MINNEAPOLIS – A recent Harris Poll found that 31 percent of Americans believe in astrology. They’re wrong – although not necessarily in the way their detractors might cite.

The ancient Babylonians based zodiac signs on the constellation the sun was “in” on the day a person was born. During the ensuing millennia, the moon’s gravitational pull has made the Earth “wobble” around its axis, creating about a one-month bump in the stars’ alignment.

The result?

“When (astrologers) say that the sun is in Pisces, it’s really not in Pisces,” said Parke Kunkle, a board member of the Minnesota Planetarium Society.

Indeed, most horoscope readers who consider themselves Pisces are actually Aquarians. So instead of being sensitive, humane and idealistic, they actually are friendly, loyal and inventive.

Astronomers have pooh-poohed astrology from the get-go, but Kunkle hedged when asked if astrology can bring people to his science.

“Historically, people looked at the sky to understand the world around us,” he said. “But today I don’t think people who are into astrology look at the sky very much.”