Free Solar Return Calculator
Find the exact moment the Sun returns to its birth position this year, and read your full solar return chart: the theme, mood and turning points of your year ahead. Free and instant.
What is a solar return?
Your birthday marks the day you were born, but your solar return marks the exact moment, down to the minute, when the Sun comes all the way back around the zodiac to the precise degree it held at your birth. That happens once a year, almost always on or within a day of your birthday, and it is the astrological start of your personal new year.
Because the Sun moves a little under a degree a day and the calendar does not divide evenly into a year, your solar return can land the day before or after your birthday, and at a different clock time each year. The calculator above pins the exact instant for any year you choose.
What is a solar return chart?
A solar return chart is a complete horoscope drawn for that instant. The Sun is back where it started, but the Moon, the planets and the rising sign have all moved on, so every year gives you a brand new chart. Astrologers read it as a preview of the year between one birthday and the next: its mood, its focus and where the growth and the tests are likely to come from.
How to read your solar return chart
Start with two things. The solar return Ascendant (the rising sign of the return) sets the overall tone, the way you will tend to meet the year. Then find the house your Sun lands in: that area of life, whether relationships, career, home or health, takes centre stage for the next twelve months. From there, the tightest aspects to the return Sun and Moon, and any planet sitting right on an angle, fill in the story. Tap any placement in your result to read it in full.
When is my solar return this year?
It is near your birthday, but rarely exactly on it at the same time. Enter your details above and set the return year to see the precise date and time. If you want the year ahead from your last birthday, use this year; to look further out, set a future year.
Explore the rest of your chart
Your solar return works best alongside your natal chart. Calculate your full birth chart for the foundation it builds on, check your Saturn return for the bigger life chapters, or read today's free horoscope.
Frequently asked questions
What is a solar return in astrology?
A solar return is the exact moment each year when the Sun comes back to the precise zodiac position it held when you were born. It usually falls on or within a day of your birthday, and astrologers cast a chart for that instant to preview the themes of your coming year.
What is a solar return chart?
A solar return chart is a full horoscope cast for the moment of your solar return. Because the Moon, planets and Ascendant have moved on, every year produces a fresh chart. Its rising sign and the house holding the Sun are read as the headline of your year ahead.
Does location matter for a solar return?
Yes, for the chart. The Sun returns to the same longitude worldwide, but the Ascendant and houses depend on where you are at that moment. This calculator casts the return for your birthplace, the classic default. Astrologers who relocate for their birthday do so to shift the chart on purpose.
What is the most important part of a solar return chart?
Two things: the solar return Ascendant, which colours how you meet the year, and the house your Sun lands in, which shows the area of life that takes centre stage. The tightest aspects to the return Sun and Moon fill in the rest.
Is the solar return calculator free?
Yes, completely free with no sign-up. Your birth details are processed in your browser and never stored, apart from an anonymous city lookup to place your birthplace.