Aquarius rising personality and traits
People call this ascendant friendly and hard to know in one breath, and astrologers treat that pairing as its signature. The strength is easy fairness: you speak to the manager and the janitor in one voice, you ask what someone thinks before you say what you think, and a crowd does not rattle you.
The price comes out of the same habit. Distance helps in a crisis, yet close friends can feel held off. A feeling handed to you may get an idea back, and a view, once formed, tends to stay put. Fixed signs are read as loyal to their positions, so the stubbornness arrives in a polite voice and goes unnoticed until someone tries to move it.
Aquarius is a fixed air sign. Fixed is read as steady and air as working through thought and talk, which together describe a mind that holds a principle and argues from it. Saturn, the traditional ruler, adds discipline and duty. Uranus, the modern one, adds an urge to break with convention. That is why the tradition pictures this ascendant as rule-minded and unorthodox at once.
One habit worth testing: when a friend brings you a problem, name the feeling you hear before offering a fix. The warning attached to this ascendant is reaching for the solution too soon.
What does Aquarius rising look like?
Traditional astrologers read looks from the rising sign and its ruler together, and for Aquarius that brings Saturn in at once. A standard English source from the 1600s is Christian Astrology (London, 1647) by William Lilly, and it spells this out. His entry for the sign reads: "It presents a squat, thick Corporature, or one of a strong, well composed Body, not tall; a long Visage, sanguine Complexion; if Saturn who is Lord of this house, be in Capricorn or Aquarius, the party is black in Hair, and in Complexion sanguine, with distorted Teeth; otherwayes, I have observed the party is of deer, white or fair Complexion, and of sandy coloured Hair, or very flaxen, and a very pure Skin."
The first half is the frame: thick-set and strong, not tall, with a long face. That surprises readers who expect an air sign to be slight.
The second half is the unusual part, because it forks on Saturn. If Saturn stood in Capricorn or Aquarius, Lilly expected black hair and crooked teeth. Otherwise he describes clear, fair skin and hair from sandy to flaxen, and adds that he has seen it himself.
Modern guides mostly drop the body and keep an impression: an alert, slightly distant look, a face people remember, a style a little off the usual path.
None of this is a rule. Inherited features and age do more to a face than a sign can, and many Aquarius ascendants fit none of the above. To try the Saturn clause anyway, the rulers section below lists where Saturn stood for births like yours; its most common sign is Capricorn (11.2%), one of the two Lilly names.
What is an Aquarius rising woman or man like?
A quick test before the portraits. When someone wants a snap decision, do you say "let me think about it"? When someone asks how you feel, do you answer with an opinion? Guides hand both habits to the woman and the man below.
The Aquarius rising woman is pictured at a party in a long talk with a stranger, gone before anyone thought to ask for her number. The myth calls her cold. The tradition reads detachment: she wants to think about a feeling before she shows it, and she is generous with attention and sparing with confession. Style, in these guides, leans to the unusual piece or the odd color that was clearly chosen.
The Aquarius rising man is often cast as the eccentric loner. The tradition is milder and describes a friendly, curious man who will argue for the pleasure of arguing, keeps a wide circle with a few real intimates, and bristles at being told what he ought to feel. His stock fault is stubbornness over a point of principle.
Both sketches describe one ascendant. If you want to know what either is like in love or at work, look at the Sun, the Moon and Venus first.
Aquarius rising in love: the Leo descendant
Why would an ascendant that keeps its feelings in its head look for a partner who wears theirs outside? The tradition answers from the descendant, the point across the chart from your rising degree, where partnership territory begins. For Aquarius that point is always in Leo, and it is read as the qualities the ascendant lacks.
Aquarius meets people with ideas and a cool head, so the partner it sketches is warm, proud, loyal and openly affectionate: the person who plans the birthday dinner and says "I love you" out loud. Leo wants to be seen and thanked, which is a lot to ask of a sign that prefers friendship to display. The usual warning is a long negotiation over how much feeling gets said aloud.
In relationships this ascendant is pictured as a friend first and a lover second, loyal once committed and quick to bristle when managed. The risk named most often is withdrawal when feelings run high. What you need once the early months pass is a question for your Venus and Moon signs, and for compatibility astrologers compare two whole charts. The pairs below start from each Sun sign with Aquarius.
Sun-sign pairs with Aquarius: Aries · Taurus · Gemini · Cancer · Leo · Virgo · Libra · Scorpio · Sagittarius · Capricorn · Aquarius · Pisces
One more link in the sketch: the Sun rules Leo, so the star behind the partner is the Sun, while the planets behind you are Saturn and Uranus. Leo is house 7 of this chart; more on it at the 7th house.
Example: July 15, 1990, 9:30 p.m., New York
Yes: you are an ♒︎ Aquarius rising, 15°04′.
Your ascendant is in Aquarius. That is 40 min from the nearest sign change, so a few minutes of rounding will not move it.
On that date in New York City, Aquarius was rising from 8:44 p.m. to 10:10 p.m. Anyone born there in that window is an Aquarius rising.
For your Sun, Moon and rising sign together, with every step of the calculation, use the rising sign calculator.
Your Sun sign with Aquarius on the ascendant
Two friends share a birthday and a Sun sign, and only one was born in the Aquarius window of that day. The Suns match and the houses do not. Take a Libra Sun: with Aquarius rising it lands in the 9th (long trips, learning and belief), while with Taurus rising the same Sun would sit in the 6th, the house of work and routine. Astrologers read the house as the part of life where that self puts its effort. Find your Sun sign below, read its house, and set the hours line against your birth certificate. If the clock time fits, that paragraph is yours.
♈︎ Aries Sun
Fire feeds air, and the two signs sit 60 degrees apart, a link the tradition calls a sextile. The Sun lands in the 3rd house of talk, siblings and short trips, so the Aries push goes into conversation and ideas. These are births before dawn.
Sun in your Whole Sign 3rd house. In New York around April 4, Aquarius rises 3:26 a.m. to 4:52 a.m. Aries zodiac sign
♉︎ Taurus Sun
Two fixed signs at right angles, a square, and neither yields easily. The Sun is in the 4th house, the base of the chart, which astrologers tie to home and family. Picture an unusual thinker with firm views on how a settled household should run. Births in the small hours.
Sun in your Whole Sign 4th house. In New York around May 5, Aquarius rises 1:25 a.m. to 2:51 a.m. Taurus zodiac sign
♊︎ Gemini Sun
Both signs are air and a trine apart, an easy link in the old scheme. The 5th house, for romance and hobbies, holds the Sun. Expect a quick wit and a talker, born close to midnight.
Sun in your Whole Sign 5th house. In New York around June 5, Aquarius rises midnight to 12:49 a.m. and 11:19 p.m. to midnight. Gemini zodiac sign
♋︎ Cancer Sun
Cancer cares for whoever is nearby while Aquarius cares about people in general, so the pull runs between the close circle and the wide one. With the Sun in the 6th, that care goes into daily work and routine. Late-evening births.
Sun in your Whole Sign 6th house. In New York around July 7, Aquarius rises 9:13 p.m. to 10:39 p.m. Cancer zodiac sign
♌︎ Leo Sun
Leo stands directly across from Aquarius, so the Sun is placed on the descendant, where house 7 begins. The self leans toward other people, and the front is cooler than the core. Early evening births.
Sun in your Whole Sign 7th house. In New York around August 7, Aquarius rises 7:11 p.m. to 8:37 p.m. Leo zodiac sign
♍︎ Virgo Sun
Virgo analyzes and Aquarius theorizes. The Sun in the 8th, which astrologers link with joint accounts and inheritance, gives a research mind that likes to take a system apart. Late-afternoon births.
Sun in your Whole Sign 8th house. In New York around September 7, Aquarius rises 5:09 p.m. to 6:35 p.m. Virgo zodiac sign
♎︎ Libra Sun
A second air trine, this time landing the Sun in the 9th. Libra wants fairness and Aquarius wants principle, so the portrait is someone who argues for justice in the abstract and stays courteous in person. Mid-afternoon births.
Sun in your Whole Sign 9th house. In New York around October 8, Aquarius rises 3:07 p.m. to 4:33 p.m. Libra zodiac sign
♏︎ Scorpio Sun
Another fixed square. The Sun reaches the 10th, the career house, so this pairing stands near the top of the sky and the birth hour is around noon. Astrologers describe depth under a friendly surface and a public role held with a lot of privacy.
