What is a solar return chart?
A solar return is calculated for the moment the Sun reaches the same zodiac longitude it occupied at birth. Choose the return year and location to explore that chart alongside the natal chart. The calculated moment can differ from the birthday’s calendar date and birth clock time.
How to use this tool
- Create or choose a natal profile with a known birth time. The solar return tool requires that time to calculate the natal Sun’s position.
- Choose the return year in the control above the chart. This is the year you want to study, not a replacement birth year.
- Choose the location for the return, then examine the wheel and the comparison tables. Keep the natal profile’s original city and time separate from the return settings.
How to compare the return with the natal chart
Start by identifying the Sun in both layers: the return is defined by their matching zodiac longitude. Then inspect the other return positions and the aspects they form with the natal positions. The birth chart provides the reference for the comparison.
Changing the year gives a new return calculation. Changing the return location changes the local context of that moment; it does not edit the original natal profile. When comparing results from another service, check its return location, zodiac, house system and year before drawing conclusions.
Before interpreting the result
An approximate birth time makes the exact return moment uncertain, so this tool requires a known birth time. The chart is a basis for astrological study; it does not provide a guaranteed annual forecast.
Common questions
Is a solar return always on my birthday?
Not necessarily. The tool finds the Sun’s return to its natal longitude, which can fall on a nearby calendar date. The original birth clock time is not the return time.
Which city should I use?
Choose the location you want to use for the return calculation. The control initially uses the natal city, so change it if you want a different return location.
Why is the chart unavailable when my birth time is unknown?
The natal Sun’s exact position depends on the birth moment. This calculator asks you to provide a known time rather than treating its noon placeholder as exact.
Further reading : Astrodienst: solar return chart