Puzzle: Zodiac

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 35.56cm x 45.72cm
Producer: Ceaco, Glow in the Dark series, 10-puzzle pack, 2013, No. 103013-21081-A
Puzzle: Lovely colourful puzzle, a pleasure to do. Multiple distinct coloured areas, circular shape in the middle, frame outline, softer colours for the middle, and logical organization of the zodiac signs give many cues, making this puzzle trivial to assemble. I have started with the ornate frame and corners, the centerpiece, and the sun shapes at top and bottom center. Since most of the animals and figures have quite distinct colours, in combination with the coloured labels on the wheel, they were the next logical step, leaving very few pieces to finish up the puzzle.

Notes: In both astrology and historical astronomy, the zodiac  is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude that are centered upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Historically, these twelve divisions are called signs. Essentially, the zodiac is a celestial coordinate system, or more specifically an ecliptic coordinate system, which takes the ecliptic as the origin of latitude, and the position of the sun at vernal equinox as the origin of longitude. 

The term zodiac derives from Latin zōdiacus, which in its turn comes from the Greek, meaning “circle of animals”. The name is motivated by the fact that half of the signs of the classical Greek zodiac are represented as animals (besides two mythological hybrids). [Wiki]