Sun in your Whole Sign 10th house. In New York around November 7, Aquarius rises 12:09 p.m. to 1:35 p.m. Scorpio zodiac sign
♐︎ Sagittarius Sun
Sagittarius says what it thinks and Aquarius says what it has concluded. Fire and air, a sextile. The 11th house, where astrologers file friendships and the causes you join, gives the pair its natural setting: a wide circle and plenty of arguments. Born in the morning.
Sun in your Whole Sign 11th house. In New York around December 7, Aquarius rises 10:11 a.m. to 11:37 a.m. Sagittarius zodiac sign
♑︎ Capricorn Sun
Saturn rules Capricorn too, which puts the same planet behind the Sun sign and the ascendant. The Sun falls in the 12th, right behind the rising degree, a place the tradition links with solitude and unseen work. A serious, private mind behind a friendly front, born soon after sunrise.
Sun in your Whole Sign 12th house. In New York around January 6, Aquarius rises 8:16 a.m. to 9:42 a.m. Capricorn zodiac sign
♒︎ Aquarius Sun
The Sun is in the rising sign itself, so it stands in the 1st house; only a birth within an hour or two of sunrise in Aquarius season does that. With nothing to soften it, the sign is read at full strength: the originality and the distance both show.
Sun in your Whole Sign 1st house. In New York around February 5, Aquarius rises 6:18 a.m. to 7:44 a.m. Aquarius zodiac sign
♓︎ Pisces Sun
Pisces is the next sign along, which sets the Sun in the 2nd house of earnings and belongings. A dreamy, giving Sun under a cool ascendant is usually described as idealistic about money and generous with it. These are births in the hours before sunrise.
Sun in your Whole Sign 2nd house. In New York around March 5, Aquarius rises 4:24 a.m. to 5:50 a.m. Pisces zodiac sign
Aquarius rising and the Moon: twelve readings
Twelve lines follow, one per Moon sign, and only one of them repeats your ascendant. The Moon covers what soothes you and how you react first, while the ascendant covers how you are met. One case is special here. A Moon in Leo sits on the descendant, opposite the rising degree.
| Moon sign | With this ascendant, in the tradition |
|---|---|
| ♈︎ Aries Moon | fast, hot reactions under a cool front; says it, then drops it |
| ♉︎ Taurus Moon | wants comfort and routine; a fixed Moon that digs in when pushed |
| ♊︎ Gemini Moon | talks a feeling through and calms down once it has the words |
| ♋︎ Cancer Moon | soft and protective inside a detached front; needs a home base |
| ♌︎ Leo Moon | Moon opposite the ascendant: needs warmth and an audience, and looks for both in partners |
| ♍︎ Virgo Moon | frets over details and calms down by fixing something small |
| ♎︎ Libra Moon | needs fairness and company; keeps the peace and avoids the scene |
| ♏︎ Scorpio Moon | deep, private feeling behind a friendly manner; a long memory |
| ♐︎ Sagittarius Moon | restless and frank; needs room to move and a trip on the calendar |
| ♑︎ Capricorn Moon | controlled and dry, ruled by Saturn like the ascendant; shows care through duty |
| ♒︎ Aquarius Moon | the Moon in the ascendant's own sign: cool, curious, hard to read and in need of space |
| ♓︎ Pisces Moon | picks up the mood around it and needs time alone to sort it from its own |
Saturn and Uranus as chart rulers for Aquarius rising
The chart ruler is whichever planet governs the sign on your ascendant, and astrologers read its sign and house before most other things. Aquarius has two: Saturn in the traditional scheme, and Uranus, which modern astrologers added later. Whole Sign counting starts from your own sign: Aquarius is the 1st house, Pisces the 2nd, then every sign after it takes the next number until Capricorn lands on the 12th.
Saturn stands for limits, time and duty. Here it gives the ascendant a sense of responsibility and a habit of standing back to look before acting. Uranus stands for sudden change and breaking the pattern, and it supplies the unconventional streak. Between them they describe a person who respects a good rule and is quick to question a bad one.
The sample in the test below is a New York birth at 9:30 p.m. on July 15, 1990. It has Aquarius up, and both rulers stand in Capricorn in the 12th house, the one just behind the ascendant. Astrologers read a ruler there as working out of sight, which suits the private side of this ascendant.
