Famous birth charts · Herman Melville
Herman Melville’s chart in full
Born August 1, 1819, Manhattan, New York, 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
What’s this?Close
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 Leo
The Bright One. Warm, proud and generous.
8°32′
Moon in Sagittarius
The Free Spirit. Free, hopeful and restless.
9°32′
Mercury in Virgo
The Analyst. The editor’s eye.
4°14′
Venus in Cancer
The Nurturer. Love that makes a home.
20°05′
Mars in Gemini
The Multitasker. Quick with the comeback.
7°33′
Show all ten planetsShow fewer
Jupiter in Aquariusretrograde
The Visionary. Faith in a better way.
12°45′
Saturn in Ariesretrograde
The Independent. Courage that learned to wait.
0°26′
Uranus in Sagittariusretrograde
20°52′
Neptune in Sagittariusretrograde
26°16′
Pluto in Piscesretrograde
27°24′
Beyond the planets
What’s this?Close
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 Aries
The direction his life grows in: Aries, bold and direct.
13°34′
Chiron in Pisces
In Pisces, Chiron is a tenderness that feels everything a little too much, and a gift for quiet compassion.
28°53′
Black Moon Lilith in Leo
In Leo, Lilith is the wish to be seen whole, without shrinking to suit anyone.
2°15′
The rising sign and the Midheaven need the birth time to the minute, so they are left out.
Patterns
What’s this?Close
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.
Stellium
Three or more planets gathered in one sign or one house, so that part of the chart speaks loudest.
In his chart, his feelings, his independence and his imagination (the Moon, Uranus and Neptune) gather in Sagittarius, and that part of life drew his attention first.
Aspects by strength
What’s this?Close
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.
Venus quincunx Uranus almost exact at 0.8°
Affection and independence needed constant trading off, and he kept renegotiating the terms of his relationships.
Jupiter sextile North Node almost exact at 0.8°
Hope helped him grow: faith in what was possible kept him moving forward.
The Sun sextile Mars close at 1.0°
His purpose and his drive worked together: once he decided on something, he moved on it fast.
The Sun trine the Moon close at 1.0°
His purpose and his feelings were on the same side: the life he chose and the comfort he needed went together.
The Moon opposition Mars close at 2.0°
Quick feelings and a quick temper: he reacted first, and his courage came from the same place as his flashes of anger.
Saturn conjunction Pluto close at 3.0°
Iron will and great patience: he built slowly and for keeps.
Show more aspectsShow fewer
Mercury square Mars wide at 3.3°
Sharp words and a sharp mind: he argued well, sometimes too well, and a debate was a kind of sport to him.
Saturn square Neptune wide at 4.2°
The dream and the hard work seldom agreed on terms: his discipline and his imagination asked different things of him.
The Sun opposition Jupiter wide at 4.2°
He reached for more than one life could hold: big plans, big promises, and a habit of saying yes before counting the hours.
The Sun trine North Node wide at 5.0°
The direction his life took suited him: being himself and growing went hand in hand.
Mars trine Jupiter wide at 5.2°
Big drive and big confidence: he went after large goals, and his enthusiasm carried others along.
Uranus conjunction Neptune wide at 5.4°
Visionary: the new and the ideal met in his imagination.
Uranus square Pluto wide at 6.5°
Upheaval and the urge to break free ran strong, and he pushed for change rather than waiting for it.
The Sun trine Saturn wide at 8.1°
Purpose and patience worked as a team: he built slowly and got better with every year.
Chart signature
What’s this?Close
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
You and Herman Melville
See where your chart meets Herman Melville’s, and the signs you share.