How To Figure Out The Ascendant (AKA Rising Sign) Without Calculating The Birth Chart!

Start with anyone's birth date (day and month only) and birth time.

Using the time of birth, figure out the approximate position of the sun in the person's astrology chart. Do this by consulting the Solar Position Chart Wheel below:

As you can see, if a person is born during during the day (between 6 AM and 6 PM), the sun will always appear in the upper hemisphere of the astrology chart. If a person is born during the night (between 6 PM and 6 AM), the sun will always appear in the lower hemisphere of the astrology chart. Using the time of birth, place the symbol for sun () in its correct place (approximately) in the astrology wheel. (Note: If a person is born during Daylight Savings Time, subtract one hour from the given time to arrive at the true time of birth.)

Example: If a person is born at 1 PM, you would place the sun symbol in the middle of the 9th house.

Ascertain the sun sign from the date given. If you can't do this in your head, consult the list below for the beginning and ending dates for each sun sign:

Figure out the approximate degree of the sun sign. You can do this by counting forward from the first day of the sun sign, adding one degree per day. (The sun always moves exactly one degree per day.)

Example: If the birth date is Oct. 9th, count the number of days forward from Sept. 24th. That number is 15, so the person's sun is at 15° Libra. On the chart, you would place 15° after the sun symbol so that is reads: " 15° Libra."

Calculate the number of zodiac signs between the sun symbol and the Ascendant. Use this number to count forward (counter clockwise) from the person's sun sign to arrive at the Rising sign. For the correct order of the sun signs, consult the table below:

In our example, the sun at 15° Libra is in the middle of the 9th house. The middle of the 9th house to the middle of 10th house counts as 1 sun sign, so you would arrive at 15° Scorpio. The middle of the 10th to the middle of the 11th counts as another sign; you would arrive 15° Sagittarius, and so on. Counting forward to the Ascendant, you would arrive at 0° Aquarius as the probable Ascendant. (Note: Certain variables in chart calculation sometimes makes this method slightly inaccurate. In this example, it would have to be assumed that the Ascendant is either late Capricorn or early Aquarius.)

As you get good at doing this, you'll be able to figure out the Ascendant in your head!