03,982 the fascinating world of stars and planets, 828 00:43:04,015 --> 00:43:07,118 not ancient gods.