Famous birth charts · Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin’s chart in full
Born January 17, 1706, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The chart is cast for noon on the day, and everything shown here held all day long.
Point at a body or a sign to see its connections.
The chart, fact by fact
Planets
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The ten bodies astrology reads: the Sun, the Moon and eight planets. The planet says which part of a person it speaks for, the sign says how that part behaves, and the house says where in life it shows.
Sun in Capricorn
The Architect. Ambitious, patient and dry.
27°16′
Moon in Pisces
The Moon moved from Aquarius into Pisces at 1:33 a.m. that day, local time: in Aquarius for a birth before then, in Pisces for one after.
6°21′
Mercury in Aquariusretrograde
The Inventor. The original thinker.
12°19′
Venus in Capricorn
The Loyal Partner. Love built to last.
5°51′
Mars in Sagittarius
The Champion. The long shot.
20°41′
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Jupiter in Cancerretrograde
The Generous Host. A home with room for more.
24°20′
Saturn in Taurus
The Slow Builder. Security built by hand.
12°54′
Uranus in Leoretrograde
6°51′
Neptune in Aries
16°20′
Pluto in Leoretrograde
20°38′
Beyond the planets
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Points read beside the planets. The rising sign, or Ascendant, is the sign coming up over the eastern horizon at the minute of birth: the first impression. The Midheaven is the highest point of the sky: career and public life. The North Node is where the Moon’s path crosses the Sun’s: the direction a life grows in. Chiron, a small body between Saturn and Uranus, is a lifelong sore spot and the gift it leaves for others. Black Moon Lilith, where the Moon’s orbit swings farthest from Earth, is what a person keeps untamed.
North Node in Taurus
The direction his life grows in: Taurus, steady and sensual.
21°19′
Black Moon Lilith in Libra
In Libra, Lilith is the one who stops keeping the peace at any price.
2°34′
The rising sign and the Midheaven need the birth time to the minute, so they are left out.
Patterns
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When several aspects lock into one shape, such as a triangle or a cross, the planets in it act together, and the shape says how: easily, under strain, or with one planet as the focus.
T-square
Two planets pull against each other, and a third stands at right angles to both, where the strain gathers.
In his chart, his mind (Mercury in Aquarius) and his independence (Uranus in Leo) face each other across the wheel, and his discipline (Saturn in Taurus) took the strain: the part of him that worked hardest.
Grand trine
Three planets in an easy triangle, each in flowing contact with the other two: a gift that comes without effort.
In his chart, his drive, his imagination and his intensity (Mars in Sagittarius, Neptune in Aries and Pluto in Leo) make the triangle, so these came to him naturally.
Aspects by strength
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An aspect is a set angle between two bodies in the sky at birth. Some angles flow, some rub, and some fuse two bodies into one. The number is how far the angle is from exact: the smaller it is, the stronger the link.
Only the aspects that held from the first minute of the day to the last are shown; each figure is for noon.
Mars trine Pluto almost exact at 0.1°
Stamina and willpower: he kept going long after others stopped, and he did his best work under pressure.
Mercury square Saturn almost exact at 0.6°
He doubted his own ideas before anyone else could, and so he checked every one twice.
Mars quincunx North Node almost exact at 0.6°
He kept adjusting how hard he pushed to fit where his life was going.
Pluto square North Node almost exact at 0.7°
Old attachments held him back from the way forward, and he grew by letting some things go.
Venus quincunx Uranus close at 1.0°
Affection and independence needed constant trading off, and he kept renegotiating the terms of his relationships.
The Sun opposition Jupiter close at 2.9°
He reached for more than one life could hold: big plans, big promises, and a habit of saying yes before counting the hours.
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Jupiter sextile North Node close at 3.0°
Hope helped him grow: faith in what was possible kept him moving forward.
Mercury sextile Neptune wide at 4.0°
He thought in pictures and music: his words carried a mood, and his imagination gave his ideas colour.
Neptune trine Pluto wide at 4.3°
A quiet hunger for meaning under everyday life, and a tolerance for great change.
Mars trine Neptune wide at 4.3°
He worked for ideals: his drive came alive for a cause, a role or a dream.
Mercury opposition Uranus wide at 5.5°
His mind ran ahead of the conversation: he said the unexpected thing, and not everyone was ready to hear it.
The Sun trine North Node wide at 6.0°
The direction his life took suited him: being himself and growing went hand in hand.
Saturn square Uranus wide at 6.0°
Tradition and rebellion fought in him: he wanted security and freedom, and could rarely have both at once.
Chart signature
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The chart’s balance at a glance: which of the four elements and three modes it leans on, which body is most connected, and any body standing alone.
Elements
Modes
The Moon changed sign that day; it is counted where it stood at noon.
You and Benjamin Franklin
See where your chart meets Benjamin Franklin’s, and the signs you share.