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An aspect compares two positions around the zodiac. Its name identifies an angle; its orb tells you how far the positions are from that angle. Astriel lists seven aspect types.
Find the aspects in my chartChoose the two bodies from your birth chart, then the calculated angle. These are the natal guides currently available.
Compare Moon-Venus contacts · Compare Venus-Mars contacts · Compare the five Sun-Moon contacts · Comparing two people's charts?
These diagrams show longitude around the zodiac, viewed from Earth. They do not show the planets' distances from Earth or their latitude.
For major aspects, use the smaller of the two bodies' natal orb limits. Semisextiles and quincunxes use a 2° limit.
Major aspect · 0°
Two positions close to the same zodiac longitude.
Read the two planetary functions together. Their combination can reinforce a theme or make competing needs difficult to separate; the planets involved matter.
10° Aries and 13° Aries are 3° apart. Their conjunction orb is 3°.
Major aspect · 60°
Two positions close to one sixth of the zodiac apart.
A cooperative connection that can be developed through use. Look for ways the two planetary functions could support one another through deliberate action.
10° Aries and 8° Gemini are 58° apart. Their sextile orb is 2°.
Major aspect · 90°
Two positions close to a quarter of the zodiac apart.
A point of friction between two functions. Read what each planet needs, then consider why satisfying one might make the other harder to accommodate.
10° Aries and 12° Cancer are 92° apart. Their square orb is 2°.
Major aspect · 120°
Two positions close to one third of the zodiac apart.
An easy connection between two functions. It can describe support or a familiar habit; ease alone does not tell you whether that habit is helpful.
10° Aries and 7° Leo are 117° apart. Their trine orb is 3°.
Major aspect · 180°
Two positions close to opposite points of the zodiac.
Two functions set in contrast. A reading explores how to give both room, especially when attention moves between one need and the other.
10° Aries and 8° Libra are 178° apart. Their opposition orb is 2°.
Minor aspect · 30°
Two positions close to one twelfth of the zodiac apart.
A minor connection between neighboring zodiac positions. Modern readings often explore small adjustments between different approaches; give it less emphasis than a major aspect.
10° Aries and 11° Taurus are 31° apart. Their semisextile orb is 1°.
Minor aspect · 150°
Two positions close to five twelfths of the zodiac apart.
A minor aspect commonly read as a need for adjustment. Consider where two functions require different conditions, without assuming that one solution will satisfy both.
10° Aries and 9° Virgo are 149° apart. Their quincunx orb is 1°.
In a Moon-Saturn reading, start with emotional needs and security (Moon), then responsibility and limits (Saturn). The aspect describes how an astrologer connects those themes.
A square might prompt a reading about comfort competing with duty: taking a break could feel difficult when work remains unfinished. A trine might describe routines that make rest easier. These are possible interpretations, not facts about the person.
The signs describe each planet's approach; their houses identify the life areas involved. Use those details before deciding whether either example fits your chart.
The meanings above summarize astrological interpretation, separate from the measured angles. Compare the aspect overview from TimePassages.
Orb is the difference between the measured separation and the aspect's exact angle. A square at 92° has a 2° orb because its exact angle is 90°.
Astriel uses the shorter separation around the zodiac, between 0° and 180°. For example, 359° and 1° are 2° apart across the zodiac boundary.
For a Moon-Mercury square, the smaller major-aspect limit is 6°. A separation of 95° is within that limit: the orb is 5°.
For a Moon-Pluto square, the smaller limit is 4°. The same 95° separation falls outside that limit and is not listed.
These are illustrations of the selection rule, not example birth charts.
| Body or point | Limit |
|---|---|
| Sun, Moon | 8° |
| Mercury, Venus, Mars | 6° |
| Jupiter, Saturn | 5° |
| Uranus, Neptune, Pluto | 4° |
| North Node, Lilith, Ascendant, Midheaven | 3° |
Use the smaller limit for each pair. Semisextiles and quincunxes use 2° for every pair. These are Astriel's selected rules; other calculators can use different limits.
An applying aspect is moving closer to its exact angle. A separating aspect is moving farther away. The calculation uses both bodies' relative motion, including retrograde motion.
If a separation of 88° is increasing toward 90°, the square is applying. If that same separation is decreasing away from 90°, it is separating.
The orb alone cannot tell you the direction. Near a station, the direction can change.
Astriel labels an aspect exact when its deviation is no more than one arcsecond. This is the engine's numerical threshold, not a guarantee of one-arcsecond astronomical accuracy.
The result shows the smallest and largest calculated orb across your time range. An aspect marked "only part of the period" depends on the birth time.
"Holds all period" means it stays within the allowed orb in that calculation. It does not mean the orb stays at one value. Motion labels and exact degrees are left out.
A contact can be outside the selected orb, use an unsupported aspect angle, or involve an unavailable factor. Unknown birth times leave out the Ascendant and Midheaven.
Absence from this table does not establish that two life topics are unrelated.
The results sort by closeness to the exact angle. That order is a geometric comparison, not a validated ranking of personal importance.
An angle or motion label alone does not establish a personality trait, future event, or relationship outcome.
The angle names still describe the same geometry. Use the orb limit printed in that result: relationship and transit calculations have their own selected rules.