Libra: The Scales That Were Once a Scorpion’s Claws
Right now the Sun is passing in front of the stars of Libra, the only figure in the zodiac that is an object rather than a living being. In 13-sign astrology, which follows the real constellations, the Sun stays in Libra (October 31 – November 22) before moving on to Scorpio (November 23 – November 29). Libra is faint and easy to overlook, yet it has one of the most interesting stories in the sky.
From Claws to Scales
For the ancient Greeks, these stars did not form a constellation of their own. They were the Chelae, the outstretched claws of the great Scorpion next door. Even in Ptolemy's Almagest, the standard star catalogue of antiquity, the region still appears under the name "the Claws".
The idea of a balance is older still. Babylonian astronomers already linked this part of the sky with scales, and the Romans later revived the image and made Libra a firm member of the zodiac. In their version, the scales often belong to the neighbouring maiden Virgo, pictured as Astraea, the goddess of justice.
Star Names That Remember the Past
The old claws survive in the names of Libra's two brightest stars. Zubenelgenubi (Alpha Librae) means "the southern claw", and Zubeneschamali (Beta Librae) means "the northern claw". Both come from Arabic and preserve the time when Libra was part of Scorpius.
Zubenelgenubi lies about 77 light-years from us. Binoculars show it as a wide pair of stars. It also sits very close to the ecliptic, the path of the Sun, so the Moon and the planets often pass near it. Zubeneschamali is the constellation's brightest star, roughly 185 light-years away. Some observers have described it as having a greenish tint, although most people see it as blue-white.
Read more: Libra: The Scales That Were Once a Scorpion’s Claws
Mercury Meets the Sun in Libra: The Inferior Conjunction of November 4, 2026
On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at about 14:24 UT (16:24 Greek time), the planet Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun. Astronomers call this moment an inferior conjunction. It marks the midpoint of Mercury's current retrograde loop – and it takes place against the stars of Libra, not Scorpio, where tropical horoscopes place it.
What is an inferior conjunction?
Mercury and Venus are the two "inferior" planets: their orbits lie inside the Earth's. Twice in each cycle they line up with the Sun as seen from Earth. When a planet is on the far side of the Sun, we speak of a superior conjunction. When it swings between us and the Sun, at its closest to Earth, it is an inferior conjunction.
Mercury is the fastest planet in the Solar System, so it repeats this cycle about every 116 days – three or four times a year. Around inferior conjunction, Mercury turns its unlit side towards us and is completely lost in the Sun's glare. You could call it a "new Mercury", much like a New Moon.
Read more: Mercury Meets the Sun in Libra: The Inferior Conjunction of November 4, 2026
Venus pentagram: Why the Morning Star Matters in 13-Sign Astrology
Look east before sunrise in the coming weeks and you will see something special: Venus, the brightest planet in our sky, rising again as the Morning Star. After weeks of absence, the planet of love and beauty is returning to view, and its return carries a surprising link to the number 13.
From Evening Star to Morning Star
For much of 2026, Venus shone in the western sky after sunset as the Evening Star. In late October it passed between the Earth and the Sun, an event astronomers call inferior conjunction. For a few days it was lost in the Sun's glare. Now it is reappearing on the other side of the Sun, rising before dawn.
The ancient Greeks once believed these were two different stars. They called the evening one Hesperos and the morning one Phosphoros, the "light-bringer", known to the Romans as Lucifer. Pythagoras and, before him, Babylonian sky-watchers realised that both were the same wandering light.
Venus Retrograde in Virgo
Around inferior conjunction, Venus seems to move backwards against the stars. This is its retrograde period, an optical effect that happens because the Earth and Venus pass each other on their orbits. Right now, retrograde Venus sits in the constellation Virgo (September 17 – October 30 in 13-sign astrology). It turns direct again around mid-November and climbs higher in the dawn sky, reaching its greatest distance from the Sun in early 2027.
In astrology, a Venus retrograde is traditionally a time to reflect on relationships, values and what we find beautiful. Instead of starting something brand new, it is a season to revisit, repair and rediscover.
The Pentagram and the Number 13
Venus has one of the most elegant rhythms in the solar system. It returns to the same position relative to the Sun every 584 days, its synodic period. Five of these cycles add up to almost exactly eight Earth years. If you mark the five places where inferior conjunctions occur against the zodiac, they trace a nearly perfect five-pointed star, the famous "pentagram of Venus".
Read more: Venus pentagram: Why the Morning Star Matters in 13-Sign Astrology
A Royal Gathering in Leo: The Moon, Mars, Jupiter and Regulus Before Dawn
If you are an early riser this week, step outside before sunrise and look toward the east and south-east. High above the horizon, the constellation of Leo, the Lion, is hosting a rare little gathering: the bright planet Jupiter, the reddish planet Mars, the star Regulus and, for a couple of mornings, a slim waning Moon.
Who Is in the Lion's Den?
In the real sky – the sky of the 13 constellations of the zodiac – Jupiter has been travelling through Leo for several weeks, and it is easily the brightest point of light in that part of the sky. Mars has only just crossed the border from Cancer into Leo and now shines with a steady, orange-red glow a few degrees west of Jupiter. Close by sits Regulus, the brightest star of Leo, marking the heart of the Lion.
On Monday, November 2, the Moon itself moves out of Cancer and into Leo in the afternoon, passing Mars later that day. By the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, November 3, the crescent Moon, about one-third lit, will stand between Jupiter and Regulus – an easy and beautiful sight with the naked eye, and even better through binoculars.
Read more: A Royal Gathering in Leo: The Moon, Mars, Jupiter and Regulus Before Dawn
November 1 and the Sun Is in Libra: Welcome to the Real Sky
Open almost any horoscope today and it will tell you the Sun is in Scorpio. Yet if you could switch off the daylight and look behind the Sun, you would find it standing in front of the stars of Libra, the Scales. The Sun crossed into Libra on October 31 and will stay there until November 23. So why the difference?
Why the Calendar Dates Drifted
The traditional zodiac is tied to the seasons, not to the stars. It begins at the spring equinox and divides the year into twelve equal slices of 30 degrees. Around two thousand years ago, those slices matched the constellations that gave them their names fairly well.
But the Earth wobbles slowly on its axis, like a spinning top. This motion, called precession, completes one full circle in about 25,800 years and shifts the equinox by roughly one degree every 72 years. Over the centuries, the signs and the constellations have drifted almost a whole constellation apart. The names stayed the same, but the sky moved on.
Thirteen Constellations, Unequal Seasons
In 1930 the International Astronomical Union officially fixed the boundaries of all 88 constellations. The path of the Sun, the ecliptic, passes through thirteen of them, including Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, between Scorpio and Sagittarius.
Read more: November 1 and the Sun Is in Libra: Welcome to the Real Sky
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