The “ascendant” (or “rising sign” — these terms are used interchangeably) refers to the sign that is “rising” or on the Eastern horizon at the time of birth.
It sets up the rest of the astrological house structure — the 12 sectors that correlate to important life areas — and determine where the planets and other points fall in a natal chart.
This is why knowing the exact moment of birth is so important to astrologers. Most predictive work relies more heavily on houses (which are again determined by the birth time and thus the ascendant) than most lay people realize.
Even weekly horoscopes and monthly forecasts are written more from the perspective of rising signs than Sun signs.
Scroll down for the Rising Sign Calculator. Or use the table below for for an approximate representation based on the 12 Sun signs. If your birth time is “iffy” this may help you to determine your rising sign (ascendant). However it’s far from precise and we can’t stress enough the importance of learning your exact birth time if you want an accurate astrological interpretation.
To find your rising sign using this table, locate your Sun sign in the left column and your approximate birth time in the top row. For example, an Aries Sun person born at 2:20 am would — according to this table — have a Pisces ascendant. A Capricorn Sun sign person born at 12:06 pm would have Taurus rising. And so on.
If you’re looking for a book on this subject, The Ascendant by Jodie Forrest is excellent!
Now looking at the table below, see if you can locate your rising sign, even if you know your exact birth time. You’ll be able to check it against the calculator at the bottom of this page as well. The Symbols for each sign are listed in the right column.
If you do know your exact birth time, you can find your ascendant instantly using the ascendant calculator tool below. But first let’s look at what rising signs are and how they apply to you.
The rising sign represents your instinctive approach to life. It’s what people see when they first meet you and how they might describe you to others. It’s your personality and how you present yourself to the world. This also applies to physical characteristics and limitations.
The ascendant — or rising sign — also sets up the entire natal chart structure, which includes houses (life departments) and what are called rulerships. It also tells you where each of the planets in your natal chart fall (which house they fall in and which house they rule). As you can imagine, having this information is critical for getting the full picture as far as not only who you are, but also information about your relationships, career, finances, family, health and so on.
Let’s look at a brief snapshot of each of the 12 rising signs:
Aries: Aries rising people present themselves as warm, dynamic, assertive and competitive. They’re movers and shakers, throwing themselves eagerly into new ventures that don’t require a lot of forethought and planning. They can be impatient and can lose steam if something becomes tedious or boring. They’re gung-ho about diving into something new and fresh but not so good about tying up loose ends. They’re drawn to that which is new and exciting — anything that challenges them to push past their fears. They tend to act first and think later, relying on their natural instincts, which are generally very good. As Mars is the ruler or Aries, this is further defined by the sign and house placement of their natal Mars.
Taurus rising people tend to be more slow moving. They’re earthy, practical and sensuous, preferring comfort over extravagance and quality over quantity. They like to take their time easing into things — and that includes relationships. They can be infinitely patient and willing to bide their time rather than rushing in head first. They can be hedonistic and self-indulgent. They enjoy savoring experiences with all five senses. They’re generally cool, calm and collected, but when they get mad, watch out! They can be like a bull in a china shop. They can also be stubborn, possessive and resistant to change. While some may see them as lazy, they prefer to call it rest and relaxation. As Venus is the ruler of Taurus, these characteristics can be further defined or modified by the sign and house placement of their natal Venus.
Gemini: A Gemini rising is all about communication. There is a sharpness of mind and restlessness of spirit although not in a negative way. So many things will interest you and there may seem to be not enough hours in the day to do them all. A Gemini rising usually gives a slender body frame perhaps from all the mental energy expended. You will never be without words within a conversation infact you may be the one waiting for the other person or the rest of the group to catch up with what is going on. You will have many interests and hobbies. Romantically you need to connect with your partner on an intellectual level. If you are involved with someone with Gemini rising then brush up on what is going on in the world and/or find out what interests them and start talking to them about it.
Cancer: It’s all about the home and family life for you. You are great at being the caregiver and nourishing those around you. There is a softness to your body which goes well with the mother instinct inside you. For a male with Cancer rising there is the capacity to be on the lookout to what will make the family feel secure and safe alongside wanting to be emotional depended upon by your partner. This works both ways. Cancers are all about emotions, giving and caring which means you will seek a partner and home life that supply you with these traits. You have the ability to listen to those around you and give them advice to help them on their way in life.
Leo: If all the world were a stage and you have a Leo rising then you would be very happy indeed! A Leo rising needs to be seen and appreciated afterall you are the king of the jungle and also the master of your own lair (Universe). There is a sense of the dramatic around you and you make a good actor. Alongside this you have an open heart and are not mean spirited but rather generous with your time, money, emotions. Your partner needs to realise this as if you are not being treated as the “king” you are and you are with a partner who is holding back, being stingy with emotions and finances you will not feel appreciated. You deserve the best because you are the best and there is no getting around that. Just make sure you live up to your innate sense of Leo rising character and don’t take the negative side of it.
