How to Read an Astrocartography Map

Astrocartography Symbols: Meanings and Map Key

Astrocartography symbols combine a planet glyph with an angle to name each main line on a chart. A glyph such as ☉ or ♀ names the planetary influence; AS or ASC, DS or DSC, MC, and IC show the chart angle. On AstroCarto, line style separates angle types, while color provides a second planetary cue. Use this map key to decode the astrocartography chart symbols, then generate your own map to match them on your personal chart.

Generate My Map View the Symbol Key

Planet glyphsASC/DSC/MC/ICLine stylesMap colors

Astrocartography Symbols Meaning: Combine Planet and Angle

Each astrocartography symbol combines planet and angle. Its glyph names the planetary influence, while the ASC, DSC, MC, or IC marker shows its chart position and life area.

Use one rule before opening a fuller interpretation:

Planet glyph + angle label = one astrocartography line

Quick Astrocartography Map Key and Legend

Planet key: ☉ Sun · ☽ Moon · ☿ Mercury · ♀ Venus · ♂ Mars · ♃ Jupiter · ♄ Saturn · ♅ Uranus · ♆ Neptune · ♇ Pluto

Angle key: AS/ASC Rising · DS/DSC Setting · MC Midheaven · IC Nadir

Line key: Solid ASC/MC · Dashed DSC/IC

Color key: Color provides a second planet cue on AstroCarto; it is not a universal good-or-bad meaning.

You do not need to memorize the whole legend. Use this astrocartography key as a fast reference: start with the glyph, read the angle next, and use line style and color to confirm what you are seeing. This astrocartography symbols guide stays on the page while you generate and inspect your own map below.

Generate Your Astrocartography Map and Match the Symbols

Enter your birth details to generate your personal map. When the result appears, use these astrocartography symbols and the key on this page to match each planet glyph with its ASC, DSC, MC, or IC marker, line style, and color on your own chart.

For the most precise angular lines, use the most accurate birth time available. If your birth time is unknown, you can still explore the map, but treat close line comparisons more cautiously.

Free core mapNo sign-up requiredYour chart is calculated from your birth details

To read astrocartography symbols, pair each planet glyph with its angular marker. Line style and AstroCarto's planet color help confirm the symbol.

Astrocartography Planet Symbols and Glyphs

Astrocartography planet symbols work as labels. Planet symbols in astrocartography tell you which planet a line belongs to; they do not give the full meaning by themselves. Add its ASC, DSC, MC, or IC marker before opening a deeper interpretation.

Planet	AstroCarto color	Starting themes	Full guide
Sun	Gold	Visibility, vitality, self-expression	Sun guide
Moon	Silver	Emotions, care, home, belonging	Moon guide
Mercury	Orange	Communication, learning, movement	Mercury guide
Venus	Pink	Relationships, values, aesthetics	Venus guide
Mars	Orange-red	Action, drive, competition, conflict	Mars guide
Jupiter	Purple	Growth, exploration, opportunity, excess	Jupiter guide
Saturn	Royal blue	Responsibility, boundaries, pressure, mastery	Saturn guide
Uranus	Turquoise	Change, independence, disruption	Uranus guide
Neptune	Blue	Imagination, sensitivity, idealization, uncertainty	Neptune guide
Pluto	Brown	Power, intensity, transformation	Pluto guide

These astrocartography symbol meanings are starting themes, not verdicts. A Venus symbol does not promise an easy relationship, a Jupiter symbol does not guarantee luck, and a Saturn symbol is not automatically negative. The angle and the rest of the chart determine what question the line raises.

What About the Lunar Nodes?

AstroCarto also offers Lunar Node lines as a separate map layer. The North Node and South Node are paired across opposite angles and are labeled separately from the ten planet glyphs above. Treat them as an additional chart signal, not as an eleventh planet.

What Do AS, DS, MC, and IC Mean?

Each planet can appear on four angular lines. A planet supplies the theme; its angle shows the area of life in which that theme is being examined.

AstroCarto label	Also written as	Full name	Area to investigate
AS	ASC or AC	Ascendant / Rising	Identity, embodiment, first impressions, direct experience
DS	DSC, DC, or DES	Descendant / Setting	Relationships, partnerships, clients, one-to-one dynamics
MC	MC	Midheaven	Career, reputation, visibility, public direction
IC	IC	Imum Coeli / Nadir	Home, roots, family, inner life, private foundations

The same glyph can therefore label four different lines. ♀ MC and ♀ IC are both Venus lines, but the angle tells you that one is read through public direction while the other is read through home and private foundations. For the full combinations, use Astrocartography Lines and Their Meanings.

