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Astral Atlas
Wiki concept · Zodiac signs

Cancer

The zodiac sign spanning 90° up to 120° from the selected zodiac’s origin; constellation boundaries differ.

In this entry

Word origin · etymology

Latin constellation and sign name.

Cancer means crab; this zodiacal use is the animal-name.

IAU: The Constellations ↗

How we know · epistemology

Zodiac convention with traditional symbolism

Tropical Cancer begins at the June solstice, a geometric marker shared across hemispheres despite opposite seasons. Its cardinal-water classification and associated personal themes are traditional meanings, not direct deductions from that seasonal event.

Deborah Houlding: absolute zodiac longitude ↗Ptolemy: Tetrabiblos I.4–24, Robbins translation ↗Astrodienst: The four Elements and the Signs (practitioner account) ↗

Connected concepts

Terms used in this explanation

These links connect subjects and terminology. They do not establish a shared historical origin.

Sources & provenance

Use the citations beside each section to distinguish a calculation convention, a historical teaching and an editorial example.

Find these sources across the wiki →

  1. Deborah Houlding: absolute zodiac longitude ↗
  2. Ptolemy: Tetrabiblos I.4–24, Robbins translation ↗
  3. Astrodienst: The four Elements and the Signs (practitioner account) ↗
  4. IAU: The Constellations ↗