Lack of mechanisms and consistency

Testing the validity of astrology can be difficult because there is no consensus amongst
astrologers as to what astrology is or what it can predict.[3]:83 ost professional astrologers are
paid to predict the future or describe a person!s personality and life" but most horoscopes only
make vague untestable statements that can apply to almost anyone.[3][#$%]:83
any astrologers claim that astrology is scientific"[#&'] while some have proposed conventional
causal agents such as electromagnetism and gravity.[#&'][#&%] (cientists re)ect these
mechanisms as implausible[#&'] since" for e*ample" the magnetic field" when measured from
earth" of a large but distant planet such as +upiter is far smaller than that produced by ordinary
household appliances.[#&%][#&,]
-estern astrology has taken the earth!s a*ial precession .also called precession of the
e/uino*es0 into account since 1tolemy!s 2lmagest" so the !first point of 2ries!" the start of the
astrological year" continually moves against the background of the stars.[#&3] The tropical 4odiac
has no connection to the stars" and as long as no claims are made that the constellations
themselves are in the associated sign" astrologers avoid the concept that precession seemingly
moves the constellations.[#&8] 5harpak and 6roch" noting this" referred to astrology based on the
tropical 4odiac as being 7...empty bo*es that have nothing to do with anything and are devoid of
any consistency or correspondence with the stars.7[#&8] (ole use of the tropical 4odiac is
inconsistent with references made" by the same astrologers" to the 2ge of 2/uarius" which
depends on when the vernal point enters the constellation of 2/uarius.[8]
2strologers usually have only a small knowledge of astronomy and they often do not take into
account basic features such as the precession of the e/uino*es which would change the position
of the sun with time8 they commented on the e*ample of 9li4abeth Teissier who claimed that 7the
sun ends up in the same place in the sky on the same date each year7 as the basis for claims that
two people with the same birthday but a number of years apart should be under the same
planetary influence. 5harpak and 6roch noted that 7there is a difference of about twenty:two
thousand miles between 9arth!s location on any specific date in two successive years7 and that
thus they should not be under the same influence according to astrology. ;ver a '$ years period
there would be a difference greater than 38$"$$$ miles.[#&8]:,<3