Unknown birth time
You can use AstroCarto for limited map and city research without an exact birth time. Select I don't know my birth time when creating your map. AstroCarto uses 12:00 local time for an estimated map; that time is a placeholder, not a recovered birth time. Complete shared-place research requires reliable times for both people, while Best Time to Move and new Personal Reports require an accurate birth time.
How do I enter my details if I do not know the time?
Keep the uncertainty in your input. Entering a guessed time as a known time does not make the result more reliable.
- Open the map generator and enter your birth date and actual birthplace. Your birthplace is separate from a city you are considering visiting or moving to.
- Select I don't know my birth time next to the time field. A compact version of the form may label this Unknown. The time field is disabled while the option is selected.
- Generate the map. Read the birth-time notice with the result: it explains that the map uses 12:00 local time and that angle lines and close city comparisons are less precise.
- Keep that input condition with any notes you take. A useful note is: “Birth time unknown; map calculated with the noon fallback; city research needs reviewing when the time is known.”
You do not need to type 12:00 yourself. The unknown-time option keeps the estimate attached to the calculation. If you see noon in the resulting details, it does not mean AstroCarto has determined when you were born.
What if I only know “morning” or “afternoon”?
An approximate period is useful information to retain, but it does not establish an exact hour and minute. If you cannot supply a reliable time, use the unknown-time option for this workflow and keep your approximate period in your own notes. This option uses noon; it does not calculate every possible time within a morning or afternoon range.
The form does not verify a birth record. Only treat a time as known when you have a reliable basis for it, rather than choosing a minute to unlock another tool.
Which AstroCarto tools can I use without an exact time?
An estimated map can support preliminary exploration. It does not provide the same basis for every feature. Use the table to choose your next step; normal account and usage conditions still apply.
| Tool or result | What unknown time means | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Your astrocartography map | You can generate an estimated map using the noon fallback. Its line positions depend on that assumed time. | Learn the controls and identify places to investigate, keeping the estimate visible in your notes. |
| Check City and map location readings | You can examine nearby lines on the estimated map. In the map location panel, additional Paran and angular-aspect guidance is restricted when time is unknown. | Read the city and evidence actually shown. A missing interpretation does not establish that a theme is absent from the place. |
| Find My Best Places | Candidate discovery can use the estimated chart, but its confidence is treated as sensitive to the input. | Keep the list provisional and rerun it with reliable time details before relying on its order. |
| Compare Cities | You can compare chosen cities using the same estimated chart. That does not establish that their order or differences will remain the same with an accurate time. | Keep the same birth details and goal across the comparison. Use support and cautions to frame questions, then revisit the result when you know the time. |
| Find the Best Places for Two People | Complete shared-place research needs reliable times for both people. With an unknown time, shared discovery does not produce a complete candidate list; selected-city results may retain only the available person's information. | Gather the missing person's time. One person's reading cannot stand in for a result about both people. |
| Best Time to Move | The current workflow requires an accurate birth time before calculating date windows. | Supply a reliable time and regenerate your map before researching a chosen city's timing. |
| A new Personal Report | New Personal Report generation requires an accurate birth time. Opening an existing report is a separate matter. | Confirm the input before requesting a new report; do not assume an older report was calculated from the details you have just entered. |
Buying access changes which actions your account can use; it does not supply a missing birth time or remove the input requirement. If Best Time to Move shows An exact birth time is required, use Edit birth details when you have a reliable time. Removing the unknown-time selection while keeping a guess does not resolve the underlying uncertainty.
How should I read a result based on an estimated time?
Read an estimated result as a question to investigate, rather than a confirmed choice of destination. A precise-looking distance or a first-place rank can still depend on the noon assumption.
Example: you are considering Paris and Lisbon
Suppose work and housing make Paris and Lisbon realistic options, but you do not know your birth time. This is a suggested research workflow, not a calculated ranking of those cities.
Start with the unknown-time option above and generate your map. Open Compare Cities, add Paris and Lisbon, and choose Career & recognition. Keep the same estimated birth details for both cities.
In the comparison results, read the city names, the selected goal, and the supporting and caution signals together. If a city appears first, it leads that particular comparison using the estimated input. It has not been established as the better destination using your actual birth time. The displayed line distances also depend on the estimated chart; they do not confirm that the assumed time is correct.
Instead of recording “Paris is the best place for my career,” use a research note like this:
| Note | What to record |
|---|---|
| Input condition | Birth time unknown; noon fallback used. |
| Question | Paris or Lisbon for Career & recognition, using the same chart. |
| Evidence to revisit | Copy the city, line name, approximate distance, and any caution you actually see. Do not fill in a missing signal. |
| Decision now | Keep both practical options under consideration. Check job requirements and housing feasibility while seeking a reliable birth time. |
| Calculation to repeat | Regenerate the map, then rerun the same two-city comparison with the same goal. |
For field-by-field help with this example, see how to read comparison results. If you only want to inspect one destination, use Check City to read its nearby lines and distances; it does not rank that city against other destinations. If you do not yet have candidates, the discovery guide also explains which places the search covers. Candidate coverage and birth-time uncertainty are different limits: a city missing from the discovery list is not, by itself, a rejection of that city.
Keep the estimated-time condition in any AI question about the result. A confident explanation cannot establish your birth time, and asking about an estimated chart does not turn it into an accurately timed calculation.
What should I redo when I find a reliable birth time?
Update the input and recalculate the results you want to use. Changing the form does not rewrite an old report, PDF, or conversation.
Continue the Paris-and-Lisbon example once you have a reliable time:
- Return to the map generator. Check your original birth date and birthplace; do not substitute Paris or Lisbon for your birthplace.
- Clear I don't know my birth time, enter the reliable local birth time, and check the AM/PM selection if the form shows one. Generate a new map.
- Confirm the result uses the intended birth details. Check that you have not kept the unknown-time option selected; the fallback notice should no longer describe this map.
- Open Compare Cities, add the same two cities, and select Career & recognition again. Keeping the candidates and goal fixed lets you examine the change in birth-time input without also changing the question.
- Read the newly calculated support and cautions. Update your research note with the new input and result, even if the city order appears unchanged. The purpose is to use the correct input, not to obtain a different winner.
Repeat only the other research you need. Rerun Find My Best Places if you need a new candidate list. For shared places, confirm both people's times. For moving dates, use the updated map with your chosen city and goal. If you need a new Personal Report, review its input and scope requirements before starting; its access and generation conditions still apply.
Before continuing, check that you have an updated map, a fresh result for the task you are doing, and notes that distinguish it from earlier estimates. Start any result-specific AI question from the relevant new result or report, rather than assuming an earlier conversation has received the update.