Editing First point of Aries (section)

==Definition==
Due to Earth's [[axial precession]], this point gradually moves westwards at a rate of about one degree every 72 years. This means that, since the time of Hipparchus, it has shifted across the sky by about 30°, and is currently located within Pisces, near its border with [[Aquarius (constellation)|Aquarius]]. The Sun now appears in Aries from late April until mid-May, though the constellation is still associated with the beginning of the northern spring.{{sfn|Ridpath, ''Star Tales'' Aries: The Ram}}{{sfn|Winterburn|2008|pp=230–231}}{{sfn|Ridpath|2001|pp=84–85}}

The first point of Aries is important to the fields of astronomy, nautical navigation and astrology. [[Nautical almanac|Navigational ephemeris tables]] record the geographic position of the first point of Aries as the reference for position of [[List of stars for navigation|navigational stars]]. Due to the slow [[Precession (astronomy)|precession of the equinoxes]], the [[zenith]] view (above a location) of constellations at a time of year from a given location have slowly moved west (by using solar [[epoch (astronomy)|epoch]]s the drift is known). The [[tropical Zodiac]] is similarly affected and no longer corresponds with the [[constellation]]s (the Cusp of Libra today is located within [[Virgo (constellation)|Virgo]]). In [[sidereal astrology]], by contrast, the first point of Aries remains aligned with the Aries constellation.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}