I have recently been bombarded by articles claiming that there is now a new zodiac symbol after the discovery of a new constellation, Ophiuchus. Somehow, this "thirteenth sign" became my sign over night. Needless to say, I was terrified and the chaos that ensued could only best be described as an identity crisis.

I am a Scorpio, through and through. There was absolutely no way that I was going to just adopt some newbie sign because every article on the Internet said it was the new, and heartbreaking, reality. For the past ten years I have been reading my horoscope nearly every day and though I know astrology is not science (though many confuse it with astronomy which is, in fact, a science) I still feel spiritually connected to the stars of Scorpius that twinkle somewhere up in the Milky Way.

So, in true Scorpio fashion, I took my conundrum to my physics professor because I am simply too stubborn to believe that I am some Ophiuchus, whatever the heck that is.

With detailed diagrams and all, Doctor T talked me down from my panic and assured me that there is not, nor ever will be, a new sign. It is impossible. I learned that the International Astronomical Union (IAU) declared that all stars in our galaxy must belong to one constellation and the constellations must not overlap. So, the IAU set about making sure every star found a constellation-home. Many of the constellations are more for organizational purposes, but some, like the zodiacs, are shapes.

Now, there is a finite number of constellations in the Milky Way--88 to be exact. There will never be an 89th constellation because every grouping of stars has already been named. The 12 zodiac signs all happen to fall in direct alignment along the celestial sphere with the Earth and the Sun at different times of the year. The zodiac signs transition about every month because of the way that the Earth orbits the Sun.

So, we can all breathe a little easier now and know that our zodiac sign will remain the same and our horoscope is totally valid. Pretty soon they're going to start saying that fortune cookies don't reveal our futures.