Astrology is an extremely vast field. Sun sign astrology is its small, yet popular part.

A large number of people turn to the horoscope page first when they read a newspaper. Similarly, horoscope columns in magazines are among the most popular sections. There are people who place great faith in the day's horoscope and swear by it. On the other hand, there are those who find that the horoscope does not even remotely match their day's experiences.

This is because what you read in the newspaper is sun sign astrology. It is a simplified form of traditional astrology. In sun sign astrology only the position of the sun is considered while assigning an individual his zodiac sign. While this practice is not truly wrong, neither is it correct. In a sense, you could say that this type of astrology walks a middle path.

How did it originate?

William Lilly was the first person to begin the practice of publishing horoscopes in the newspaper. He was a famous astrologer from England who is best known for predicting the 'great fire of London' which took place in 1666. He predicted this fire fourteen years before it actually took place.

However, the true inventor of sun sign astrology is considered to be Richard Harold Naylor. He was an astrologer who worked for the Daily Express, a British tabloid newspaper. In 1930, the newspaper claimed that Naylor had predicted the crash of the British airship R101, on its maiden voyage, before the event actually occurred.

After this claim, the newspaper office was flooded with letters from people, asking Naylor to make predictions for them. In response, the newspaper started the 'What the stars foretell' column. The column forced Naylor to come up with a simplified form of astrology so that he could reply to people's queries. After trial and error, he hit upon the idea of using only the sun signs to make his predictions. This method of forecasting horoscopes continues to be used even today, in newspapers, all around the world.

The most famous name associated with sun sign astrology is Linda Goodman. Her first book, 'Linda Goodman's Sun Signs' was published in 1968. It was the first ever book on astrology to make it to the New York Times bestseller list.

What is sun sign astrology based on?

According to this branch of astrology, the only information required is a person's birth date. A sun sign is then assigned to the individual, based on the position of the sun within one of the twelve Zodiac signs. These signs are correlated to an individual's month of birth. The twelve zodiac signs are Capricorn, Pisces, Aquarius, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius.

Geographically, the sun forms the centre of our solar system. All the planets revolve around it. The sun is the source of all the light and heat that the planets receive. The sun is also one of the most important astrological elements. It is said to represent your own self and it is said to govern all your actions. It also represents authority, power, leadership qualities and pride. The principles associated with the sun are spontaneity, health, and vitality. In short, the sun represents an individual's life force.

The sun is also said to influence decisions like having children as well as those connected to business deals. The sun's influence is prominent in activities relating to leisure such as sports, social gatherings, and vacations. In terms of medicine, the sun is said to be associated with the heart, circulatory system, and thymus. Among the zodiac signs, the sun is the ruling planet for the sign of Leo.

Every day, the sun rises and sets in a slightly different place from the previous day. This is because of the earth's movement around the sun. This journey of the sun across the sky is referred to as the 'ecliptic'. It constitutes the centre of the zodiac. This is because it is surrounded by the twelve constellations of stars after which the zodiac signs are named.

Why is it considered to be incomplete?

Due to its widespread presence in newspapers and magazines, sun sign astrology is mistakenly believed to be true astrology. In addition to a sun sign, every individual also has a moon sign, venus sign, mercury sign, etc. These signs usually differ from year to year and have different dates compared to those for the sun signs. Also, since only one sign is taken into account while making a prediction, the horoscope is bound to be a generalised account.