In this simple astrology guide, we will go over your sun, moon, and rising signs and how to identify each sign based on your date of birth, place of birth, and time of birth.

If you are one of those people that never identified with your sun sign, learning your moon sign and rising sign can help it make a lot more sense and feel a lot less general. Before I became really interested in Astrology, I found many of the horoscopes related to my sun sign to be quite general, but when you dive into your birth chart and look at your other signs, it feels much more personal and accurate in describing your personality.

If you’re interested in going in depth on this topic, check out my podcast: Life Chats with Liv B. In the podcast, I did several episodes going over each sign in the zodiac and the personality traits associated with each.

What you need to get started

In order to accurately calculate your unique birth chart, you need to know a few basic facts about your birth. Before starting, it is good to have these things handy:

  • Your date of birth
  • Your birth year
  • The exact time of your birth (down to the minute!)
  • The location of your birth (for example, being born in California can calculate a different sign that someone born in France)

A basic overview of the signs

In the zodiac, there are 12 signs that are categorized by 4 elements: fire, earth, water, and air.

Fire signs

Those with the fire sign are typically passionate and dominate. Because of their fiery traits, fire signs have the strength to persevere and can survive challenging times.

  • Aries
  • Leo
  • Sagittarius

Earth signs

Earth signs are the most grounded of the zodiac and appreciate balance and remind us to be patient and build a life of stability.

  • Virgo
  • Capricorn

Water signs

These signs are strongly correlated with emotions and tend to be the more sensitive sides of the zodiac.

  • Cancer
  • Scorpio
  • Pisces

Air signs

These signs are symbolic of wind. They love taking action, moving forward, and some of the best idea generators in the zodiac.

  • Gemini
  • Libra
  • Aquarius

What is your Sun Sign?

Your sun sign, or sometimes referred to as your “star sign” is the sign you most likely already know. If you’ve ever read your horoscope before in a magazine, newspaper, or while browsing the web, it was most likely based off of your sun sign. The sun sign is determined by the position of the sun during your time of birth.

This zodiac sign describes your core self, your strongest personality traits, and your natural gifts and abilities. This is the strongest sign, and the reason why it is the most commonly talked about zodiac sign. Exploring your sun sign can really help you understand your sense of self and identify some key factors in your unique personality.

Find your personal sun sign below based on your birth month and date.

  • Aries (March 21 – April 19)
  • Taurus (April 20-May 20)
  • Gemini (May 21-June 20)
  • Cancer (June 21-July 22)
  • Leo (July 23-August 22)
  • Virgo (August 23-September 22)
  • Libra (September 23-October 22)
  • Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
  • Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
  • Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
  • Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
  • Pisces (February – March 20)

Check out your Venus sign! It reveals how you love, what you value in relationships, and your approach to beauty and harmony. Knowing your Venus sign can offer insights into your romantic life and what makes you feel connected.

What is your Moon Sign?

Your moon sign reflects your emotional needs and deepest desires. It will help you understand your own emotional responses, as well as how you deal with your emotions.

The moon’s position changes every 2 1/2 days, meaning the moon sign in the zodiac changes every 2 1/2 days. If you share a sun sign with someone, that does not necessarily mean you share a moon sign. In fact, it is more likely that you do not share a moon sign! The one exception of course is identical twins. Most identical twins are born typically within minutes of one another and will almost always have the same moon sign.

The below images from the Bedside Astrologer will give you a rough estimate of where the moon was in relation to your birth date and year, but for the most accurate reading, identify the exact time of birth and use a moon sign calculator that allows you to enter your birth time. This will help you pinpoint your exact moon sign.

Or, if you do not know your time of birth and were born in between 1988-2004, reference the images below and identify your moon sign. For example, if your birthday is February 18, 1994 you would go to that year, then go to the February column and see that your moon sign is Gemini.

What is your Rising Sign?

Your rising sign (also called the Ascendant sign) indicates your outer personality or outerself. This is primarily how you present yourself or appear to others. It is also indicative of your skills and the techniques you use to get what you need. We often embody the traits of our rising sign as we go about our daily lives and the way we like to live in our home environment.

In order to calculate your rising sign, you need your birth date, month as well as the time you were born. Similar to the moon sign, the rising sign changes every 2 hours, meaning several people born on the same exact date can each have a different rising sign, depending on the exact time of their birth. To help, check out this Rising Sign Calculator.

Here I have included the rising sign charts included in the book called The Bedside Astrologer by Cosmopolitan. For example, if your birthday was January 16 and you were born at 3:04 pm, you would go to the January row, second column and at 3:04 your rising sign would be Gemini rising. If your birthday was June 4 and you were born at 7:15 am, your rising sign would be a Cancer rising.

FAQs

What zodiac signs go well together?

Compatibility in the zodiac is complex and requires looking at two full birth charts. To do so, I’d recommend using a birth chart app, such as Co-Star. It will allow you to create a profile and become “friends” on their app with your friends and romantic partner and help you understand your compatibility with each other on a deeper level.

What are my big 3 signs in my birth chart?

If you’ve looked at your birth chart, you’ll know you have signs correlating with the 10 planets (the planets include the sun and moon) in your birth chart because each house in your birth chart is defined by a different zodiac sign. Astrology can become very complex, so the 3 big signs to know are your sun sign, moon sign, and rising sign. These 3 say the most about who we are at our core and help give you the best brief blueprint of your personality.

Is it possible to have every sign in your chart?

No, it is not possible. You will have 10 signs in your chart for each of the 10 planets. Since there are 12 signs in the zodiac, you can only have up to 10 unique signs in your birth chart.

How do I figure out the time of my birth?

Depending on the country you were born in, it is possible your time of birth is listed on your birth certificate. If you were born in a Western European country such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, or India, this is not something commonly listed on birth certificates. In the United States, time of birth is always listed on long-form birth certificate forms and can be acquired from the hospital you were born in. If you were born in a country where time of birth is not listed, ask your parents! They may remember your time of birth.

How accurate does your birth time need to be for astrology?

Since the rising sign changes every 2 hours, it is quite important to know your exact time of birth. If you are off by the slightest bit, it can completely change your birth chart.

So there you have it! I hope that was interesting to you and again, astrology goes way more in depth than this and there can be many other elements to your birth chart that are more complicated to understand. Its still fun to look up your signs and see how relatable you find them! If anyone was curious, I am a Virgo sun, Taurus moon, Scorpio rising!

 

Rising Sign:

You rising sign (also called the Ascendant sign) indicates your outer personality- how you present yourself or appear to others- as well as the skills and techniques you use to get what you need. We often embody the traits of our rising sign to as we go about our daily lives. You need your birth day month as well as the time you were born to find your rising sign.

Here I have included the rising sign charts. For example, if your birthday was January 16 and you were born at 3:04 pm, you would go to the January row, second column and at 3:04 your rising sign would be Gemini. If your birthday was June 4 and you were born at 7:15 am, your rising sign would be Cancer.

 

So there you have it! I hope that was interesting to you and again, astrology goes way more in depth than this and there can be many other elements to your birth chart that are more complicated to understand. Its still fun to look up your signs and see how relatable you find them! If anyone was curious, I am a Virgo sun, Taurus moon, Scorpio rising!

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