Virgo: You are precise, quick thinking and intelligent. For you the world is seen through an intellectual layer where you are discerning on what you want in your life and what you don’t want in your life. You are extremely helpful to others especially animals and those who are ill. Emotionally you may need to be needed in some way and for this reason you may wish to make certain that you needs are being met on an equal basis by your partner although you probably won’t do this and you have a sense of needing to be the “giver” in anything you do. Emotionally you may have the tendency to nitpick those around you and while you think you are doing this for their benefit it may not always feel like this to the person on the receiving end… infact it may feel very much like criticism.
Libra: You have the need to keep your life in balance and have the need to see all sides of a situation. You are not one to rush into an argument but sometimes because of your need to look at the situation as a whole you may open your mouth and find yourself arguing a cause that you don’t fully agree with but nevertheless have opened a can of worms because you were just trying to see the situation from all sides. Libra rising usually gives you a sense of beauty and refinement. You will like fashion and have a fine sense of style. You’ll enjoy all those feminine things ie trips to the beauty salon, hairdressers and being spoilt by your partner. If you are dating someone with a Libra rising make sure you are well dressed as these people have a need to gaze upon beauty.
Scorpio: If you like your emotional life intense then try someone with a Scorpio rising. They are the detectives of the zodiac and want to know everything that is going on. Expect deep and meaningful conversations to be the norm as a Scorpio rising will want to know all your secrets and won’t stop until they do. Warning note: this may including snooping around to find out what they think you are hiding from them. They are intensely loyal, emotionally deep and sexy as hell so if you can handle all of these traits then you are onto a winner with a Scorpio rising. If you want to drive them a bit crazy just act mysterious as they like to unravel a mystery especially if it has a good ending. And it better be a good ending because if it’s not they may be out of your life before you know it.
Sagittarius: There’s a joviality to your outlook on life alongside a need for a sense of adventure. Sagittarius is considered the lucky sign of the zodiac so having a Sagittarian ascendant is the next best thing. It means you will have a need to always be learning, like travel and foreign cultures alongside being able to comfortable immerse yourself within these cultures. Others may see you as outspoken and brutally honest. You are upbeat to be around and usually a bit of a clown in others company. For this reason people flock to you as you take their minds of the mundane and have the capacity to make them laugh. If you can laugh at yourself then so can others.
Capricorn: Life is a journey for you and the road you travel is every bit as important as the destination. Capricorn rising usually hold their looks well into old age as they tend to be so sturdy and solid in their health that by the time you have reached that time in your life you are ready to have some fun whereas others may be thinking of slowing down you are just getting ready to let your hair down. There’s a seriousness to this ascendant that is hard to break through. It allows you to reach success but may also leave you a bit lonely if success becomes your sole purpose in life. Don’t expect a Capricorn rising person to slow down and loosen up their attitudes to life until later in life but when they do they are more sprightly than most around them.
Aquarius: Eccentric and born ahead of your time. That’s what you get from an Aquarian rising. You will place your friends and friendships high on your list of priorities alongside you need to fight a cause. Others may find you a bit stand offish but this is because you get to know people first before allowing them to get close to you. There is also a sense of exquisite beauty usually accompanying an Aquarian rising as it is ethereal and hard to put your finger on. You have a quick mind, a sharp intellect and lightening reflexes when it comes to understanding complexes that are well ahead of their time. Come to think of you you are well ahead of your time. You find love through friendship and friendship through love and anyone who wishes to be your partner should keep these two things in mind.
Pisces: Dreamy and able to immerse yourself in others. You have a healing quality around you just by being in your presence which can work for or against you. If you can manage good boundaries then this healing quality can be used for you to help others but if you allow yourself to become too overwhelmed by others and their problems then you may lose yourself. If Pisces is your ascendant you need to take some time out for yourself and do so frequently in order to replenish your energy levels and get straight in your head what you want versus what others are wanting from you. You’ll be interested in the arts, creativity of all kinds and psychic matters. There is also a high chance that you are a natural born psychic regardless of your Sun sign.
The birth time and place are both necessary for locating your exact rising sign. The table above will not give you precise information. In fact, it can be as much as a full sign off. And while more in-depth interpretations for each rising sign can br found in a good book, such as Jeanne Avery’s The Rising Sign: Your Astrological Mask, you can also leave a comment below (with your date — spelled out please — time and place of birth (City, State and Country), and we’ll be happy to tell you what yours is. You can also come to one of us for a comprehensive natal analysis.
