What Are Planetary Aspects?
Planetary aspects are the angles between planets in the sky. Picture a circle of 360 degrees: each planet’s position can be marked as a point on that circle, and an aspect is the distance in degrees between two of those points. Certain angles are considered meaningful in astrology, and each has its own name and character. Below are simple explanations of the five main aspects.
Conjunction
A conjunction is an angle of about 0 degrees, when two planets sit at almost the same point in the sky. Their influences blend and reinforce one another. Depending on the planets involved, a conjunction can feel like a strong, combined emphasis.
Opposition
An opposition is an angle of about 180 degrees, with the planets facing each other across the sky. It is often described as a tension between two opposite sides that need balancing, like the two pans of a scale.
Trine
A trine is an angle of about 120 degrees. It is traditionally seen as the most harmonious aspect: the energies of the planets combine easily and naturally, with little friction.
Square
A square is an angle of about 90 degrees. It is viewed as a tense aspect that creates inner friction or a push toward action. Many people read squares as challenges that prompt movement.
Sextile
A sextile is an angle of about 60 degrees. It is considered gently favorable: it opens opportunities, but it supports rather than pushes.
In practice, an aspect is rarely perfectly exact. The small allowance that is still counted is called the orb. To see which aspects are active in the sky right now, visit the current aspects page. It also helps to know the planet signs and the current moon phase.
A worked example
If the current aspects page shows “Moon Trine Venus,” that means the angle between the Moon’s and Venus’s current longitudes is close to 120°. Both bodies keep moving, so that angle is always changing: the aspect appears once the angle enters the orb, becomes exact at precisely 120°, and fades again once the angle drifts back out of the orb.
Frequently asked questions
- Are aspects always between exactly two planets?
- AstroNow calculates aspects as pairs — the angle between two bodies at a time. Some astrological traditions also read larger multi-planet patterns built from several pairwise aspects, but those combination patterns are not something AstroNow labels separately.
- What is the quincunx that AstroNow also tracks?
- The quincunx (about 150°) is a minor aspect, traditionally read as an awkward, "adjustment" angle between two signs that share little in common — neither smoothly harmonious like a trine nor openly tense like a square.
- Is a wider or narrower orb more "correct"?
- There is no single settled answer — different astrological traditions and individual astrologers use different orb sizes, and it is a matter of convention rather than something that can be tested and proven. AstroNow uses one consistent set of orbs sitewide so every aspect is judged the same way.
- Is the angle itself real, or only its astrological meaning?
- The angle is real and measurable — it is simple geometry, the separation between two planets' ecliptic longitudes as seen from Earth. What is not scientifically established is the meaning traditionally attached to that angle, which is the astrological, interpretive part.
- Where can I see which aspects are active in the sky right now?
- The current aspects page lists what is exact or in orb at this moment, computed live from today's planetary positions.
These explanations are offered for reflection and entertainment. Astrology is not scientifically proven, and this information is not professional advice.