- Your sun sign represents your ego, innermost identity, and where you shine.
- Your moon sign represents your inner world, emotions, and intuition.
- Your rising sign represents how you show up in the world and the impressions you make on others.
Most of us know our sun sign in astrology, but the real insights come in once you dive deeper into your moon and rising signs. Your sun, moon, and rising signs (or your “big three”) are considered the three most significant placements in your birth chart, revealing everything from what motivates you, to how others perceive you, and even your own self-image.
As you start to understand more about your own chart placements, things will likely start clicking. If you’ve never felt like you matched the description of a Leo sun, for example, things might start making sense when you find out you’re a Capricorn moon and Gemini rising.
In order to find these signs you’ll need to know your exact birth time—yes, down to the minute—as well as your birthday and birth place. You can plug that information into a birth chart calculator to find your full chart.
Ahead, we’re unpacking the fundamentals of your big three, including what the sun, moon, and rising signs represent, plus what all 12 zodiac signs mean for each.
Sun Sign
Your sun sign is determined by which zodiac sign the sun was in when you were born. Astrological seasons last roughly four weeks, with the sun making its way through each of the 12 signs throughout the calendar year. (So if you were born during Taurus season, for instance, you would be a Taurus sun.)
Your sun sign represents your ego and identity—the innermost parts of what makes you who you are. And like the sun shines upon the Earth, your sun sign reveals the ways in which you shine most. It speaks to your core strengths and weaknesses, and can influence what motivates or drives you, as well.
- Aries Sun: Core personality is daring, independent, and brave.
- Taurus Sun: Core personality is grounded, reliable, and unwavering.
- Gemini Sun: Core personality is curious, intellectual, and adaptable.
- Cancer Sun: Core personality is nurturing, protective, and sensitive.
- Leo Sun: Core personality is proud, generous, and confident.
- Virgo Sun: Core personality is analytical, detail-oriented, and devoted.
- Libra Sun: Core personality is loving, peaceful, and charming.
- Scorpio Sun: Core personality is powerful, mysterious, and deep.
- Sagittarius Sun: Core personality is spontaneous, brash, and untamed.
- Capricorn Sun: Core personality is serious, hard-working, and wise.
- Aquarius Sun: Core personality is unique, eccentric, and humanitarian.
- Pisces Sun: Core personality is spiritual, whimsical, and ethereal.
Related Stories
How Your Birth Chart Can Affect Love Compatibility
Moon Sign
Not unlike your sun sign, your moon sign is determined by which zodiac sign the moon was in when you were born. Where it takes four weeks for the sun to move into a new sign, it only takes the moon 2.5 days.
Astrologically speaking, the moon represents your inner world, emotions, intuition, and self-image. The sun shines outwardly in its expression, but the moon is more demure than that; She reveals our instincts, as well as how we tend to process emotions (for better or worse).
The moon is also thought to relate to memories, maternal relationships, and your overall relationship to yourself.
- Aries Moon: Inner world and emotions are passionate, self-assured, and confident.
- Taurus Moon: Inner world and emotions are stable, sensual, and grounded.
- Gemini Moon: Inner world and emotions are logical, aloof, and excitable.
- Cancer Moon: Inner world and emotions are sensitive, intuitive, and turbulent.
- Leo Moon: Inner world and emotions are loud, dramatic, and unapologetic.
- Virgo Moon: Inner world and emotions are scrutinizing, fastidious, and logical.
- Libra Moon: Inner world and emotions are graceful, harmonious, and relationship-oriented.
- Scorpio Moon: Inner world and emotions are guarded, intense, and morose.
- Sagittarius Moon: Inner world and emotions are changeable, adventurous, and optimistic.
- Capricorn Moon: Inner world and emotions are structured, diligent, and focused.
- Aquarius Moon: Inner world and emotions are aloof, quirky, and hyper-independent.
- Pisces Moon: Inner world and emotions are sensitive, intuitive, and psychic.
Rising Sign
The final key to your big 3 is none other than your rising sign. While your sun sign relates to the position of the sun in the sky relative to the time of year, your rising sign relates to the position of the sun in the sky relative to the time of day.
Namely, your rising sign is determined by where the sun was rising over the eastern horizon the moment you were born. It speaks to how you show up in the world, the impressions you make on people, and is even the sign that most influences your appearance.
The big thing to understand about your rising sign is that it determines your first house of self and identity in your birth chart—and that’s a big piece of your astrological makeup. Many astrologers place more weight on rising signs than sun signs.
- Aries Rising: Appears bold, fiery, and sometimes intimidating to the world.
- Taurus Rising: Appears warm, diligent, and stubborn to the world.
- Gemini Rising: Appears chatty, humorous, and playful to the world.
- Cancer Rising: Appears soft, reserved, and caring to the world.
- Leo Rising: Appears egoic, regal, and energetic to the world.
- Virgo Rising: Appears practical, sensible, and critical to the world.
- Libra Rising: Appears gregarious, peaceful, and indecisive to the world.
- Scorpio Rising: Appears edgy, dark, and alluring to the world.
- Sagittarius Rising: Appears fun-loving, spirited, and adventurous to the world.
- Capricorn Rising: Appears serious, ambitious, and driven to the world.
- Aquarius Rising: Appears emotionally aloof, unique, and progressive to the world.
- Pisces Rising: Appears sensitive, naive, and empathetic to the world.
Read more: