What is a birth chart?

A birth chart is a map of the sky at the moment you were born. It marks the zodiac sign each planet was in and which part of the sky each one sat in, called a house. People use it to describe how someone tends to think, feel and act. It does not predict what will happen to you.

Do I need my exact birth time?

For the rising sign and the houses, yes. The rising sign changes about every two hours. For your Sun sign and the slow planets, the date is nearly always enough. The Moon is in one sign all day on many dates, but on other dates it changes sign during the day, and then you need the time. If you leave the time out, this calculator hides the rising sign and houses and tells you if a sign could be off.

What is a rising sign?

Your rising sign, or ascendant, is the zodiac sign that was coming up over the eastern horizon where you were born, at the time you were born. It is often described as how you come across when people first meet you.

Yes. It is free. There is no account, no email and no sign up. Natus is the journaling app behind it, and the First Reading in the app is free too. Your birth date, time and chart are worked out inside your browser. They are not sent to us and they are not saved. Only the place name you type goes to Open-Meteo, a free map lookup, so we can find its coordinates and time zone.

Planet positions come from the same astronomy code the Natus app uses, and we test it against reference charts from astro.com. Signs and degrees are exact. The rising sign is only as good as your birth time, because four minutes of time moves it about one degree. Houses use the whole sign system. Sites that use another system, like Placidus, can give a different house number for the same planet. The signs stay the same.

Free birth chart calculator

A birth chart, also called a natal chart, is a map of where the Sun, Moon and planets were in the sky at the moment you were born, seen from the place you were born. This free birth chart calculator shows your big three (Sun, Moon and rising sign), every planet with its sign, degree and house, and your 12 houses.

You need your birth date, your birth place and, for the rising sign and houses, your birth time. No birth time? You still get your Sun sign and your planets, and the tool tells you if your Moon sign could be one of two signs.

Sun sign: what each one means

How you tend to act and what you push toward. These are tendencies, not rules.

Aries: You tend to start things fast and say what you think. Waiting around and mixed messages wear you out.
Taurus: You tend to move at your own pace and want things solid. You build slowly and dig in when pushed.
Gemini: You tend to want to know a bit about everything and talk it through. Boredom bothers you more than risk does.
Cancer: You tend to care a lot about the people close to you and feel things deeply. You guard your home base hard.
Leo: You tend to want to be seen and to give things your full effort. You do best when your work gets noticed.
Virgo: You tend to notice what is off and want to fix it. You hold yourself to a high bar and can be hard on yourself.
Libra: You tend to weigh both sides and care how things sit between people. Picking a side fast is hard for you.
Scorpio: You tend to go deep or not at all. You keep a lot private and notice what people leave unsaid.
Sagittarius: You tend to want room, new places and big questions. You say it straight, and you can promise more than you have time for.
Capricorn: You tend to take goals and duty seriously and play the long game. You often carry more than anyone asked you to.
Aquarius: You tend to think for yourself and do things your own way. You like people and ideas, and you need space from both.
Pisces: You tend to soak up the mood around you and run on imagination and feeling. It can be hard to tell where you end and other people start.

Moon sign: what each one means

How you tend to feel and what settles you. These are tendencies, not rules.

Aries: You tend to feel things fast and show it right away. The mood passes quickly, and you want to act on it, not sit in it.
Taurus: You tend to feel safe when life is steady and familiar. Sudden change rattles you, and routine, good food and touch help.
Gemini: You tend to sort out your feelings by talking or writing about them. A feeling you cannot put into words feels strange.
Cancer: You tend to feel things deeply and hold on to them. Home, family and being looked after matter a lot to how you feel.
Leo: You tend to need warmth and to feel appreciated. Being ignored hurts more than you let on.
Virgo: You tend to deal with feelings by being useful and fixing things. When stressed, you may worry and double-check everything.
Libra: You tend to feel better when things are calm between you and other people. Conflict drains you, and you may hide your needs to keep the peace.
Scorpio: You tend to feel strongly and keep most of it to yourself. Trust comes slowly, and you remember how people made you feel.
Sagittarius: You tend to need freedom and room to move. You bounce back with humor, a change of scene or a big plan.
Capricorn: You tend to keep your feelings under control and show them late. You feel better when you are getting things done.
Aquarius: You tend to step back from a feeling to think it through first. You need your own space, even from people you love.
Pisces: You tend to pick up on other people's moods as if they were yours. You need quiet time alone to reset.

Rising sign: what each one means

How you tend to come across to other people. These are tendencies, not rules.

Aries: People tend to see you as direct, quick and full of energy. You walk into a room ready to go.
Taurus: People tend to see you as calm, steady and hard to rush. You come across as someone who stays put.
Gemini: People tend to see you as curious, chatty and quick. You come across as easy to talk to and hard to pin down.
Cancer: People tend to see you as kind and a bit guarded at first. You check that a place feels safe before you open up.
Leo: People tend to see you as warm, confident and easy to notice. You come across as someone who takes up space.
Virgo: People tend to see you as neat, careful and sharp-eyed. You come across as quiet and capable until people get to know you.
Libra: People tend to see you as polite, friendly and easy to be around. You come across as someone who cares how things look.
Scorpio: People tend to see you as intense, private and hard to read. You come across as someone who sees more than they say.
Sagittarius: People tend to see you as upbeat, open and a bit restless. You come across as someone with a story and a plan.
Capricorn: People tend to see you as serious, steady and older than your age. You come across as someone who has things handled.
Aquarius: People tend to see you as independent, a little different and hard to label. You come across as friendly, but from a distance.
Pisces: People tend to see you as soft, dreamy and easy to talk to. You come across as someone who picks up on how others feel.

Common questions

What is a birth chart?: A birth chart is a map of the sky at the moment you were born. It marks the zodiac sign each planet was in and which part of the sky each one sat in, called a house. People use it to describe how someone tends to think, feel and act. It does not predict what will happen to you.
Do I need my exact birth time?: For the rising sign and the houses, yes. The rising sign changes about every two hours. For your Sun sign and the slow planets, the date is nearly always enough. The Moon is in one sign all day on many dates, but on other dates it changes sign during the day, and then you need the time. If you leave the time out, this calculator hides the rising sign and houses and tells you if a sign could be off.
What is a rising sign?: Your rising sign, or ascendant, is the zodiac sign that was coming up over the eastern horizon where you were born, at the time you were born. It is often described as how you come across when people first meet you.
Is this free?: Yes. It is free. There is no account, no email and no sign up. Natus is the journaling app behind it, and the First Reading in the app is free too. Your birth date, time and chart are worked out inside your browser. They are not sent to us and they are not saved. Only the place name you type goes to Open-Meteo, a free map lookup, so we can find its coordinates and time zone.
How accurate is it?: Planet positions come from the same astronomy code the Natus app uses, and we test it against reference charts from astro.com. Signs and degrees are exact. The rising sign is only as good as your birth time, because four minutes of time moves it about one degree. Houses use the whole sign system. Sites that use another system, like Placidus, can give a different house number for the same planet. The signs stay the same.