Rising sign calculator

About your Rising sign

What is a Rising sign?

Your Rising sign, also called the Ascendant, is the zodiac sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at the moment and place you were born. It shapes how you come across and the first impression you make.

Why does it need my birth time?

The Earth turns once a day, so all twelve signs rise over the eastern horizon in turn, about two hours each on average. A birth time even an hour off can give a different Rising sign, so the closer your time, the surer your answer.

Why does it need my birthplace?

Which sign is rising depends on where you stand: at the same moment, someone in London and someone in Sydney will usually see different signs rising. Your birthplace also sets the time zone your birth time was kept in.

What if I don't know my birth time?

Then your Rising sign can't be worked out, but your Sun, Moon and planets still can, from your birth date alone. A birth certificate, a hospital record or a family member may know the time. Draw your chart with just a date →

Is my Rising sign the same as my Sun sign?

Usually not. Your Sun sign comes from your birth date, your Rising sign from your birth time and place. They match when you were born around sunrise, when the Sun itself was rising.

How is it calculated?

Planet positions come from the Swiss Ephemeris, through the open-source Kerykeion library. The zodiac is tropical. The birth place gives the coordinates and the time zone (from the IANA time zone database). With a birth time the chart has an Ascendant and Placidus houses (Porphyry inside the polar circles, where Placidus is undefined). More about how we calculate →