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.
in antioch california
Hi Jess, if that’s 5:30 pm, it’s 21 Leo ♌ rising.
Female born 24 January 1972 at 0510. Stafford, England.
Hi Paula — that is 16 Sagittarius rising.
Female. Chicago Illinois. February 1, 1971. 5:55 am
Hi Sonya, that’s 19 Capricorn rising with Mercury right on your ascendant.
Male. Born May 7,5:21 pm, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 2004
2004 is your birth year Malachi? If so that’s 17 Libra rising. You’re welcome 😊
Hello,
October 1, 1960,, time of birth 5:49 pm, City Frankfurt, Germmany
Thank You
Hi Jacqueline, that is 3 Aries rising 🐏
September 18, 1971, Harrison Arkansas, 10:15pm
Hi Sarah, that’s 0 Gemini 55.
Hi, I’d be grateful to you if you could please let me know my rising sign?. I was born at 7am on Sunday 8th January 1961 in South Shields, England. Thank you so much. Julie
Hi Julie, that’s 23 Sagittarius rising (and you have four planets in Capricorn rising) 🏹🐐
Female I was born october 26th 1993 in yoakum texas US time was around 8:15 am. Also interested in knowing my moon sign not sure how to do that.
Hi Megan that’s 10 Scorpio rising (and as you know you’re also Scorpio Sun) and 19 Pisces Moon. Mars, Mercury and Pluto are also all in Scorpio.
What is my rising sign?
I was born on July 6,1978,
Saint Louis, Missouri, at 6:11pm
Thank you!
Hi Melissa that’s 14 Sagittarius rising (with Neptune also rising). So you’re a Cancer Sun, Leo Moon and Sagittarius rising.
Hi im not sure what time i was born but my birthdate is 19 july 1981
Hi Megan the birth time is needed to find out what your rising sign is.
Hi my place of birth is FT. HOOD
BELL COUNTY TEXAS
I was born at 8:12 am
Hi Randy you can’t know your rising sign without your birthdate. All the best.
Male, (darjeeling,west bengal,india ) 23rd March 1988. 11.30am and. I just want to know my sun and mon rising
Hi Bimal, in the Western system that’s Aries Sun, Gemini Moon and Cancer rising. In the Vedic system (of common use in India) it’s Pisces Sun, Taurus Moon and Gemini rising,
Just want my rising and moon sign. March 6, 1950 at 11:48 am in San Francisco, ca
Hi Allie, that’s 28 Gemini rising and 18 Libra Moon. 😊
Hello, grateful if I could know my rising sign and moon sign.
The problem is that I don’t know my time of birth.
Was born the 18 August 1991 at Douala, Cameroon.
Thank you
Hi Meli — wish I could help you with the rising sign, but without a birth time I cannot. Your Moon is somewhere in mid Sagittarius, we would need your birth time to nail down the exact degree. Hope this helps.
hi! i am from karachi, pakistan. 20th april 2001 6:50pm
Hi Zaina — that’s 12 Taurus 40. ♉
Hi, I’m Alisha born August 26, 1989 at 2:15am in Clarksdale, MS.
Hi Alisha that’s 6 Cancer rising
Hey this is Shivani born in 1997 9 June 9.36 pm born in vashi Maharashtra India
Hi Shivani, in Western astrology that’s 22 Capricorn 54. In Vedic astrology (which is commonly used in India) it’s around 28 Sagittarius.
Was born at Half Past four on Thirteen September, Nineteen Hundred and Sixty Two in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
0430 AM on 13 Sep 1962 in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
Hi Nasir — that’s 0 Virgo 07′. If your birth time is even one minute off — (less than one minute actually) your rising sign, and thus your entire house structure, would change. You may very well be late Leo rising.
23 March 1968, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Hi Bushra — you can’t know your rising sign without a birth time.
Hello, I do not know my time of birth, do you know how I can find it?
Depends on where you were born. If born in the US your county records department should have it.
Hi i dont know my exact birth time i have just known it was in day until noon
Can you help me to find it? My birth date is 6 march 1991
I was born in Rasht.IRAN
Hi Nazin, No I’m sorry, you need an exact birth time to get your rising sign.
I was born in colchester England at 7:57am and 8 was born 3rd July 2010
biologically female (trans male), born April 20th, 2007 at 3:06am in Halifax CAN. I’d like to know my moon and rising sign!
Hi Kyle, that’s 3 Aquarius rising and your Moon is conjunct Venus in Gemini (the Moon is at 8 and Venus is at 9). FYI since the Sun changed signs on the day you were born (shortly after you were born) you might want to know which Sun sign you are as well. You’ve got a 29 Aries 47′ Sun.
24 May 2002. 10:50 AM. According to this table, I’m a Virgo asc, but every other site says it’s Leo…
Hi you have to include your birth place as well. But remember too this table is not exact. Chances are good if you supplied your accurate date time and place elsewhere and came up with Leo rising, that that’s your correct ascendant.
i was born on 12 December 2004 at 10 pm but i don’t know the minutes
Larisa you need your place of birth too. But honestly if you want accuracy you’re going to have to get your actual time of birth too.
May 4 1978, Boston, MA 10:29pm.
Hi Tamar — this is 17 Sag 19 rising.
I was born march 5, 1974 at 12:20pm in Santa Barbara, California. Depending on which online calculator I use (I’ve tried dozens), I get either cancer or Gemini, and the chart I have my ascendant is right on the line between the two. Is it possible to have a dual or cusp ascendant?
Hey Forrest, no — you’re 21 Gemini 15 rising. Hope that helps 🤗
Thank you – I always felt Gemini was more “me” than Cancer was (much more cerebral/intellectual than romantic)
Yes, cerebral / intellectual — and I’m sure the fact that you have 7 planets in air signs (in addition to your ascendant) and two grand trines (also in air) and Mercury conjunct Jupiter in aquarius on your Midheaven has nothing to do with that. 😜
June 17th 1979.. I’m unsure of his time of birth..
Hi Sorry Champagne, you have to have an accurate birth time to get your rising sign.
Hello, my name is Verleria,, my birthday is September 12, 1985 born 9:23pm could you help me learn about my sign… ❤️
Hi Verleria you forgot to add your place of birth.
Hi I am Karen born at 9:36 am in Moline IL in USA
hi Karen — you forgot to add your birthdate.