Astronomy and Your Zodiac Chart

Astronomy is the scientific study of the stars and planets. It includes a number of areas of study, including astronomical constellations, planetary motion, and the elliptical orbit of Earth around the Sun. These are important concepts to understand as they will help you read your astrology chart more accurately. Your astrological birth chart is an illustration of the star pattern visible at the time of your birth. It is broken into sections — 12 to be exact, called houses. Each house is ruled by a zodiac sign and a particular planet. It is important to avoid conflating astrologers’ use of houses with zodiac signs, as the two are not synonymous.

A few other important pieces of information are present on your astrology chart, as well. The first is your rising or ascendant sign, which represents the sign that appeared on the eastern horizon at the moment of your birth and hints at your image to the world, your aspirations, creative outlook, and general way of making your mark on this Planet. Another important element is your midheaven sign, which shows what you have to offer the world and the goals that are most important to you.

The other major part of the chart is the placement of all the planets and their aspects, which are the ways in which they interact with one another. Each planet is considered to be either personal or generational (or both), and its influence in your life will depend on the sign it’s in, the house it is in, and the aspect it forms with other planets.

The personal planets are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. These are fast moving planets, and the sign they are in at a given time will change for each person. The outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, on the other hand, move slower and stay in a sign for about 1-30 years. They tend to have a more consistent influence on people, which is why many astrologers focus primarily on these when reading a birth chart.

The astrologer will then look for significant patterns and shapes that form in the chart, which can provide insight into your personality and what is going to happen in your life. The most common shapes are conjunctions and trines, which indicate that the planets are working together. A trine is a positive flow of energy, while a conjunction indicates that the planets are acting as though they are in agreement about something. This is a great indication that you will likely be able to work with the energies of these planets and achieve success. The hardest aspects to deal with are squares and oppositions, which often lead to conflict. These can be difficult to work with, but if you know how to use your trine and sextile planets wisely, they will help you navigate these challenging times in your life. Astrologers also consider the location of the North Node, which is a symbol of destiny, and Chiron, which is sometimes considered to be a healing planet.