Vedic and Western sun signs
Your sun sign is the sign the Sun was in when you were born. Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac, which starts at the spring equinox and follows the seasons. Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, which is measured against the stars. Because the Earth’s axis slowly wobbles, the two zodiacs drift apart by about one degree every 72 years, and they are now about 24 degrees apart.
Why your Vedic sun sign is often the sign before
The Sun moves about a degree a day, so it enters each Vedic sign roughly 24 days after the Western sign of the same name: around the 13th to the 17th of the month rather than the 19th to the 23rd. If you were born in the last week or so of a Western sign, your Vedic sun sign is the same sign; otherwise it is usually the one before.
The Sun in Vedic astrology
Vedic horoscopes are read from the moon sign rather than the sun sign, but the Sun’s sign still matters in your chart. The Sun’s entry into each sign, called Sankranti, begins a solar month; Makar Sankranti in January is the best known. A kundli reading looks at the Sun together with your lagna and Moon.
Questions
About sun signs
Which sun sign should I read, the Vedic or the Western one?
Use the one that belongs to the system you are reading. Vedic horoscopes, including the ones on this site, are read from your moon sign, which the moon sign calculator finds. Western horoscopes use the tropical sun sign.
Does my birth time matter for the sun sign?
Usually not, because the Sun stays in each sign for about a month. It matters only if you were born on the day the Sun changed sign. The calculator tells you if that happened and at what time the Sun moved on.
What is the ayanamsa?
The ayanamsa is the gap between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs: about 24 degrees today, growing by about one degree every 72 years. This calculator uses the Lahiri ayanamsa, the standard in India.
More free tools
Charts, matching and panchang
- Free kundliYour birth chart with planets, nakshatra, dashas and a dosha check.
- Kundli matchingGuna milan out of 36 with all eight kootas explained.
- Today's panchangTithi, nakshatra, Rahu kaal and choghadiya for today, or any date and city.
- Festival calendarFestival and vrat dates with their muhurat: Diwali, Holi, every Ekadashi and more.
Astrology calculators
- Moon signFind your Vedic rashi, the sign your horoscope is read from.
- Sun signYour Vedic sun sign, with your Western one alongside.
- Ascendant (lagna)The sign rising at your birth, with its lord and the times it rose.
- NakshatraYour birth star and pada, with its lord, deity, gana and nadi.
- DashaYour Vimshottari mahadashas and antardashas, with the ones running now.
- Love compatibilityA quick check of two moon signs on Bhakoot and graha maitri.
- Mangal doshaCheck Mars from your lagna, Moon and Venus, with the common exceptions.
- Kaal Sarp doshSee whether all seven grahas fall between Rahu and Ketu.
- Sade SatiWhether Saturn's seven-and-a-half years are running for you, with dates.
Numerology
- NumerologyYour mulank, bhagyank and name number, and the planet behind each.
- Lo Shu gridYour date of birth in the 3×3 grid, with repeated and missing numbers.
- Mobile numberAdd up a mobile number and compare it with your mulank and bhagyank.
- Vehicle numberThe total and single digit of a car or bike registration number.
Vastu
Worked out on your device with Astronomy Engine by Don Cross (MIT licence) and the Lahiri ayanamsa. Place data: GeoNames (geonames.org), CC BY 4.0.