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Free natal chart calculator
Enter your date, time and city of birth and see your real chart: where the planets stood the moment you were born, what that means, and which life period you are in now.
Birth details
How to read a natal chart
What a natal chart is
A natal chart is a snapshot of the sky at the moment you were born: where the Sun, Moon and planets stood relative to the horizon and to each other. Astronomically these are exact coordinates; astrologically they are a language for describing character, motivation and life cycles. A chart does not predict events or diagnose anything — it gives you vocabulary to name more precisely what you already sense about yourself.
What the calculation needs
Three things. The date of birth sets which signs the planets fall in. The city of birth supplies coordinates and a time zone — without them a birth time cannot be converted to a common scale. The time of birth is the most sensitive input: it determines the ascendant and the house division. Date and city are required; the time is optional — the chart still calculates, part of it simply stays closed.
If you don't know your birth time
This is common and it is not a dead end. Without a time we can still calculate correctly: the sign of every planet, the Moon's nakshatra (except on the rare day when the Moon crosses a nakshatra boundary), and how the planets sit relative to one another. What we cannot calculate: the ascendant, the houses and the dasha periods — they shift far too quickly across a single day. We would rather show less than show a plausible-looking number pulled out of the air. A time can be pinned down later from documents, from family, or through rectification.
Western astrology and jyotish: the difference
Both look at the same sky but anchor their count to different points. Western (tropical) counts from the spring equinox; jyotish (sidereal) counts from where the stars actually are. Over two millennia those anchors have drifted about 24 degrees apart, which is why your Sun can land in different signs. Neither system is wrong — they are different coordinate systems. What you see here is jyotish, which gives you nakshatras and dasha periods that the Western tradition does not have.
How accurate the calculation is
The astronomical layer is Swiss Ephemeris, the standard ephemeris library, accurate to fractions of an arcsecond. The ayanamsa is Lahiri, the most widely used precession correction. City coordinates come from a geographic database and the time is converted to UTC using historical daylight-saving rules. In other words, the planetary positions here will match any professional program configured with the same settings. Disagreements between websites almost always come down to a different ayanamsa or a different house system, not to an error in the maths.
Frequently asked questions
Can I build a natal chart for free?
Yes. The chart calculation, the planets by sign and house, the Moon's nakshatra and your current dasha period are all free and require no sign-up. An account is only needed to save the chart and to get the full written reading.
What if I don't know my exact birth time?
Tick "I don't know the exact time". The chart will still be built, but without the ascendant, the houses or the dasha periods — those change too quickly across a day to be estimated honestly. The signs of the planets and the Moon's nakshatra are still calculated correctly.
How much does birth time matter?
It determines the ascendant and the house division. The ascendant moves a full sign roughly every two hours, so being off by even an hour changes a visible part of the chart. The signs of the Sun, Moon and planets barely depend on time — the Moon is the only one that moves noticeably, and it takes about two and a half days to cross a sign.
Why does my chart look different on other sites?
Usually because of the coordinate system. Western astrology counts from the spring equinox, jyotish counts from where the stars actually are, and the two are about 24 degrees apart today. The second common source of difference is the house system. The underlying maths is the same everywhere.
What is a nakshatra?
A nakshatra is a lunar mansion, one of 27 segments of the zodiac spanning 13 degrees 20 minutes each. In jyotish the Moon's nakshatra is treated as a sharper description than the sign: it subdivides the sign, and each segment has its own ruler and character. The Western tradition does not use nakshatras.
Is my birth data stored?
No. The calculation on this page is anonymous: the data goes to the server, comes back as a chart, and is not written down anywhere. Saving happens only if you choose to create an account.
Where to go next
Synastry
How your chart interacts with someone else's — as a couple, as friends, or as a parent and child.
Open synastry →Deep dive
One theme — love, money or purpose — worked through in depth, with timing for the year ahead.
Open deep dive →Nakshatras
A dedicated calculator for the nakshatras of the Moon, the Lagna and the Sun, with all 27 described.
Open nakshatras →Methodology
What exactly we calculate with, where interpretation stops, and what happens to your data.
Read the methodology →Updated