There are twelve signs: Aries the Ram, Taurus the Bull; Gemini the Twins; Cancer the Crab; Leo the Lion; Virgo the Virgin; Libra the Scales; Scorpio the Scorpion; Sagittarius the Archer; Capricorn the Goat; Aquarius the Water-bearer; Pisces the Fish.

According to astrology each star sign is supposed correspond with different characteristics. And our very futures are determined by the relative position of these constellations in the heavens.

Astrology has been with us, in one form or another, since 1645 BC when records were kept by the Babylonians. If astrology has been around for that length of time does that mean there must be some truth in it? Or does it just go to show that people are just as gullible now as they were all those years ago?

All I would say on the matter is that in 1979 a French researcher placed an advertisement in a magazine offering free horoscope readings. Of the first 150 people who responded 94% said the horoscope they were sent was accurate. The only trouble was they were ALL sent the same horoscope - that of a convicted mass murderer! Still, we believe what we want to believe.

But if you all know your star sign, let me ask you this. How many of you could find that sign in the night sky? Not many I bet. And yet the constellations - and there are more than 12 of them - are up there in the night sky - clearly visible on fine nights.

So if the stars and planets don’t influence our personalities and futures do they affect the weather? Well, not really - apart from the moon and the sun - they are just too far away. But if you spend a lot of time observing the clouds then you can’t fail to notice the constellations as they move through the zodiac.

Cloud permitting you don’t need a big telescope to observe the zodiac. The best lens is in your eye. On a fine night it can be a bit daunting, picking out the stars in the constellations. So I tend to use a planisphere which is a sort of ‘roadmap to the stars’. By rotating two overlying plastic discs you can obtain a snapshot of the position of the stars in the night sky.

Astrology is not a science and there is no proof that it works. In fact there is no evidence to suppose that astrology has led to any useful discoveries about our universe. So rather than fretting over whether the moon appearing in Uranus is going to have an adverse effect on your love life, get outside and observe the true wonders of the zodiac - the stars and planets.