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LearnSun, Moon and rising signs explained
Most people know one sign. A birth chart has three that matter most, and they are often three different signs. Here is what each one describes, and a guide to all twelve of each.
The difference between the three
Your Sun sign is set by the day you were born. It describes the centre of your character and what you are working to become. It is the sign in every magazine horoscope.
Your Moon sign is set by the day and sometimes the hour. It describes your emotional life: what makes you feel safe and how you react before you have had time to think.
Your rising sign, or Ascendant, is set by the minute and the place. It describes how you meet the world and the first impression you make, and it arranges the twelve houses of the chart.
The Sun stays in a sign for about a month, the Moon for about two and a half days, and the rising sign for about two hours. That is why two people born on the same day can read so differently, and why the Moon and rising signs have to be calculated, not looked up.
Find your three signs
Enter a birth date, time and place and we calculate the Sun, Moon and rising sign, with every other planet, from astronomical models. If you do not know the birth time, we tell you what can and cannot be known without it.
Free, takes about a minute, no email or account needed.
Sun signs
Moon signs
Rising signs
Go further
A full reading covers every planet, the houses and the angles between them, written for the exact chart. Read a complete sample reading, or see how we calculate a chart.
Astrology is a symbolic tradition offered for reflection. These descriptions are tendencies, not predictions, and not medical, legal or financial advice.