Learn Astrology

Astrology Planets, Points, Asteroids & Angles

When you look at an astrology chart, you’ll find more than just the 12 zodiac signs. Planets, mathematical points, and asteroids are placed throughout the chart, each adding another layer to the interpretation.

A useful way to think about them is:



Planets describe what is happening.

They represent different functions, drives, and areas of human experience.



Signs describe how it happens.

The sign a planet occupies influences how that planetary energy is expressed.



Houses describe where it happens.

The house shows the area of life where that energy tends to play out.



Points and asteroids add additional layers of meaning.

These can highlight specific themes, patterns, relationships, or areas of focus within a chart.

✦ The Luminaries ✦

The Sun and Moon are called luminaries because they are the two primary sources of visible light in the sky from Earth. In astrology, they are also considered the two lights of the chart.

Sun

Identity, vitality, purpose, creativity, and self-expression.



Moon

Emotions, instincts, habits, security, and inner life.

✦ Inner Planets ✦

The inner planets are Mercury, Venus, and Mars. They orbit relatively close to the Sun and move through the zodiac much more quickly than the outer planets. Because they move relatively quickly, the inner planets tend to describe more immediate and personal experiences in a birth chart. Their placements can also change noticeably from one person to another, even among people born around the same time.

☿

Mercury

Thinking, communication, learning, information, and perception.

♀

Venus

Relationships, attraction, pleasure, values, beauty, and resources.

♂

Mars

Action, desire, motivation, courage, conflict, and assertion.

✦ Outer Planets ✦

The outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. They take considerably longer to travel through the zodiac than the inner planets. The outer planets often remain in the same sign for years, or even decades. Because of this, their sign placements are shared by larger groups of people, making their house placement and aspects especially important when interpreting them in an individual birth chart.

♃

Jupiter

Growth, wisdom, beliefs, opportunity, learning, and expansion.

♄

Saturn

Responsibility, structure, boundaries, discipline, limitations, and maturity.

♅

Uranus

Change, disruption, independence, innovation, and liberation.

♆

Neptune

Imagination, spirituality, ideals, dreams, intuition, and dissolution.

♇

Pluto

Transformation, power, control, regeneration, and deep psychological processes.

✦ The 4 Angles of a Birth Chart ✦

The 4 angles are the key points that anchor a birth chart. Calculated from your exact birth time and location, they mark the Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven, and Imum Coeli, each representing a different area of life and helping establish the framework of the houses.

As

Ascendant

The sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. It is associated with the approach to life, outward expression, and the beginning of the chart.

Dc

Descendant

The point directly opposite the Ascendant. It is associated with close relationships, partnerships, and one-to-one dynamics.

Mc

Midheaven

The point opposite the Midheaven, associated with home, family, roots, ancestry, and private life.

Ic

Imum Coeli

The point opposite the Midheaven, associated with home, family, roots, ancestry, and private life.

✦ Points in an Astrology Chart ✦

Not everything you see in a birth chart is a physical planet.

Some placements are mathematical points calculated from the positions and movements of other celestial bodies.

☊

North Node

Associated with growth, development, unfamiliar territory, and experiences that encourage us to move beyond established patterns.

☋

South Node

Associated with familiar patterns, previous experience, release, and qualities that may come naturally but can become limiting when over-relied upon.

⚸

Black Moon Lilith

A calculated point associated with themes of autonomy, rejection, instinct, boundaries, and aspects of ourselves that may resist social expectations.

✦ Asteroids ✦

Asteroids are smaller celestial bodies, primarily located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Some astrologers incorporate specific asteroids into birth chart interpretation to explore more specialized themes.

The most commonly used asteroids include:

⚷

Chiron

Wounding, vulnerability, healing, and the experiences that shape our understanding of ourselves.

⚳

Ceres

Nurturing, nourishment, care, attachment, loss, and how we give and receive support.

⚴

Pallas

Wisdom, strategy, pattern recognition, creative intelligence, and problem-solving.

⚵

Juno

Commitment, partnership, loyalty, equality, and expectations within relationships.

⚶

Vesta

Devotion, focus, dedication, sacredness, and the things we protect or dedicate ourselves to.

Asteroids are not necessary to interpret a birth chart.

Many astrologers begin with the planets, angles, houses, and major aspects before incorporating additional points and asteroids.

✦ Putting It All Together ✦

A single placement becomes more meaningful when you consider the different layers of the chart together.

For example, Venus in Virgo in the 7th House combines:

✦ Venus: relationships, attraction, values, and pleasure
✦ Virgo: the style through which Venus expresses itself
✦ 7th House: close relationships and partnerships

The result is more specific than simply saying someone has Venus in Virgo. This is why reading a birth chart involves looking at the relationships between planets, signs, houses, angles, and other chart points rather than interpreting each placement in isolation.