Astrology. Chinese artwork of the astrological characters which represent the planets. From left to right the characters are: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These were the five planets known in ancient times; the others were discovered from the 18th century onwards. The Chinese have been practising astrology since about 2000 BC. Astrology is used to make predictions about the future. Astrology was once thought to be as scientifically important as astronomy, but is now regarded as superstition. Illustration drawn in 1915 by Henri Dore, a Jesuit missionary in China.