Be sure to check out our natal and compatibility chart calculators too!
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Thinking about learning Astrology? I highly recommend Stephen Arroyo’s Chart Interpretation Handbook and Demetra George’s Astrology for Yourself.
Just as an example of how important having your actual (exact) birth time is, the first table gave me an inaccurate rising sign (it was one sign off) and the calculator tool gave me the correct one (right down to the exact degree and minute).
Hi “anonymous”…According to the birth info you supplied — May 13, 1997, 6:05 PM, Wilmington, North Carolina — You’re 29 Libra rising.. Hope that helps!
April 18, 1991 6:23am Charlotte (Mecklenburg), North Carolina , United States
Hi Christopher that’s 17° Aries 01.
What’s my ascendant if I was born on January 31, 2001 @ 4:29 pm at Evansville, Indiana. I’m just confused because some sites say I am a cancer ascendant and others say I’m a leo ascendant. hahaha
Hi Kiera! That’s 2 degrees Leo rising!
May 13, 1997, 6:05 PM, Wilmington, North Carolina.
That’s 29 Libra rising… a minute or so later would put you at 0 Scorpio — this is a good example of why exact birth times are so important!
I dont know what time i was born my birthdate is September 1 1984 birthplace charlotte amalie us virgin islands help please i need a better understanding
Without your birth time you won’t be able to determine your rising sign / ascendant. Chances are extremely good though that you will be able to get it, since you were born in the 80’s in the Us Virgin Islands. Check out this link: http://vitalrec.com/vi.html. I hope this helps.
Hey,
The problem is that I don’t really know the exact time for when I was born!! My mom told me that I was born between 10:00 am to 12:00 (12 pm) in An Najaf Iraq 1990-07-01
so when I checked your tool I got Virgo for 11:00 and 12:00 pm but Leo for 10:00!! so could you help me to figure it out ? is my rising in Virgo or in Leo ?
Hi… I’m sorry to hear you do not have your correct time of birth as it can be very frustrating. Would the hospital have records of the time you were born? Or a relative remember more clearly? There is a way to do a chart rectification to ascertain a more approximate time of birth which is more indepth than the tool you have been using on the site.
Unfortunately I don’t live in Iraq I was born there but I live in Sweden, so I can’t ask the hospital 🙁 I did ask my aunt and she gave the same answer :/
I think it’s safe to say you’re Virgo rising, as the ascendant moved into Virgo at 10:05 am where you were born, and was still in Virgo past noon… It also fits (very well) both careers you mentioned. All the best!
Is your date of birth July 1 or Jan 7? It’s helpful to spell out the month because different regions use different date formats. Also what is your career or educational pursuit? that may help to nail it down.
Hey again and thanks for the reply 🙂
I was born in the first of July 1990, I’m doing my Masters in Engineering, during the weekends I work with sells in an electronic store.
Hi there, here’s my birth date and such.
October 6, 1994 at 1:43 p.m. in Atlanta, Georgia at what used to be South Fulton Medical Center
Hi David — you are 29° Sagittarius 42′ rising. That means if your birth time is one minute off (if you were actually born a minute later, and this does happen — doctor’s watches and hospital clocks are sometimes off) you would be Capricorn rising. I would look at both and see which one you think fits. All the best!
Female born july 30th,1979 in monroe louisianna I don’t know my correct time of birth but I will like to know my rising sign.
Hi Christie — the rising sign is determined by your birth time so you can’t know it if you don’t have that. But your birth time would have been recorded for sure in 1979. You may not have it on your birth certificate but you can request a long form birth certificate, which does list the time of birth.
Here you go: Louisiana Long Form Birth Certificate.
Interesting. ..my birth time is 12:17pm in Huntington Park, Ca. The calculation gave me Leo but in reading it, it really doesn’t sound anything like my character of who I am. So Im confused.
-Signed, Shocked.
you’d have to look at other factors. Your chart ruler, angular planets etc.
Why my business are not stable… I m born in 26/10/1976 Time 00:10am at Digboi -Assam-India
Hi there… I’d recommend consulting with an astrologer for an in-depth reading as business-related concerns are definitely showing up for you here. But if your main question is regarding your ascendant it’s 24 Leo in the Western system. All the best.
Mine says it’d be cancer and my sign because of my birthday is cancer but I don’t act like one for the most part. I had someone do my birthchart and she said my rising sign was a Scorpio which doesn’t match up with this?
what are your birth details? Cancer rising would be about Sun up and Scorpio rising would be around 2-3 in the afternoon (based on your Cancer Sun). That’s a big difference.
my birth is at oo hrs 55 minutes on 18th April 1975 what is my Date of Birth 18th or 19th April
If I understand your question correctly, it’s the 18th. It would be 55 minutes after midnight on the 18th
09/18/1986 11:11am Crawford long Atlanta Georgia I got Sagittarius rising on the chart and Scorpio on the exact time and date chart ! Which one am I ?
