Changes in the Sun's position since the Zodiac's inception

This animation shows how the position of the Sun on the night sky has changed from 2500 years ago (when the Zodiac constellations were made up) to the present day. The relative position moves due to a process known as precession, which is where the Earth ‘wobbles’ slightly around its axis of rotation. Much like a spinning top, the Earth’s axis traces small circles on the night sky and changes how we view it, with each cycle taking about 25 800 years. This animation was originally produced for an ESO Chasing Starlight episode on astronomy myth busting.