What
is a Birth Chart or Natal Chart?
Birth Charts, Natal Charts, Horoscope Wheels and Horoscope Maps
Birth Charts also known as Natal Charts and Horoscope maps and wheels are the graphical representation of the positions of all the planets at the moment you were born.
Astrologers believe that the positions of the planets in the sky affect nearly every aspect of a person's life. When astrologers use the word "planets", generally they are referring to the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, although obviously the Sun and Moon are not planets!
Astrological Aspects
What is an Aspect?
The Sun, Moon, and planets are located on a circle that is known in astronomy as the ecliptic plane. Because the planets are located on this circle, we can refer to the distance between the 2 planets by the number of degrees that separate them.
For example, two planets that are in opposite directions are 180 degrees apart. A distance of 180 degrees, according to astrologers, causes the astrological influence of the two planets to "mix together" and affect the person. There are many other distances that also cause the two planetary influences to mix together, such as 0, 90, 120, and 60 degrees. Each of these angles is called an aspect. Some astrologers use many other aspects as well.
Chart
Comparison
Chart comparison is most commonly done for the purpose of comparing the birth charts of two people to see if they are compatible, and to see in what areas they are likely to work together successfully and in what areas they are likely to have difficulties. There are many astrological techniques used to compare charts.