The announcement of zodiac sign changes made earlier this month has been a hot topic among many.

According to astronomer Paul Kunkle, because the position of the sun in relation to the constellations has gradually changed over time, the zodiac signs have also changed. What many people didn’t know is that there are two different astrology systems: the Western system, followed by people in the United States and other Western nations, and the Vedic system, followed mostly by people in India and other Eastern nations.

The Vedic system astrologers study the earth’s relationship to the stars, which is more closely related to Kunkle’s claims. The Western system is based on the earth’s relationship to the sun and the equinoxes, which has nothing to do with the constellations Kunkle bases his claim on. In fact, Kunkle’s “revelation” is not news at all to astrologers, who assert that both systems have been in place for hundreds of years.

Despite the hoards of news articles reassuring people that the Earth is not unaligned and explaining the differences between these two systems, Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites are still flooded with comments by people fearing what these “changes” mean and disappointed that their zodiac sign has changed.

When it comes down to it, the Western and Eastern astrology systems are both legitimate. So for those of you who did not want to change your sign, stick with the Western astrological beliefs that most of us have been following anyway, for it has not changed. And for those who opted for a change or were intrigued to become the new Ophiuchus sign, go for it!

If nothing else, Kunkle’s announcement taught many people something they did not know before. When we think of astrology, many people think of the horoscope they read daily in the paper, and that’s as far as the thought process goes. This announcement has taught many people information they did not previously know and opened the door for them to do their own research should they choose to.

Perhaps when someone uses the line, “What’s your sign?”, the standard response will become “Western or Vedic?”