How to read an astrological chart?

Written by: Samar Warda

What is an astrological chart?

An astrological chart is known as a representation of everything seen in the sky on a map, and it is also called a star chart or a star map.

How to read an astrological chart?

When we know the coordinates of a specific star or planet, we can know its location on the astrological chart. For example, if we take the following coordinates RA 05 34 31, Dec +22 00 52, we will start from the RA values ​​on the left of the map heading to the right 5 hours, 34 minutes and 31 seconds, then from the highest values ​​of Dec down to the positive value 22 hours and 52 seconds, to reach the point formed by the intersection of those coordinates, and thus we have determined the location of the star.

What is the equatorial sky line?

It is an imaginary line located directly above the equator on Earth.

What are the declination values?

It has Dec, and is similar to the latitudes on Earth, as it starts from top to bottom, so the values ​​are positive above the equatorial sky line or negative values ​​below it, and is given a value in hours, minutes and seconds.

What are the values ​​of ascension?

It is symbolized by RA, and these values ​​are similar to the values ​​of longitudes on Earth, as they start from left to right from the value 0, and are given a value in hours, minutes and seconds.

What is the meaning of the symbols on the astronomical map?

One of the most important symbols on the astronomical map: Bright stars, as stars with higher brightness are larger than those with lower brightness.

Multiple stars

These are stars that are actually far from each other, but due to the small area of ​​the map they appear as if they are one star, so it was necessary to distinguish between them by placing a large black dot above a small black dot, and distinguishing the smaller one with a white line to clarify the difference between them.

Variable stars

These are stars that change in their brightness, and are represented by a circle with a dot inside it, where the circle indicates the highest brightness that the star reaches, and the dot indicates the lowest brightness that it reaches.

What is the benefit of the astronomical map?

The astronomical map can provide a number of benefits, as it is a new way to explain the stars and constellations and their locations to children, and it is also a useful reference for researchers interested in the matter, as by knowing the coordinates of the stars and planets, you can refer to the astronomical map and determine their exact location in the sky.

What is the star wheel?

It is a simple tool used to know the location of the stars in the sky on a specific day and time, as each region has its own star wheel that is based on the lines of latitude.

How to use the star wheel?

When using the star wheel, we start by matching the time on the specified date, then we hold the wheel so that we point it in the correct direction, as it shows the directions on it, so we must hold it in the direction of our standing facing the horizon, and it is worth noting that when raising the wheel up to see what can be seen above us, the right side of the wheel is the west and the left side of it is the east.