What are Sun, Moon and Rising Signs?

When we mention your Sun, Moon and Rising signs on the website, we are referring to the Big Three in your birth chart (sometimes referred to as a natal chart).

The birth chart is a full astrology report showing the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, astrological aspects and sensitive angles at the time of a person's birth. It's believed that this chart determines who we are, astrologically, and can build a bigger picture of a person's unique horoscope, beyond the basic starsigns we all know and have read on the horoscope pages of newspapers, magazines and website. 

Within the chart, which will tell you which sign you are in areas such as communication (Mercury sign), love (Venus sign), action (Mars sign), idealism (Jupiter sign), responsibility/boundaries (Saturn sign) and more, the signs which are considered the most important to understand in your day-to-day life are your Sun (also known as your starsign), Moon and Rising (or Ascendent) signs. These are know as the Big Three, because they rule your most often-seen characteristics.

Your Sun (or star) sign determines your identify and role in life - it represents how you behave.

Your Moon sign shows your inner self, your emotions and moods - it represents how you feel.

Your Ascendent sign is the mask you show to the world - it represents your first impression, how you want to be/will be perceived to those who don't know you.

If you would like to build your won birth chart, we love Cafe Astrology's free birth chart service, which allows you to see and download your full astrology report, here. 

You will need to enter a few details (birth date, place and time - the time is very important, especially for your Ascendent sign) and you will receive a full birth chart, giving you a full picture of your zodiac signs and corresponding planets. 

If you find this useful and want to have a record of your chart with you on the go, we also recommend the co-star astrology app, which will give you a full horoscope each day based on your unique birth chart.

Knowing your full birth chart can be very empowering, allowing you to see yourself and how you perceive the world around you with a deeper clarity and help you to understand why you may find certain aspects of daily life more difficult than others, or where you really excel in life.

We hope you find these resources useful!