Where Saturn falls with this ascendant, by Whole Sign house. We took every third date from 1930 to 2025 and one moment every 12 minutes of New York clock time, and kept the 83,982 moments with Aquarius on the horizon.
| House | 12th | 1st | 2nd | 11th | 10th | 9th | 3rd | 8th | 4th | 7th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ♄ Saturn | 11.2% | 11.0% | 10.4% | 8.3% | 8.1% | 7.9% | 7.7% | 7.5% | 7.2% | 7.0% | 7.0% | 6.8% |
Saturn by sign in the same count: Capricorn 11.2%, Aquarius 11.0%, Pisces 10.4%, Sagittarius 8.3%, Scorpio 8.1%, Libra 7.9%, Aries 7.7%, Virgo 7.5%, Taurus 7.2%, Leo 7.0%, Gemini 7.0%, Cancer 6.8%.
Uranus moves slowly, so its sign and house depend mostly on the decade you were born in:
| Born in the | Uranus's sign in those births |
|---|---|
| 1930s | Taurus 51.1%, Aries 48.9% |
| 1940s | Gemini 70.3%, Taurus 22.1%, Cancer 7.6% |
| 1950s | Cancer 60.1%, Leo 39.9% |
| 1960s | Virgo 64.2%, Leo 24.2%, Libra 11.6% |
| 1970s | Libra 52.4%, Scorpio 47.6% |
| 1980s | Sagittarius 68.8%, Scorpio 17.8%, Capricorn 13.4% |
| 1990s | Capricorn 58.4%, Aquarius 41.6% |
| 2000s | Pisces 65.3%, Aquarius 34.8% |
| 2010s | Aries 77.0%, Taurus 13.2%, Pisces 9.8% |
| 2020s | Taurus 94.4%, Gemini 5.6% |
Uranus by Whole Sign house, all decades together: 4th 14.9%, 3rd 13.1%, 1st 8.0%, 2nd 7.8%, 5th 7.7%, 12th 7.5%, 11th 7.2%, 6th 7.0%, 10th 6.8%, 8th 6.7%, 7th 6.7%, 9th 6.7%.
Saturn is the faster of the pair, and by sign it simply mirrors the sky: counted over all dates, each sign gets the same share as in our Aquarius sample, give or take under 0.1 point, because where Saturn stands is independent of the rising sign. The ascendant only changes the house. Saturn lands most often in the 12th house (11.2%) and least often in the 6th house (6.8%).
Uranus lingers in one sign for years, so for it the decade tells you most. Among 1980s births the most common Uranus sign was Sagittarius; the 1990s lean Capricorn, the 2000s Pisces, the 2010s Aries and the 2020s so far Taurus. The 1990s and 2000s rows also show Uranus in Aquarius, its modern home sign. By house its busiest spot is the 4th house (14.9%), since Aries and Taurus fill the oldest and the youngest rows.
Saturn is the wall of this chart and Uranus the window cut into it.
Midheaven with Aquarius rising: Scorpio or Sagittarius
A full chart prints the midheaven (MC) next to the ascendant. It is the highest point of the sky at your birth, read for career and public role, and with Aquarius rising only two signs ever show up there: Scorpio or Sagittarius. Latitude tips the balance. Miami gives Scorpio 60.9% and Sagittarius 39.1%. Further north the weight shifts: New York leans to Sagittarius (66.5% against 33.5%) and Seattle leans harder, at 89.8%. Los Angeles sits near the midpoint, with Scorpio on 48.1%. In Anchorage Scorpio drops out of our count and the MC is Sagittarius every time.
Under Whole Sign counting, Scorpio is house 10 here, the classic career slot, so a Scorpio MC falls squarely inside it. Sagittarius is house 11, which moves the public side toward networks and wide circles.
| City | Midheaven sign that comes with it |
|---|---|
| Miami (26° N) | Scorpio 60.9%, Sagittarius 39.1% |
| Los Angeles (34° N) | Sagittarius 51.9%, Scorpio 48.1% |
| New York (41° N) | Sagittarius 66.5%, Scorpio 33.5% |
| Seattle (48° N) | Sagittarius 89.8%, Scorpio 10.2% |
| Anchorage (61° N) | Sagittarius 100.0% |
Further reading: midheaven in Scorpio and midheaven in Sagittarius.
