Rising sign calculator
Find the sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at your birth. It changes about every two hours, so this needs your birth time and city.
What this sign means
The rising sign is the zodiac sign that was on the eastern horizon at the place and minute you were born. Older books call it the ascendant and treat it as the first impression, the face of the chart, not the Sun sign. It is a local horizon, so a city matters as much as a clock. Two people born on the same date in different countries do not share a rising sign just because they share a birthday.
Rising sign in each sign
Aries
Aries rising is the textbook first impression of someone direct and quick to speak. The tradition treats the ram as a start, not a long plan. It is only true of the horizon for about two hours, and only for that city. Aries sign
Taurus
Taurus rising is described as an unhurried first meeting, a steady face that does not rush the greeting. The bull is the fixed earth picture. The ascendant still moves on, so the birth time is the whole question. Taurus sign
Gemini
Gemini rising is the old note about a curious first impression and a habit of answering with a question. The twins are the symbol. The window is a couple of hours wide, then the horizon has moved into Cancer. Gemini sign
Cancer
Cancer rising is described as a guarded first meeting that warms up once the room is familiar. The crab is the picture of a shell. It is a horizon sign, not the sign of everyone born in late June. Cancer sign
Leo
Leo rising is the textbook impression of an open posture that is easy to notice. The lion is the symbol for that two-hour stretch. A birth even one sign earlier or later is a different rising sign. Leo sign
Virgo
Virgo rising is the tradition's observant first impression, the person who notices what is out of place. The sheaf of grain is the drawing. Latitude changes how long this ascendant lasts. Virgo sign
Libra
Libra rising is described as a polite, even manner at the door. The scales are the symbol of that slice of the day. It is not awarded to every late September birthday. Libra sign
Scorpio
Scorpio rising is the old picture of a still, hard-to-read first impression. The scorpion is the symbol. The clock and the city decide it, and a guessed hour is a guessed sign. Scorpio sign
Sagittarius
Sagittarius rising is the textbook open stride and a direct remark. The archer is the picture. Two cities on the same clock can disagree because the horizon is local. Sagittarius sign
Capricorn
Capricorn rising is described as a reserved, capable first impression. The sea goat is the old drawing. It covers about two hours and then gives way to Aquarius on the eastern edge. Capricorn sign
Aquarius
Aquarius rising is the tradition's slightly detached first impression, easy to read as a person who stands a little apart. The water bearer is an air sign's picture. The hour, not the Sun sign, chooses it. Aquarius sign
Pisces
Pisces rising is the old soft outline, a manner that is hard to pin down in a first meeting. The two fish are the drawing. It is the last of the twelve horizons before Aries rises again. Pisces sign
How it is calculated
The calculator asks Astronomy Engine for the ascendant at your birth instant, after GeoNames supplies the coordinates and the time zone, including the daylight saving rule that was in force then. The horizon turns through all 12 signs in about a day, so each sign lasts roughly two hours and the edges are shorter or longer depending on latitude. Without a clock time there is no single answer, and the page will not invent one. A time that is off by an hour can name the next sign. That limit is larger than the formula's own uncertainty, which is discussed on the how we calculate page.
Positions use Astronomy Engine. Cities use GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Read the limits on how we calculate.
Questions
What is a rising sign?
It is the sign on the eastern horizon at your birth place and time, also called the ascendant. Textbooks treat it as a first impression. The calculator reports the sign, and the notes below are the traditional reading.
Why can you not skip the birth time?
The horizon turns through all 12 signs in about a day. Drop the clock and there are 12 possible answers. This page refuses to pick one.
How accurate is it?
Astronomy Engine aims for about one arcminute on dates in the centuries around now. An hour of clock error moves the rising sign more than that. The city must be the birth place, not where you live now.
Is the rising sign the same as the Sun sign?
No. The Sun sign changes about once a month. The rising sign changes about every two hours. They match only when the Sun was in the sign that was also rising.
What if I know the time but not the minute?
Use the nearest time you trust and read the result as that instant. If the status line says the sign was changing, a few minutes can cross the boundary.