Solar Arc: Moving Every Point Together

Solar arc directions build on progressions. First you measure how far the progressed Sun has travelled from its birth position. That distance is the arc. Then you add the same number of degrees to every point in the chart, including all the planets, the Ascendant, and the Midheaven, so the whole chart rotates forward as one.

Since the progressed Sun moves about one degree a year, there is an easy rule of thumb: at age 30, every point has moved roughly 30°. What sets this method apart is that every point travels at the same rate, unlike progressions, where each planet has its own pace.

When it is used

Solar arc is mostly used to look at aspects between the moved points and your original birth chart. When a directed point makes an exact aspect to a natal planet or to an angle such as the Ascendant, especially a conjunction, opposition, or square, astrology treats that as a year when the theme comes into focus. Orbs are very tight, usually about one degree, which equals roughly a year either side.

In the app

The app calculates solar arc for the date you choose, shows the age and the arc, and draws it as a bi-wheel with a table of aspects. If your birth time is unknown, the Ascendant and Midheaven are missing, but you can still look at the planets.

How to read it

This technique does not predict events. It points to which themes grow louder in which years, and works best as a reflective frame. Combine it with transits and your solar return, and you get a more balanced picture than any single method gives.