Astrocartography Line Symbols, Styles, and Colors

The symbols on astrocartography lines are easier to check when you read glyph, angle, style, and color together.

Solid and Dashed Lines

On AstroCarto:

Solid lines: ASC and MC
Dashed lines: DSC and IC

Line style is a confirmation cue. Always read the printed abbreviation when it is available, because a solid line can still be either ASC or MC, and a dashed line can still be either DSC or IC.

What Do the Map Colors Mean?

On AstroCarto, colors distinguish planets. Gold marks the Sun, pink marks Venus, purple marks Jupiter, and the other planet colors follow the key above.

Colors are not universal across every astrocartography chart. Another tool may assign a different color to the same planet. A red, blue, green, or black line is also not automatically positive or negative. Check the legend for the specific map, then match the glyph with its angular marker.

How to Read Astrocartography Map Symbols

Use these four steps to learn how to read astrocartography map symbols—or how to read astrocartography chart symbols:

Find the glyph. Match it to a planet in the key.
Read the angle label. Check whether the line is AS/ASC, DS/DSC, MC, or IC.
Confirm the line style. Solid supports the ASC/MC family; dashed supports DSC/IC.
Combine planet and angle. Name the line first, then open its fuller interpretation.

This sequence also shows how to read astrocartography symbols when another tool uses different colors or slightly different angle abbreviations. It answers “What line am I looking at?” For the broader process of evaluating a place, use How to Read an Astrocartography Map.

Sun Symbol in Astrocartography: ☉ MC

This Sun symbol astrocartography example pairs the ☉ glyph with MC. Here, MC denotes the Midheaven, so ☉ MC labels a Sun Midheaven line. The combination does not promise recognition or success. Use the Sun Line guide for the fuller ASC, DSC, MC, and IC distinctions.

Jupiter Symbol in Astrocartography: ♃ ASC

This Jupiter symbol astrocartography example pairs the ♃ glyph with ASC or AS. This abbreviation marks the Ascendant, so ♃ ASC labels a Jupiter Ascendant line. It points you to a Jupiter-plus-identity interpretation, not an automatic guarantee of luck. Continue with the Jupiter Line guide.

Venus Symbol in Astrocartography: ♀ DSC

This Venus symbol astrocartography example pairs the ♀ glyph with DSC or DS. This abbreviation marks the Descendant, so ♀ DSC labels a Venus Descendant line. It directs the reading toward Venus themes in one-to-one dynamics, but it does not predict a relationship. Continue with the Venus Line guide.

Astrocartography Symbols FAQ

What are the symbols on an astrocartography map?

The main symbols pair a planet glyph with an angular marker. The glyph names its planet, while AS/ASC, DS/DSC, MC, or IC specifies the angle. Line style and color provide additional visual confirmation.

What is an astrocartography key or legend?

“Astrocartography chart key” and “astrocartography legend” both describe a reference that matches glyphs, abbreviations, line styles, and colors to map elements. When the reference focuses on planet and angle marks, it functions as the astrocartography symbol key. Use the key for the specific chart tool because label and color conventions can differ.

What do solid and dashed astrocartography lines mean?

On AstroCarto, solid lines represent ASC or MC, while dashed lines represent DSC or IC. The printed angle tells you which one of the two it is.

Are astrocartography colors universal?

No. AstroCarto uses a stable color for each planet, but another chart tool may use a different palette. Color marks its planet within that map; it does not make a line inherently good or bad.

Why do two astrocartography maps use different labels or colors?

Tools can use AS or ASC, DS or DSC, different color palettes, and different optional layers. Check which planets and layers are included and follow the legend on the map you are reading instead of assuming every chart uses the same visual system.

Find These Symbols on Your Own Map

Generate your personal map, then read the astrocartography symbols on any visible line in this order: planet glyph, angle abbreviation, line style, and color. Once you can name the combination, open the relevant line guide or use the map result to explore it in context.

Editorial Method and Limitations

The astrocartography symbols documented here follow the labels, line styles, colors, and map layers currently used by AstroCarto. Other astrocartography tools may use different visual conventions, so their own legends remain the correct reference for those maps.

Astrocartography is an interpretive astrology framework, not a guarantee of events or a substitute for professional, legal, financial, medical, safety, immigration, or relocation advice. Use it as one input alongside practical research and first-hand experience.