Is Aquarius rising rare? Ninth of twelve in New York
Aquarius as a Sun sign lasts about a month. Aquarius as a rising sign lasts under two hours and comes round once a day. In New York that visit is 1 hr 26 min, or 6.0% of the clock, so a random moment has 1 in 17 odds of catching it.
Over a New York day, Leo and Scorpio (the long risers) take the biggest slices. Eight signs get more than Aquarius, which puts it ninth, tied with Taurus; only Aries and Pisces get less.
Going north shrinks the slice. Miami gives it 1 hr 41 min, Los Angeles 1 hr 33 min and Seattle 1 hr 16 min. Up in Anchorage each visit is only 39 min and the sign gets 2.7% of the day. On the equator itself it is 8.3%.
| Latitude | Share of the day | Time on the horizon |
|---|---|---|
| 0° N Equator (Quito, Singapore) | 8.3% | — |
| 25.8° N Miami | 7.0% | 1 hr 41 min |
| 34.1° N Los Angeles | 6.5% | 1 hr 33 min |
| 40.7° N New York | 6.0% | 1 hr 26 min |
| 47.6° N Seattle | 5.3% | 1 hr 16 min |
| 55° N Edinburgh, Moscow | 4.2% | — |
| 61.2° N Anchorage | 2.7% | 39 min |
| 33.9° S Sydney | 10.1% | — |
Below the equator the long and short risers trade places: Sydney gives Aquarius 10.1%, more than the equator does. These are slices of the 24 hours, not head counts. Your own minute is the missing piece, and our calculator shows where it falls.
Aquarius rising times, month by month
Got a birth certificate with a time on it? Compare it with the table below before you read anything else. A popular shortcut hands Aquarius rising to anyone with an Aquarius birthday, late January to mid-February. The calculation says every date has an Aquarius window, because the zodiac wheels past the horizon once every day.
In New York the window falls around dawn in February, in the morning in January and December, near noon in November and in the afternoon in October. September makes it late afternoon, August evening, July late evening and June midnight. From March to May it lands in the small hours. Month on month the start moves roughly two hours earlier; daylight saving adds an hour of shift twice a year. The table shows the 15th of each month. For a birth in another city, the test above reports the window for that place.
| Born around the 15th of | Aquarius on the horizon (New York clock time, 2025 calendar) |
|---|---|
| January | 7:37 a.m. – 9:03 a.m. |
| February | 5:35 a.m. – 7:01 a.m. |
| March | 4:45 a.m. – 6:11 a.m. |
| April | 2:43 a.m. – 4:09 a.m. |
| May | 12:45 a.m. – 2:11 a.m. |
| June | midnight – 12:10 a.m. and 10:40 p.m. – midnight |
| July | 8:42 p.m. – 10:08 p.m. |
| August | 6:40 p.m. – 8:06 p.m. |
| September | 4:38 p.m. – 6:04 p.m. |
| October | 2:40 p.m. – 4:06 p.m. |
| November | 11:38 a.m. – 1:04 p.m. |
| December | 9:40 a.m. – 11:06 a.m. |
Use the table as a guide. A family story that says "around dinnertime" leaves room for a neighboring sign, because the window is short and its edges move with the date.
Famous Aquarius risings: Zendaya, David Bowie and SZA
Of the 143 charts we hold, 12 have Aquarius rising, and the times behind them are graded AA or A in Astro-Databank, the top two ratings on the Rodden scale. We compute the planets ourselves:
Zendaya Aquarius 7°10′
Born September 1, 1996, 6:01 p.m., Walnut Creek, California; Rodden rating AA. Virgo Sun, Taurus Moon; Mars in Cancer in the 6th house, Pluto in Sagittarius in the 11th.
Uranus, the modern ruler, stands in Aquarius in the 1st house, 6.0° from the ascendant and retrograde, while Saturn, the traditional ruler, stands in Aries, in the 3rd house, also retrograde. Her midheaven is Scorpio, and Pluto sits 3.5° from it, just over the line in Sagittarius.
David Bowie Aquarius 3°24′
Born January 8, 1947, 9:00 a.m., Brixton, London; Rodden rating A. Capricorn Sun, Leo Moon; Mars in Capricorn in the 12th house, Pluto in Leo in the 7th.
