What's My Sign? The Astro-Newbie's Guide to Your Sun, Moon & Rising Sign

What are Sun, Moon, and Rising signs?

In astrology, the positions of the sun, the moon, and other zodiac signs at the time of your birth will impact different aspects of your personality, both individually and collectively. They’re known as “the Big Three.”

Astrology can be deep and complex, but at least knowing “What’s my sun, moon, and rising sign?” can provide some basic insight into how these planetary influences affect your life, both long-term and day-to-day.

Your Sun sign reveals fundamental personality traits, what motivates you, and what’s at the core of your personality. The Moon sign reflects your inner self, instincts, and emotional needs. The Rising sign reflects where the various zodiac signs were on the eastern horizon at your time of birth; it’s sometimes referred to as the Ascendant and describes the outward impression you give.

Understanding the combination of your Sun, Moon, and Rising signs offers lots of insight into who you are.

Sun sign: Overview

Focusing on your Sun sign is the simplest, most common form of Western astrology. This is the sign you look for in your daily horoscope. Throughout the year, the sun spends about 30 days in each zodiac sign; the time frame in which you were born will determine your sign. For example, Libra dominates the zodiac between September 23 and October 22.

The Sun sign (sometimes referred to as your “star” sign) is your principal zodiac sign. It represents your major personality traits and your ideal self, or the self that you most want to be. Libras, for example, are represented by the scales. They’re known as idealists, they crave justice and harmony and are very diplomatic.

Sun sign astrology is a key component of The Big Three, joining the Moon sign and Rising sign to give a more complete picture of your life and personality.

Moon Sign: Overview

Your Moon sign is based on where the moon was positioned in the skies at the time of your birth. Because the moon moves quickly (every 2.5 days), it’s a fast-moving energy that describes the emotional side of your personality. This lunar sign also relates to how you interact with your mother and other maternal figures in your life, and how you nurture (or don’t) other people. The Moon sign also reflects feelings, memories, and intuition.

Determining your Moon sign requires knowing the date and time of your birth, as well as the location of where you were born. The time is essential since the moon travels through the skies so quickly.

The Moon sign, combined with your Sun and Rising signs, provides a key component to understanding and navigating your life path.

Rising sign: Overview

The Rising sign (sometimes called the “ascendant”) is determined by whatever zodiac sign was rising on the eastern horizon at the time of your birth. Based on the earth’s rotation, it changes every two hours. If you’re not sure of your exact birth time, you can use either a sunrise chart (the time the sun rose on that day) or a noon chart (where the zodiac signs were at 12 PM). Compare the two signs for which one feels more like “you.”

The Rising sign reflects the themes and patterns in your life, and the planet that most shapes you. Because it’s tied to the conditions around where you were born, it also reveals aspects of your childhood and how you present yourself to the world. Astrologers note that the Rising sign influences your physical appearance.

The Rising sign is part of the Big 3, along with the Sun and Moon signs.

Rising sign: Overview

When it comes to astrology, understanding the “Big 3” signs is a great place to dive in. These three signs are your Sun sign, Moon sign, and Rising sign. Combined they present a picture of your overall life, personality, challenges, values, and the like.

Your Sun sign is the zodiac sign associated with the month you were born. These signs move every 30 days or so and reflect your core identity and major personality traits. Your Moon sign is determined by where the moon was at the time, date, and location of your birth. This is a more “inward” sign, revealing your emotional needs, intuition, and inner life. The Rising sign is the zodiac sign that was ascending in the east at the time, date, and place of your birth. This reveals themes, patterns, and challenges in your life. It can also encompass the qualities of the particular planet that most influences you.

Which sign should I read for my horoscope?

While most of us automatically use our Sun sign when checking our daily horoscope, the Rising sign is actually the most accurate. Astrologers generally consider the Rising (or “Ascendant”) the most important sign because it’s the sign that reveals how you interact with others and experience the world. It represents your personal identity and how you’re perceived by others. It’s the face you show the world.

Using your Rising sign for your horoscope is also helpful because that sign represents the themes and patterns that appear in your life.

Your Rising sign is the zodiac sign that was “rising” on the eastern horizon at the date, time, and location of your birth. If you don’t know the exact time, you can either check the time of sunrise on that day (aka a “sun chart”) or where the zodiac was at noon.

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