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Home / Astrology / The 12 zodiac signs and the ascendant

The 12 zodiac signs and the ascendant

A portrait of the twelve signs, what the ascendant adds, and a calculator for yours — sun sign, moon sign, ascendant — from your date, time and place of birth.

Illustration: The 12 zodiac signs

Calculate your sign, moon sign and ascendant

Enter your date, time and place of birth: the calculation runs here in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere. Time and place are only needed for the ascendant and the moon sign; without them you get your sun sign.

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My daily horoscope

The twelve signs every day, from the real positions of the Moon and planets. Read today’s horoscope →

Aries (21 March – 19 April)

Cardinal fire. Energetic, direct and famously impatient, Aries likes to go first and throws itself into new projects — sometimes without the staying power to finish them.

Taurus (20 April – 20 May)

Fixed earth. Attached to stability, comfort and the pleasure of the senses, Taurus moves slowly but surely, with a persistence that can tip into stubbornness.

Gemini (21 May – 20 June)

Mutable air. Curious, talkative and quick-witted, Gemini thrives on variety and tires of routine; that adaptability can look like an inability to settle.

Cancer (21 June – 22 July)

Cardinal water. Sensitive and deeply attached to home and family, Cancer has a long emotional memory — intuitive, and prone to changes of mood.

Leo (23 July – 22 August)

Fixed fire. Generous, proud and a natural performer, Leo wants to be seen and appreciated; that need to shine can shade into pride.

Virgo (23 August – 22 September)

Mutable earth. Methodical, detail-focused and perfectionist, Virgo has a strong sense of service — and can be exacting, with itself most of all.

Libra (23 September – 22 October)

Cardinal air. Diplomatic and aesthetically minded, forever seeking balance, Libra can struggle to decide when a choice would upset someone.

Scorpio (23 October – 21 November)

Fixed water. Intense, determined and perceptive, Scorpio lives its relationships passionately; natural wariness can turn to jealousy if left unchecked.

Sagittarius (22 November – 21 December)

Mutable fire. Optimistic and freedom-loving, Sagittarius wants to learn and travel; that appetite for independence can sit awkwardly with commitment.

Capricorn (22 December – 19 January)

Cardinal earth. Ambitious, disciplined and patient, Capricorn builds for the long term — and its seriousness often hides real sensitivity.

Aquarius (20 January – 18 February)

Fixed air. Independent, original and idea-driven, Aquarius values freedom and collective causes, sometimes at the expense of intimacy.

Pisces (19 February – 20 March)

Mutable water. Dreamy, empathetic and intuitive, Pisces is carried by emotion and imagination; great sensitivity can also mean great porousness.

And your rising sign?

Your sun sign — the one from your birth date — is only one piece. The ascendant and the position of the other planets substantially change the traditional portrait.

The ascendant

The sun sign depends on the date; the ascendant depends on the time and the place. Here is why it matters and how it is calculated.

Why it matters in astrology

Your sun sign depends only on the date of birth. The ascendant depends on the date, the exact time and the place as well, because it marks the slice of the zodiac rising on the eastern horizon at that moment. Since the whole zodiac turns once every twenty-four hours, the ascendant changes roughly every two hours: two people born on the same day, a few hours apart, usually have different ascendants.

In the tradition, the ascendant describes how a person presents themselves and reacts to their surroundings — a kind of social mask — whereas the sun sign is read as the deeper identity.

How it is calculated

You need three pieces of information: date, exact time and place of birth. The calculation uses astronomical tables (ephemerides) and the position of the horizon at that location. It is not something to work out in your head, but any ascendant calculator will do it from those three inputs.

About the birth time

Half an hour of error can change the result. Whether the time of birth appears on a birth certificate differs from country to country, and often from one state or province to the next. Where it is not printed, it is usually recorded in the hospital notes or the child health record.

How it is calculated

Three pieces of information are needed: the date, the time and the place of birth. The time must be as precise as possible, and the place is used to convert it into local sidereal time. Online calculators do this in a second; what matters is the quality of the data you put in.

If the time is unknown, some astrologers offer to “rectify” it from events in your life. It is worth knowing that this is in no way objective: it consists of choosing whichever time makes the chart fit what is already known about the person.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the exact time of birth matter?

Because the rising sign is the sign that was coming up over the eastern horizon at the precise moment of birth, and that horizon moves through a whole sign roughly every two hours. An error of one hour often changes the rising sign. The time is on the full birth certificate.

How does it differ from the sun sign?

The sun sign depends on the date and changes every month; the rising sign depends on the time and the place and changes every two hours. That is why two people born the same day in different places do not share a chart. Astrologers describe the first as the underlying self and the second as the outward manner.

What is it actually worth?

No study has found a link between the position of the planets at birth and personality traits, and blind tests — where astrologers are asked to match charts to profiles — fail consistently. The value of the exercise is symbolic and introspective, not predictive.

Try it for two

These compatibility readings — zodiac signs, Chinese signs, Vedic astrology, biorhythms, first names, life path — are gathered and calculated for two people on the Love compatibility page.

Further reading

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