What information do I need for a birth chart?

Your date of birth, your time of birth and your place of birth. The date alone gives you your Sun sign; the time and place are what make the Rising sign and the houses possible.

Is a birth chart the same as a natal chart?

Yes. The two terms are interchangeable — "natal" simply means "relating to birth". Some astrologers also call it a radix or a geniture.

How accurate does my birth time need to be?

Within about ten minutes is comfortable for most purposes. Within two hours changes your Rising sign, and within a day can change your Moon sign if you were born near a transition.

What is a birth chart?

A birth chart — also called a natal chart — is a map of where the planets were, from where you were, at the moment you were born.

What it is, literally

Take the date, the time and the coordinates of your birth. Calculate the position of the Sun, the Moon and the planets along the ecliptic for that instant, then draw them around a circle as seen from that spot on Earth. That circle is the birth chart.

The astronomy is not in dispute — the positions come from an ephemeris and can be checked. What astrology adds is a system of interpretation on top of those positions, and that part is a symbolic tradition rather than a measurement.

The three moving parts

Planets are what is happening: the Sun is identity, the Moon is feeling, Mercury is thinking, Venus is attachment, Mars is drive, and so on outward.

Signs are how it happens — the twelve thirty-degree segments of the ecliptic that colour the manner of each planet.

Houses are where it happens: twelve areas of life, fixed in place by your Rising sign, that say which part of your life each planet is operating in.

What it can and cannot tell you

A chart is a description, not a prediction. It can be a useful frame for thinking about temperament, motivation and pattern — which is roughly how most people actually use it.

It is not medical, financial or psychological advice, and no reading on this site is a substitute for a qualified professional.

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Common questions

What information do I need for a birth chart?: Your date of birth, your time of birth and your place of birth. The date alone gives you your Sun sign; the time and place are what make the Rising sign and the houses possible.
Is a birth chart the same as a natal chart?: Yes. The two terms are interchangeable — "natal" simply means "relating to birth". Some astrologers also call it a radix or a geniture.
How accurate does my birth time need to be?: Within about ten minutes is comfortable for most purposes. Within two hours changes your Rising sign, and within a day can change your Moon sign if you were born near a transition.