What’s your sign? This is a common question you may have encountered in your life. While most people aren’t too deep into astrology, chances are that most of us have looked into our daily horoscope at least once for fun. However, a lot of people don’t really know where these signs come from, or why they exist in the first place. If you are curious, keep reading.

The twelve zodiac signs come from the way the sun moves across the sky throughout the year. As each day passes, the sun will slightly shift its position among the stars. Due to Earth’s orbit, the sun will cycle around the stars in nearly the same pattern every year. The twelve zodiacs get their names from the constellations that the sun appears in front of during the year. Although the sun actually crosses over a thirteenth constellation Ophiuchus, it unfortunately does not a place in astrology.