Aspects

An aspect is the angle between two planets, or between a planet and an angle. It counts only inside the declared orb. It says how two positions meet. It does not score the meeting.

Editorial review: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by fateshow · Editorial method

Conjunction, opposition, square, trine, sextile

A conjunction is two points nearly on top of each other. An opposition is about 180 degrees, a square about 90, a trine about 120, a sextile about 60. One degree off and ten degrees off are not the same sentence. Outside the orb, the chart does not call them an aspect. A square is not a punishment, and a trine is not a prize.

Name the two bodies, then the angle

An aspect sentence needs subjects. Moon square Saturn means the angle between the Moon and Saturn falls inside the orb. It does not schedule an event. A synastry aspect is an angle across two charts. Each person needs a natal chart before any overlay.

Inside the orb and outside it

Illustration: Mars and Jupiter are 92 degrees apart. If the orb still covers a few degrees around 90, that is a square. At 100 degrees, past the orb, do not call it a square. Say the two bodies are still short of one. It is not “a square means failure.” An aspect is also not Zi Wei’s san fang si zheng.

Common mistakes

  • Calling a near miss an aspect when it sits outside the orb.
  • Reading a square as a punishment.
  • Using an aspect to schedule a day.

Use it in fateshow

Astrology

Tropical-zodiac birth chart: planets, houses and aspects

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Frequently asked questions

Is a conjunction the best aspect?

A conjunction only means two ecliptic positions sit close. The angle does not decide whether that is welcome.

Do I read aspects before houses?

A planet’s sign and its aspects are ecliptic relations. A house is which sector of the local sky it falls in. Write both. Neither replaces the other.

Can synastry aspects replace natal aspects?

No. Synastry is the angles between two natal charts. Without each natal chart there is no overlay.

Sources and editorial basis

  1. 1. fateshow chart rule snapshot

    Each generated report stores the engine settings that produced it. Compare those settings before treating two charts as the same calculation.

  2. 2. fateshow interpretation dictionary

    Plain-language tendencies used in reports. They describe conditions and cautions, not fixed personality or inevitable outcomes.