What is a rising sign?
Your rising sign, or ascendant, is the zodiac sign that was coming up over the eastern horizon at the moment you were born. Because the Earth turns, a new sign rises roughly every two hours, so the rising sign depends on your exact birth time and place – two people born on the same day can have different rising signs.
Astrologers read it as the “mask” you show the world: first impressions and the way you meet new situations. Together with your sun sign (your birthday sign) and your moon sign, it makes up your “big three”.
How to use the calculator
- Choose Western astrology, or Vedic for Indian (Jyotish) astrology, where the rising sign is called the lagna.
- Enter your date and time of birth – the time on your birth certificate is best.
- Start typing your place of birth and pick it from the list. If your town isn’t listed, choose the nearest larger city: the result barely changes over short distances.
The result shows your rising sign with its degree, your sun and moon signs, and the times that rising sign started and ended on your birthday. If you were born within a few minutes of a change, it says which sign you would be if your birth time were slightly different.
How it is worked out
The calculator turns your local birth time into Universal Time using the time zone rules for your birthplace on that date – including daylight saving time and historical changes. It then works out the local sidereal time (which part of the sky is overhead) and finds the point of the zodiac on the eastern horizon, using standard astronomical formulas (Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms). The Sun and Moon positions come from the same book, and agree with professional astronomy software to within a few hundredths of a degree.
Western and Vedic results differ because they measure the zodiac from different starting points. Western astrology uses the seasons (the tropical zodiac); Vedic astrology uses the fixed stars (the sidereal zodiac). The gap between them – the ayanamsa, about 24° today – is why your Vedic signs are often one sign earlier. This calculator uses the Lahiri ayanamsa, the standard in India.
Astrology is a tradition rather than a science – enjoy your big three for fun. Birth places come from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my rising sign?
Enter your date, exact time and place of birth above. The rising sign is the zodiac sign on the eastern horizon at that moment, so all three are needed.
Why do I need my birth time?
A new sign rises about every two hours, so even an hour’s difference can change your rising sign. The calculator shows when your rising sign started and ended that day.
What if I don’t know my birth time?
Your rising sign can’t be found without it – but your moon sign usually can, and your sun sign never needs it.
What are the big three in astrology?
Your sun sign (from your birthday), your moon sign (where the Moon was) and your rising sign (the sign on the eastern horizon). This calculator shows all three.
Why is my Vedic rising sign different?
Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, which is about 24° behind the Western (tropical) one, so signs often move back by one. Both are shown correctly for their own system.
What is a lagna?
Lagna is the Vedic (Indian astrology) name for the ascendant or rising sign.