A map key with context

Astrocartography Symbols: Read the Full Label

Astrocartography symbols combine a planet glyph (☉ Sun, ☽ Moon), an angle (AS, DS, MC, IC), and sometimes an aspect such as 120°. Generate your map, then match its labels to the key below.

Find these labels on your own map

Start with your free map. Paid lines and deeper results retain their access. View Pricing.

01 / Identify the body

Planet glyphs at a glance.

Use these astrocartography symbols as a lookup, with the printed planet name beside each glyph. The colors below belong to this product’s interactive planet map. A theme gives you a question to investigate; the angle and your place evidence give it context.

Astrocartography symbols and colors on the interactive planet map
Planet	Map color	Starting themes
Sun	Gold	Visibility, vitality, self-expression
Moon	Silver	Care, emotions, home, belonging
Mercury	Orange	Communication, learning, movement
Venus	Pink	Relationships, values, aesthetics
Mars	Orange-red	Action, competition, conflict
Jupiter	Purple	Growth, exploration, excess
Saturn	Royal blue	Responsibility, boundaries, pressure
Uranus	Turquoise	Change, independence, disruption
Neptune	Blue	Imagination, sensitivity, uncertainty
Pluto	Brown	Power, intensity, transformation

Compare Venus–MC and Venus–IC: the planet stays Venus, while the question changes from public direction to private foundations. Astrocartography symbols identify the combination; the line meanings explain its fuller context.

02 / Identify the angle

AS, DS, MC, and IC.

The angle completes the ordinary line label. These astrocartography symbols distinguish rising, setting, and the upper and lower meridian positions. AS/AC/ASC and DS/DC/DSC are alternate abbreviations; preserve the planet beside them.

Angle abbreviations paired with astrocartography symbols
Label	Name	Question area
AS / ASC / AC	Ascendant · rising	Identity, expression, direct experience
DS / DSC / DC	Descendant · setting	Relationships, partners, one-to-one dynamics
MC	Midheaven	Career, reputation, public direction
IC	Imum Coeli	Home, roots, private foundations

Degrees and kilometers answer different questions: 120° describes an aspect’s geometry; 187.3 km describes a city’s distance from it. A degree beside astrocartography symbols is not a distance or a score.

Identity before interpretation

Home support can come from an aspect line.

The published Orlando example names Moon · ASC · 120°, 187.3 km from the city, as contributing to Home support. Its astrocartography symbols name a Moon–ASC trine, not the ordinary Moon–ASC line or a Moon–IC line. Home is the result’s theme; ASC 120° is the signal’s identity.

Match the evidence on my map

Calculated from synthetic birth details, not a customer outcome. The worked chart example includes the source report and fuller place judgment.

03 / Check which map you are reading

A dashed line needs its own legend.

Astrocartography symbols work with a map’s legend. This project’s interactive planet map and report maps show different kinds of evidence, so line style and color do different jobs.

Interactive planet map

Solid · AS / MCDashed · DS / IC

Both families keep the planet’s color. AS or MC distinguishes the solid lines; DS or IC distinguishes the dashed ones. Astrocartography symbols identify the angle; color alone does not establish strength or suitability for a move.

Report maps and aspect labels

In the published demonstration, ordinary angular lines are solid and aspect lines are dashed. The interactive report map also distinguishes evidence by layer color. Reading a report dash as “DS or IC” would misidentify Moon–ASC 120°.

The personal map’s aspect overlay uses ⚹ 60° · □ 90° · △ 120° beside ASC or MC, with its own broken line pattern. These astrocartography symbols identify aspects, so the base planet map’s dashed-line rule does not apply to this overlay.

Lunar Node axis

This separate layer pairs opposite node angles. “North Node AS / South Node DS” names one axis line, not two unrelated planet lines. Its purple short-dashed style and paired label distinguish these additional astrocartography symbols from Jupiter’s purple planet lines.

The key identifies current product conventions. Optional layers, visible filters, and paid access affect what appears; a missing visible line is not a verdict about the chart. Other tools can use different palettes and glyph variants.

From recognition to a personal question

What does this evidence mean for my city?

In that same Orlando report, Neptune · DSC sits 329.2 km from the city. Its astrocartography symbols identify a relationship signal. The reading connects it to idealization and unclear boundaries: support for building a home coexists with relationship caution. Moon’s Home support cannot settle whether both partners want the same daily life.

For your own city, ask: “Does the support for settling in outweigh the relationship trade-off I would need to manage?” Recognizing astrocartography symbols gives you the evidence’s identity; your calculated distances and personal reading reveal which supports and cautions belong to that place. Distance alone does not rank the signals or decide which priority matters most to you.

Explore the labels on my map

For the full reading sequence, continue to the map-reading guide. Return to all guides when your question changes.

Questions that remain

Astrocartography symbols FAQ.

Are AC, AS, and ASC the same astrocartography symbols?

They are abbreviations for the Ascendant. DC, DS, and DSC similarly refer to the Descendant. This interactive map uses AS and DS internally, while report labels may spell them ASC and DSC. A change in abbreviation alone does not create a different line.

What do a triangle, square, or star beside a label mean?

The angle-aspect overlay uses △ for 120°, □ for 90°, and ⚹ for 60°. These extra astrocartography symbols identify an aspect to ASC or MC. Keep the degree with the planet and angle: Moon–ASC 120° is a different geometry from the ordinary Moon–ASC line.

Why can I find a planet in the key but not on my map?

A reference includes the full set of planet glyphs; the visible map reflects filters, available layers, and plan access. Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto, and Lunar Node lines retain their paid access. An absent visible line does not establish that the planet has no relevance to your chart.

Does a different Moon or Pluto glyph change the planet?

Some fonts and chart tools draw alternate glyphs. Match the printed planet name and the map’s own legend when a shape is unfamiliar. The glyphs here follow this product’s current map; an alternate shape alone does not establish a different astronomical body.

Can these symbols tell me which city is best for me?

Astrocartography symbols identify the evidence. Your city reading adds calculated distance, supporting signals, cautions, and goal context. Generate your map here, bring one actual city, and investigate the trade-off that matters to you. Complete reports and deeper comparisons retain their plan and credit limits.

Can I trust exact-looking labels with an unknown birth time?

The astrocartography symbols still name the displayed lines, but their placement uses an estimated time when your birth time is unknown. A precise-looking label does not make that input precise. Treat close-distance conclusions as provisional; complete personal reports require an accurate birth time.

Glyphs and palettes follow this product’s current map. General angle notation is also described in Astrodienst’s AstroClick Travel introduction. The Orlando example is a published synthetic calculation; your result needs its own evidence.