Planets, the four angles, retrograde, and the nodes
A Western chart uses the tropical zodiac. The ten bodies run from the Sun to Pluto. The Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant, and Imum Coeli are angles, not four extra planets. The nodes are orbital crossings, not planets.
Editorial review: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by fateshow · Editorial method
Ten bodies on the tropical zodiac
The Sun through Pluto each have a longitude, a sign, a degree, and a house. The sun sign is only the Sun.
The illustration is male, 14:19 on 20 May 1990, Beijing. China was on summer time, offset +09:00, so UT is 05:19 that day. Human Design and the two charts do not apply true solar time. The Sun is at 28.94° Taurus, in the 9th house. The Moon is in Pisces, in the 7th.
The four angles are cut by clock and place
The Ascendant is the eastern horizon. The Midheaven is the ecliptic point due south. Descendant and Imum Coeli are the opposite points. Without place or time, the angles stop.
Here the Ascendant is 17.02° Virgo and the Midheaven is 15.04° Gemini. The Descendant is Pisces, the Imum Coeli Sagittarius.
Retrograde follows the sign of daily speed
A negative speed is marked retrograde. Retrograde does not delete the body or change its sign.
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are retrograde here. The Sun and the Moon are not.
The nodes are not an eleventh planet
The north node is in Aquarius, the south node in Leo, 180° apart. They are the crossings of the Sun’s and Moon’s paths.
A node can take an aspect. That does not make it a planet, and it does not replace the Ascendant.
Illustration: Sun in Taurus, Virgo rising
The same birth, tropical zodiac, Placidus first. Sun in Taurus in the 9th, Moon in Pisces in the 7th, Virgo rising, north node in Aquarius.
The definition is on What Western astrology is.
Common mistakes
- Treating the Ascendant as a fifth personal planet.
- Deleting a body because it is retrograde.
- Writing an Ascendant without a birth time.
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Frequently asked questions
If the Sun is in Taurus, is the chart a Taurus chart?
No. Taurus is only the Sun’s sign. The Moon is in Pisces and the Ascendant is Virgo.
Why is the offset +09:00?
China was on summer time in May 1990. Clock time 14:19 is UT 05:19.
Which of the node and the Ascendant is an angle?
Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant, and Imum Coeli are the angles. The nodes are orbital crossings.
Sources and editorial basis
- 1. Tropical ephemeris
Planet longitudes, the four angles, and the nodes follow the figures this ephemeris prints.
- 2. fateshow rule snapshot
Supports only the fields printed in the illustration.