Zodiac, in astronomy and astrology,
is a belt around the heavens extending 9°
on either side of the ecliptic,
the path of the Sun across the sphere
over the course of the year.

Because most of the constellations
through which the ecliptic passes represent animals,
the ancient Greeks called its zone
zodiakos kyklos, “circle of animals,”
or ta zodia, “the little animals.”