Natal chart — Astrology glossary

A natal chart is a map of the sky drawn for the exact moment and place a person was born. It plots the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets against the twelve zodiac signs and twelve houses, plus the angles formed between them. Astrologers read it as a snapshot rather than a forecast: where each planet sat, and how the pieces relate. It matters because every other technique in astrology depends on it; the chart is the raw material that sign readings, house placements and aspects all draw from. For example, someone born on 12 March 1990 at 7:14 a.m. in Madrid has a fixed chart for that instant, and a person born ten minutes later across town would have a slightly different one, usually a different rising sign.