How To Tell If You Have A Day Or Night Chart In Astrology

There's so much to learn when it comes to studying your birth chart — and once you start, you'll quickly realize that there's a lot more cosmic action influencing your astrological personality than just the sun sign you read your horoscopes for. However, sun signs in astrology are still super important, as the sun represents the core of who you are throughout your life. Knowing the difference between day charts and night charts in astrology can help you learn more about your personal cosmic profile — and can help explain why some people's zodiac sign traits are way more obvious than others'.

To know whether you have a day chart vs. a night chart, you'll need to look at your birth chart (which you can do by grabbing your exact birth date, time, and location, and plugging it into an online birth chart calculator). The chart is a circle divided into 12 houses of the zodiac, which you may already be familiar with — but this chart also functions as a sort of "clock," too.

You can think of the line going across the middle of the chart (or the axis that shares the first and seventh house cusps) as the horizon line. The point on the left (east) side of the horizon denotes your ascendant sign (abbreviated as ASC) and first house cusp, and that point represents the "sunrise" of your chart — while the point on the right (west) side of the horizon line (DSC) represents the "sunset" of your chart. Now, let's look at the Y axis of the chart (or the line that runs perpendicular to the horizon, from the top of the chart to the bottom, forming the tenth and fourth house cusps). The highest point is your midheaven sign and the cusp of your tenth house, and it represents high noon — while the very bottom point on this axis where your fourth house cusp is located is the "midnight" of your chart.

So from here, it's easy to see that the top half of the chart above the horizon line (containing houses seven through 12) is the "day" half of the chart, while the bottom half of the chart below the horizon line (containing houses one through six) is the "night" half of the chart. Now, let's look to the luminary in charge of the day and night cycle: the sun itself. Where is the sun in your astrology chart? If it's above the horizon, you have a day chart, and if it's below, you have a night chart. Easy peasy.

But what does it mean? While the concept of day and night charts is based on approaches that were used more often in ancient forms of astrology rather than the modern-day practice, it's still an interesting way to see how your sun sign (as well as your other signs in astrology) expresses its energy in the unique way that makes your cosmic profile one-of-a-kind. And while there are lots of factors that can influence the way your zodiac sign shows up in your personality, looking at day charts vs. night charts is a simple and fun way to gain perspective.

What It Means To Have A Day Chart

Day charts are the sunshine-y show-offs of the chart world. If you have a day chart in astrology, that means your sun resides somewhere between houses seven and 12. People who have the sun above the horizon line their astrological birth chart are usually more socially-oriented, comfortable being in the public eye, and tend to relate to things in a more objective and collective-focused way.

The zodiac signs naturally associated with the "day" energy in astrology are Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius — so if you're one of these signs and you have a day chart, then you can probably relate to the more social, extroverted, excitable, and action-oriented elements of your zodiac sign's qualities, and your sun sign likely comes through easily in your personality and shows up in a significant way. However, if you're a Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, or Pisces and you have a day chart, it's likely that you're more outgoing, assertive, and comfortable being in the spotlight than some others who share your zodiac sign — even if you are still gentle, emotional, and practical-minded on the inside. This is because the bright n' flashy sun naturally feels more energized, expressive, and full of life when it's placed above the horizon in a birth chart — so even if it's in a more stereotypically passive and laid-back zodiac sign's territory (such as the earth and water signs), it's more likely that its energy will be expressed in a more outwardly obvious and notable way regardless.

Beyond your sun sign, if you have a lot of planetary action in the "day" portion of your chart in general (sun-related or not), you're more likely to be more outwardly-focused, extroverted, and expressive of the aspects of your personality ruled by those planets in astrology overall.

What It Means To Have A Night Chart

Night charts are the cooler, calmer, more shadowy of the bunch. If you have a night chart in astrology, that means your sun resides somewhere between houses one through six. People who have the sun below the horizon line their astrological birth chart tend to be a bit more reserved, private about their affairs, and more focused on the introspective and emotional aspects of their lives.

The zodiac signs naturally associated with "night" energy in astrology are Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces — so if your sun falls in the "night" half of your birth chart and you're one of these zodiac signs, then it's likely easier for your to relate to more of the stereotypical aspects of your zodiac sign's personality profile, such as being intuitive and feelings-oriented (if you're a water sign), or grounded and practical-minded (if you're an earth sign). However, if you're an Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, or Aquarius with a night chart, this may explain why you don't always relate to the typical traits of your sign. It's likely that you're more laid-back, introspective, and sensitive than some of the other people who share your zodiac sign — and probably not nearly as comfortable being the center of attention. This is because the sun, which represents our will and vitality, lives in the more shadowy realm of your birth chart, which can temper its hot n' fiery nature, cooling it down to a more chill and less-flashy state. It's possible you relate more to the qualities of your moon sign.

If you have more planetary action in the "night" portion of your chart than the above-horizon area, you may be more inward-focused in general, keeping the aspects of your personality ruled by those planets more private, and only showing them openly within the more intimate parts of your life.