Rising signs

Your rising sign, or Ascendant, is the zodiac sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at the exact moment and place of your birth. It changes roughly every two hours, which is why two people born on the same day can have completely different rising signs — and why you need a birth time, ideally accurate to within a quarter of an hour, to know yours.

Astrologers read the Ascendant as your approach to life: the style you lead with, the first impression you make, the way you react to new situations and even how you tend to move and dress. The Sun describes who you are at the core; the rising sign describes the doorway through which people meet you. Many people recognise themselves more in their rising sign at first meetings and more in their Sun sign once someone knows them well.

The Ascendant also sets up the whole chart. It marks the beginning of the 1st house, so it decides which area of life each planet falls into, and the planet that rules your rising sign becomes your chart ruler — a thread worth following through the rest of your chart. Directly opposite lies the Descendant, the start of the 7th house, associated with what you look for in close partners.

If you don't know your rising sign yet, our free calculator works it out from your date, time and place of birth. Without a birth time the Ascendant can't be calculated reliably, so it is better left open than guessed.