You’re 12 Scorpio rising. The chart calculator is always going to be more accurate than the table above… in fact the chart calculator should be 100 percent accurate as it takes time zone changes and longitude / latitude into account, which the table does not.
I was born 16 May 1991 @ 10:45 pm in Corpus Christi, Tx
You are 29° Sagittarius 59″ rising. Meaning that if you were born less than a minute later, or if your dr’s watch was off, you could be Capricorn rising. I would read both as see which one feels like the better fit.
My birthday is 4-7-1974 time 1:17am in Los Angeles CA. What’s my rising sign
Hi Nylah, did you check it with the calculator? Go ahead and do that and post your results here and we’ll let you know if it’s accurate. 🙂
21 january 1989 16:00 or 4 pm..some say leo others say cancer what’s exactly?
where were you born Robert? The birth location will make a difference.
November 13 2001
Hi Tyshae you need your birth time and birth place both to determine your rising sign
Hi. According to the table, I’m an aquarius ascendant, but when I try on the calculator it says that it’s Capricorn. Which one should I believe?
I was born in October 31, 1990. 10:17 a.m. Country : Colombia.
Thanks!
Cristina you want to trust the calculator over the table … If you post your City and State I can give you the exact degree. I tried Bogata and it gave 11° Capricorn.
Well, it was in Cali, and you’re right, reading the description of Capricorn rising is more accurate to my personality.
Cali gives it 10° Capricorn 02′. Very interesting chart you have there 🙂
Hi! I am having a very hard time finding my time of birth. I have contacted the hospital only to get the run around. I was born January 25th 1976 in Kitchener Ontario Canada. Please help!
Hi Natasha, I’ll do some research on this and see what I can find out. Here in the states, there are two different versions of your birth certificate you can get from your county records department, a short and long form. The birth time is usually on the long form and not on the short form. It may be the same there. I don’t know if hospitals keep those records anymore, especially as they weren’t kept in digital form back in the 70’s. Try this link and see if it works. In your case the Moon changed signs mid-afternoon on the day you were born so getting an accurate birth time is even more important.
Can you tell me what my rising sign is the calculator says Sagittarius 29 degrees 31′. I was born July 23, 1977 at 5:25 p.m. Other sites say its Capricorn or here it says if born between 4pm and 6pm Aquarius.
Oh yeah I was born in Chandler, Arizona!
Hi Amber — the calculator is right: it’s 29 Sag 31
Thanks Doll!
Hello, Keldra November 27 at 9:36 am the calculator is a confusing because it does not give the location option for Durham, North Carolina
Hi Keldra — I just checked and was able to get Durham….(you may have to scroll down to see it). But I can’t give you the correct info without your birth year! so let me know what year you were born and I’ll look it up for you
Hello,
I have always thought I was on the cusp of Scorpio and Libra as my birth sign. And I have always felt more towards the Scorpio but the more I look into actual time of my birth I would be Libra? I know time is important so here is what I got: October 23 1972 I believe at 1:05 am makes me Libra but if its 1:05 pm its Scorpio? I think Im am though… 🙁 Is this correct?
Depending on where you were born you still may have a Scorpio Sun even if born at 1:05am… Since you didn’t list a birth place I looked it up for my own location and it was 29 Libra 58.. When I looked at Los Angeles, CA it was 0 Scorpio 0.’
So you see the place of birth makes a big difference. You do have Mercury in Scorpio and depending on what time you were born that may also be a prominent planet in your chart (as may Pluto, which is the ruler of Scorpio and very Scorpionic in nature).
Hi my name is Adrianne and i was born June 17, 1985 at 12:10pm in Toledo,Ohio. Someone told me i am a gemini/cancer cusp and im trying to see if that is true so that can know my sign and myself. I have been wodering if it has anything to do with the jobs i get and the people and things that i come in contact with
Hi Adrienne you are Gemini Sun and Moon (Balsamic Moon, which means just before the New Moon) with Virgo rising. And yes you do have some Cancer in you — both Mercury and Mars are in Cancer. It definitely would influence your job choices as all these planets are in your career sector. And yes will also describe your relationships with others. I hope this helps!
I was born on the 15th February 1967. In Birmingham UK. I’d love to know what my rising sign is please?
Forgot to say that I have no clue of the time I was born and both parents are dead so can’t even ask. Hope you can help.
Hi Kari. I’m sorry but the rising sign is entirely dependant on your birth time. You should still be able to get your birth time through your local health and birth records department. all the best