A birth chart gift, cast for the day they were born

A personalised birth chart print on cream paper: the classic zodiac wheel with every degree ticked, the houses drawn, and the planet positions written beneath

For someone who reads their horoscope with real interest, the sign alone is old news. What they usually want is the whole chart: the rising sign, where the Moon was, which planets sit in which house. Our birth chart print casts that chart from the date, time and place of birth and draws it as a wheel, with every position written out in words underneath so it can be read without a key.

What goes on it

The rising sign sits at the left of the wheel, with the Sun, the Moon and the planets where they stood and the aspects between them. Houses are Placidus by default, the most widely used system, with whole-sign or equal houses if they prefer, and the house system is printed on the sheet. There are three wheels (every degree ticked with houses and aspects, the aspects alone, or simply the ring and the planets), seven colourways from midnight to ivory, and a choice of lettering and paper.

Finding the birth time

The time is the hard part, and it matters: the rising sign moves about one degree every four minutes. Places to look:

  • A Scottish birth certificate records the time of birth. In England and Wales the time appears only for twins and other multiple births.
  • The red book (the child health record parents are given) often has the time written in the birth section, and so do baby books and birth announcements.
  • Hospital maternity notes record it, and can be requested from the hospital trust, though that takes a while.
  • Failing that, a parent's memory. "Just after the ten o'clock news" is more use than nothing.

If no time can be found, leave it blank. The planets are then drawn for noon, and the print shows the date without a rising sign or houses and says so, rather than inventing them.

Two charts, or none

For a couple, make one chart, keep the link, and build the second from it so the pair match on the wall. For someone who likes the sky but not astrology, the star map print shows the stars as they actually stood over a place, and the Moon print needs only a date. For a T-shirt or a mug with their sign on it, our star sign gifts page goes through the sixty sign designs and how to check a cusp birthday, or browse the star sign designs directly.

Positions come from published orbital tables and are accurate to a fraction of a degree for births between 1800 and 2050 (Mercury and Pluto to about a degree). The chart is drawn by our software, not by hand, and you see the exact print before you order. It is made to order in the UK; check the delivery estimate on the product page if it is for Christmas.

Questions about the birth chart print

What is a birth chart print?

A print of the sky as astrology reads it at the moment someone was born. The chart is cast from the date, time and place of birth: the Sun, the Moon and the eight planets in their signs, the rising sign at the left, the Midheaven at the top, the twelve houses, and the aspects drawn across the middle. Every position is also written out in words beneath the wheel.

What details do I need to give?

A date of birth is enough to start. A birth time and a place complete the chart, because the rising sign and the houses depend on them. Without a time, the chart is drawn for noon with no ascendant and no houses, and the sheet says so beneath the wheel.

How does the personalisation work?

You type the details on the product page and the chart is cast while you watch. Then you choose the wheel, the house system, the colourway, the lettering, the paper and the background. The same calculation runs on the page and on the print, so the preview is what gets printed. You see the finished design before you order, and for two hours after ordering you can still change it from the link in your order email.

What does the print look like?

There are three wheels: the classic one with every degree ticked, the houses and the aspects; the aspects alone; or just the ring and the planets. On top of that come seven colourways from midnight to ivory, five kinds of lettering, five papers and a set of painted backgrounds. The house system and the tropical zodiac are printed on every sheet. The picture at the top of this page is the classic wheel on cream.

Who does it suit?

Someone who knows their sun sign and wants the rest: the rising sign, the Moon sign and the houses. It also suits a new baby, whose birth time is still easy to find, and a couple, as two charts made to match. It works for a big birthday too; our milestone birthdays page lists the birth year behind each age, with the history of that year.

What sizes are there, and what arrives?

Three sizes, 30 x 45 cm, 40 x 60 cm and 60 x 90 cm, as a poster or in a white, black or wood frame. The paper is uncoated matte, 200 gsm (170 gsm in the 30 x 45 cm frame). Frames are wood, glazed with plexiglass, and arrive ready to hang; unframed prints ship rolled in a tube. The parcel has no receipt or invoice inside, so it can go straight to the person it is for. The price of each size is on the product page.

How do I order one?

Open the birth chart print, type the date, time and place, choose the look, size and finish, and add it to your basket. It is printed to order in the UK, and we email a tracking link when it ships. If it arrives damaged, misprinted or not as you approved it, send us a photo and we reprint it free.

Can I order another copy later?

Yes. Keep the link to your design: it carries the whole design, so you can reopen it for a second copy, a different wheel or a sibling's chart. The approved artwork of a bought print is kept for reorders.