Dancing with the stars

This is the 21st century, right? Then how can the scientifically oriented, technologically committed United States of America spend so much time and money consulting stargazers.

There are 10,000 practicing astrologers in this country, according to a survey by University of Texas professor Rory Coker in collaboration with the Austin Society to Oppose Pseudoscience. ASTOP says Americans spend $200 million a year on astrology consultation.

No doubt some of the people paying for horoscopes, or to have their palms read, do it for amusement. But about 33 percent of the U.S. population is believed to believe in Zodiac signs - 75 percent of them being women.

There are countless books about astrology, not to mention the hundreds of websites that provide daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly forecasts concerning careers, love, marriage, and practically anything else.

Of course, free readings will only reveal so much. Perhaps that's to entice curious patrons into paying fees of $25 or more for a face-to-face forecast or a personalized consultation via telephone, e-mail, or Skype.

Full disclosure: More than a few newspapers publish columns written by professional astrologers, including The Inquirer, which runs "Bigar's Stars," the predictions of Jacqueline Bigar, who started writing her daily column in 1982 for the Daily News.

As irrational as it seems that the alignment of the stars, moon, and sun could determine whether you're going to have a good day, the longevity of astrology - which has been around for millennia - suggests that it won't soon be eclipsed by real science.