Astrology

Astrology is an attempt to predict the future based on an individual's birthdate (and possibly other significant dates) and the alignment of stars and planets.

Astrologers make general predictions (often published in regular newspaper and magazine columns) for groups of people based on their star sign (see Zodiac), but may also provide individualised analyses based on more detailed information.

Whilst many millions of people around the world take astrology with at least some seriousness, there is little scientific evidence for the utility of the predictions, as they are often extremely vague and easy to interpret to fit events, and when describing personality traits use ones that seem to be fairly universal (and thus can be made safely about most people). Hence, virtually all mainstream scientists regard astrology as at best pseudoscience, or at worst deliberate fraud.