How do I find my Sun, Moon, and Rising signs?

Enter your birth date, exact birth time, and birth location into a birth chart calculator. Your Sun sign comes from the date alone, but your Moon and Rising signs require the exact time and place because they move quickly through the zodiac.

What are the Big 3 in astrology?

The Big 3 are your Sun sign (your core identity and ego), your Moon sign (your emotional inner world and instincts), and your Rising sign, also called the Ascendant (the mask you present and how others first perceive you). Together they form the foundation of your personality in astrology.

Do I need my birth time to find my Moon and Rising sign?

You need your exact birth time for your Rising sign, which changes about every two hours. Your Moon sign also usually requires your birth time because the Moon changes signs every 2 to 2.5 days, so people born on the same date can have different Moon signs.

Why are people with the same Sun sign so different?

Because the Sun sign is only one third of the picture. Two Geminis can feel nothing alike if one has a Scorpio Moon and Capricorn Rising while the other has a Pisces Moon and Leo Rising. The Moon and Rising signs explain most of that difference.

What is the difference between my Rising sign and my Ascendant?

They are the same thing. 'Rising sign' and 'Ascendant' both refer to the zodiac sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at the moment you were born. It sets the starting point of your chart's houses.

How to Find Your Big 3: Sun, Moon & Rising

Natal AI

How to Find Your Big 3: Sun, Moon & Rising | Natal AI

Your Big 3 are your Sun, Moon, and Rising signs — and to find them you need three pieces of information: your birth date, your exact birth time, and your birth place. The Sun sign comes from your date alone, but the Moon and Rising signs move quickly, so they require the time and location too.

Together these three placements are the foundation of your whole chart. They're also why two people born under the same Sun sign can feel like completely different people.

What each of the Big 3 means

Placement	Also called	What it represents
Sun	Star sign	Core identity, ego, what energizes you
Moon	—	Inner emotional world, instincts, what soothes you
Rising	Ascendant	The mask you wear, how others first read you

A quick way to remember it: your Sun is who you are, your Moon is how you feel, and your Rising is how you appear.

How to find each one

Your Sun sign — needs only your birth date

This is the sign most people already know. If you were born on, say, July 10, you're a Cancer. No birth time required.

Your Moon sign — needs your birth date (and usually time)

The Moon changes signs every 2 to 2.5 days, so two people born on the same date can have different Moon signs if one was born in the morning and the other at night. Use your birth time to be sure.

Find your Moon sign with the free Moon Sign Calculator →

Your Rising sign — needs your exact birth time and place

The Ascendant changes roughly every two hours, making it the most time-sensitive of the three. Even a 20-minute error in your recorded birth time can shift it to the neighboring sign. This is why your birth certificate time matters.

Find your Rising sign with the free Rising Sign Calculator →