Cool Moon Facts by Whip

Real astronomy and dated history, with sources. Documented traditions and folklore. Modern lunar astrology · symbolic, not predictive.

Planets and points · Beginner

Ascendant

Also called rising sign, rising, horoscopus, AC, ASC

The point of the zodiac rising on the eastern horizon at the moment and place of birth; its sign is the “rising sign”.

The Ascendant marks the start of the first house. Astrologers associate it with first impressions, temperament and the body, and treat it with the Sun and Moon as the “Big Three”. It needs an accurate birth time and place.

How it is worked out
Where the ecliptic crosses the eastern horizon, from the local sidereal time, the obliquity and the latitude. Inside the polar circles the eastern crossing has to be chosen explicitly; this site does.
  • Kind: Calculation, Interpretation
  • Tradition: Shared across Western traditions
  • In this site’s birth chart: used

Related: Descendant, First house, Chart ruler, Angles, Big Three

Written for Cool Moon Facts in its own words. An astrology source documents what astrologers believe or practise; it does not establish that astrology works.

All terms · Your birth chart

Settings

Your location

Only used to work out rise and set times. It stays in this browser.

Moon orientation

Southern-hemisphere skies show the moon flipped. This follows your location automatically.

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Everything saved here

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