The ascendant is at 3°24′ of Aquarius, in the first third of the sign. Saturn, the traditional ruler, is in Leo in the 7th house, retrograde, and Uranus, the modern ruler, is in Gemini in the 5th.
SZA Aquarius 3°17′
Born November 8, 1989, 12:17 p.m., St. Louis, Missouri; Rodden rating A. Scorpio Sun, Pisces Moon; Mars in Scorpio in the 10th house, Pluto in Scorpio in the 10th.
Aquarius rises at 3°17′ in this chart. Saturn sits in Capricorn, the house before the ascendant, with Uranus in the same sign and house: two rulers side by side in the 12th.
Mac Miller Aquarius 18°58′
Born January 19, 1992, 8:46 a.m., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Rodden rating AA. Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon; Mars in Capricorn in the 12th house, Pluto in Scorpio in the 10th.
The ascendant sits at 18°58′ of Aquarius, well into the sign. Saturn, the traditional ruler, is in Aquarius too and in the 1st house, while Uranus, the modern ruler, is in Capricorn and the 12th.
Matt Damon Aquarius 6°00′
Born October 8, 1970, 3:22 p.m., Boston, Massachusetts; Rodden rating AA. Libra Sun, Capricorn Moon; Mars in Virgo in the 8th house, Pluto in Virgo in the 8th.
Aquarius rises at 6°00′ on his AA time. Saturn, the traditional ruler, is retrograde in Taurus in the 4th house, while Uranus, the modern one, shares Libra and the 9th with the Sun.
Audrey Hepburn Aquarius 28°37′
Born May 4, 1929, 3:00 a.m., Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium; Rodden rating AA. Taurus Sun, Pisces Moon; Mars in Cancer in the 6th house, Pluto in Cancer in the 6th.
Her ascendant is at 28°37′ of Aquarius, and Pisces was due about two minutes after her recorded 3:00 a.m. Saturn, the traditional ruler, has only just crossed into Capricorn (0°03′), the 12th house, and Uranus in Aries sits with Venus in the 3rd.
Amy Poehler Aquarius 0°34′
Born September 16, 1971, 4:33 p.m., Newton, Massachusetts; Rodden rating AA. Virgo Sun, Leo Moon; Mars in Aquarius in the 1st house, Pluto in Virgo in the 8th.
Her birth came a minute after Aquarius began to rise, so the ascendant sits at 0°34′ and Mars, at 12°, is a 1st-house planet in the same sign. Her Saturn is in Gemini (5th) and her Uranus in Libra (9th).
Christina Aguilera Aquarius 26°22′
Born December 18, 1980, 10:46 a.m., Staten Island, New York; Rodden rating A. Sagittarius Sun, Taurus Moon; Mars in Capricorn in the 12th house, Pluto in Libra in the 9th.
Aquarius rises at 26°22′, late in the sign, on a time that is rated A. Saturn lies in Libra, the 9th, and Uranus in Scorpio, the 10th.
Hozier Aquarius 28°45′
Born March 17, 1990, 5:55 a.m., Greystones, Ireland; Rodden rating A. Pisces Sun, Sagittarius Moon; Mars in Aquarius in the 1st house, Pluto in Scorpio in the 10th.
Aquarius rises at 28°45′, so the sign was nearly spent at his birth. Saturn and Uranus, the two rulers, both stand in Capricorn and fill the 12th house.
Ian Somerhalder Aquarius 0°20′
Born December 8, 1978, 9:52 a.m., Covington, Louisiana; Rodden rating A. Sagittarius Sun, Aries Moon; Mars in Sagittarius in the 11th house, Pluto in Libra in the 9th.
His ascendant is only 0°20′ past the start of Aquarius. Saturn, the traditional ruler, falls in Virgo (8th house) and Uranus, the modern ruler, in Scorpio (10th).
Adam Driver Aquarius 29°07′
Born November 19, 1983, 12:34 p.m., Fontana, California; Rodden rating AA. Scorpio Sun, Taurus Moon; Mars in Libra in the 9th house, Pluto in Scorpio in the 10th.
