What this tool does

This calculator works out your rising sign, also called your Ascendant: the sign of the zodiac that was rising on the eastern horizon at the moment you were born. It is calculated astronomically from your birth date, time and place, shown on a chart wheel, and explained in a written reading covering how you come across to other people, your chart ruler and how your rising sign fits with your Sun and Moon signs.

It also checks how sensitive your result is to the birth time, and tells you if being out by 15 minutes or an hour would change it.

When to use it

Use it when you know your Sun sign but want the fuller picture. Many people find their rising sign describes the side of them others see first, and it is often the missing piece when a Sun sign description does not quite fit. The rising sign moves through the whole zodiac every 24 hours, changing roughly every two hours, so an accurate birth time gives the best result. If you do not know your time, the calculator shows every rising sign for your birthday and birthplace with the times each one applied, and helps you work out which is most likely.

How it works

You choose your date and time of birth and type the town or city you were born in. The tool finds the place and its time zone, including any summer time that applied, converts your birth time to Universal Time and calculates the Ascendant for that exact spot on Earth. The reading starts by showing the place and time used so you can check them. Place names come from GeoNames.

You do not need to give your name or email to use it.