His ascendant is at 29°07′ of Aquarius, so Pisces was due within about four minutes. Saturn, the traditional ruler, is in Scorpio and the 10th house, and Uranus, the modern one, in Sagittarius (11th).
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy Aquarius 10°44′
Born January 7, 1966, 8:45 a.m., White Plains, New York; Rodden rating A. Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon; Mars in Aquarius in the 1st house, Pluto in Virgo in the 8th.
Her ascendant is 10°44′ into Aquarius, on a time rated A. Saturn, the traditional ruler, is in Pisces and the 2nd house, and Uranus, the modern one, in Virgo (8th).
You can browse the rest of our charts under celebrity birth charts.
Questions about Aquarius rising
What does Aquarius rising mean?
Aquarius was the sign coming up in the east at your birth, which is why it is called your ascendant. It stands for first impressions, and for Aquarius the tradition says friendly, original and a little apart. Your Sun sign needs only a birthday; this needs the time and place too.
What are the traits of an Aquarius rising?
In the tradition: fair-minded, curious, independent and hard to rush. The weak points are emotional distance, quiet stubbornness over principles and a habit of offering ideas when a friend wants comfort. Saturn and Uranus color the reading.
What does Aquarius rising look like?
William Lilly in 1647 described a squat, thick body, not tall, with a long face, and made hair and teeth depend on where Saturn stood. Modern guides mostly keep an alert, slightly distant look. It is folklore, and family traits decide far more.
What is an Aquarius rising woman or man like?
Both are pictured as friendly, curious and independent, with a wide circle and few close friends. The woman is read as generous with attention and slow to confess feelings, the man as an arguer on principle who dislikes being told what to feel. Sun, Moon and Venus placements tell you more.
Is Aquarius rising rare?
Somewhat. In New York it gets 6.0% of the day, ninth place and tied with Taurus. Aries and Pisces have the least, close to 5% each. In Sydney Aquarius gets 10.1%.
Who has Aquarius rising?
Among the 143 celebrity charts on our site, 12 come out Aquarius rising: Zendaya at about 7 degrees (born September 1, 1996, 6:01 p.m., Walnut Creek, California), Audrey Hepburn at about 28½°, Mac Miller at about 19°, Matt Damon at 6°, David Bowie at about 3½°, SZA at about 3°, Christina Aguilera at about 26½°, Hozier at about 28¾°, Adam Driver at about 29°, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy at about 10¾°, Amy Poehler at about ½° and Ian Somerhalder at about ⅓°. Other names in circulation depend on which birth times a list trusts.
How do I know if I have Aquarius rising?
Start from the birth certificate: date, clock time and city. Run all three through our calculator, or use the test on this page for a plain answer about Aquarius. With only a rough idea of the hour, compare it against the month table above.
Which planets rule Aquarius rising?
Saturn in traditional astrology and Uranus in modern astrology. Uranus stays in each sign for years, so its sign says more about your generation than about you. The descendant is always Leo, which the Sun rules.
Sources
- Astronomy Engine: the open-source ephemeris library behind our planet positions, dates and statistics
- Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms (Willmann-Bell, 1991): formulas for the ascendant, midheaven, mean node and mean Lilith
- William Lilly, Christian Astrology (London, 1647): scan of the original edition
- Astro-Databank (Astrodienst): published birth charts we test the calculation against
- How we create our readings: our own calculation of sign dates, positions and the 1930 to 2025 statistics
More rising signs and your chart
Find your own ascendant with the rising sign calculator (Sun, Moon and rising together) or see the whole chart with the birth chart calculator. The ascendant starts the 1st house; its opposite point, the descendant, starts the 7th house. Aquarius as your Sun sign: Aquarius zodiac sign. Not sure of your Sun sign? Find your zodiac sign by birthday. The Aquarius card in tarot: The Star. Other rising signs: Aries rising · Cancer rising · Capricorn rising · Gemini rising · Leo rising · Libra rising · Pisces rising · Sagittarius rising · Scorpio rising · Taurus rising · Virgo rising.
Astrology is a symbolic tradition, not a science. We explain what the tradition says and show the calculation so you can check it. Rising signs and planets come from the astronomy-engine ephemeris in the tropical zodiac, the same code as our calculator, checked against five published charts from Astro-Databank to within 0.02°; time zones from the IANA database; the city list from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). More in How we work.