Fixed Stars in Astrology: Algol, Regulus, Spica and the Royal Stars in Your Chart

What are fixed stars in astrology?

Fixed stars are the stars that keep their places against each other, unlike the seven planets, which wander. In astrology a fixed star counts when it sits on a planet or an angle of your birth chart, usually within a degree. The star then adds its own color to that planet, for better or worse.

The Greek word for planet, planētēs, means wanderer. Against the wanderers, the rest of the sky looked fixed: the same pictures, rising in the same order, night after night, for a whole lifetime. The stars do move, very slowly, and I explain how below, but in one human life they hold still.

A chart does not need fixed stars to be read. The Hellenistic astrologers built a reading from the seven planets, the signs and the houses, and a star came in as an extra layer when it sat close to something important. I still read in that order: first the planet, its sign, its house and the planet that rules it, then the star.

Not every star counts. William Lilly, the English astrologer, says the ones that matter most are of the first or second magnitude, the brightest, and lie "but a little distant from the Ecliptick", the Sun's path. Most astrologers today allow about one degree between star and planet, a little more for the brightest stars.

Which fixed stars are in my chart?

Your fixed stars are the ones within about a degree of your Sun, Moon or planets on the day you were born. Enter your birth date below. Add your birth time and place if you know them: the Moon moves about 13 degrees a day, so without a time her stars can only be listed as possible.

Find the fixed stars on your planets

Birth date

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How close countsWithin 1° (the usual orb)Within 1.5°Within 2° (wide)

Find my fixed stars

Covers births from 1920 to 2030 and 29 bright stars, at their tropical positions for your birth year. The calculation runs in your browser and your birth details stay there. The site keeps only an anonymous count of tool use, with a short result such as the sign found.

The angles of your chart, the Ascendant and the Midheaven, can carry a star too. They depend on your exact birth time and place, so they are not in this finder. In a reading I check the bright stars on your planets and angles.

Why do fixed star positions change?

Fixed stars move about one degree every 72 years against the zodiac astrologers use in the West. That zodiac is counted from the March equinox, and the equinox slowly slides backwards along the stars, an effect called precession. So Algol stood at 21 degrees of Taurus in Lilly's day and stands at 26 degrees 32 minutes of Taurus now.

The rule that follows is simple: use the star's position for the year you were born, not today's. Over 50 years a star moves about 0.7 of a degree, which can decide whether it touches your planet. The finder does this for you.

You can watch precession in the old books. Lilly printed star positions in his Christian Astrology of 1647. Every one of them now sits five and a half to six and a quarter degrees further on:

Table computed by Roman Oleksandr, 2026.

Lilly's figures are within a degree of what a modern star catalogue gives when worked back to 1647. The same slow slide is why a Vedic chart, which counts the signs from the stars, often puts your Sun one sign back: see sidereal vs tropical.

The 29 bright stars in the finder, placed on the tropical zodiac for 2026. Bigger dots are brighter stars. Stars far north or south of the Sun's path, like Vega and Sirius, are placed by their longitude.

How did the old astrologers read fixed stars?

The old astrologers described each star by the planets it resembles. Ptolemy says Regulus acts like Mars and Jupiter, Spica like Venus and a little Mars, Antares like Mars and a little Jupiter. A star then works like an extra planet: Lilly adds that a star of the same nature as the planet it touches gives that planet more strength.

Ptolemy's list fills a whole chapter of the Tetrabiblos, Book I, chapter 9, star group by star group, and he presents it as "the observations of the effects of the stars themselves as made by our predecessors". He was writing down an older tradition, not inventing one.

Firmicus Maternus, writing in Latin around 335 AD, works through the degrees of the zodiac and the constellations rising beside each sign, and says what a person born with the Ascendant on each bright star will be. Lilly, thirteen centuries later, does the same for the planet that signifies character, his significator of manners. On Regulus:

It shews the Native to be Magnanimous, that he is of generous and civill condition, desires to beare rule, or is ambitious of dominion over others.William Lilly, Christian Astrology, Book III, chapter 107 (spelling of the 1659 edition)

Two rules run through Lilly. A star works through the planet or angle it touches, never on its own. And the brighter the star and the closer to the Sun's path, the louder it speaks.

What are the four royal stars?

The four royal stars are Aldebaran, Regulus, Antares and Fomalhaut, bright stars spread around the zodiac about a quarter circle apart. Modern books call them the Royal Stars of Persia, or the Watchers of the four directions. The oldest astrological text I can trace on four regal stars is Firmicus Maternus, about 335 AD.

Firmicus writes that bright stars shine in all the signs, but regal ones in only four: Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius and Taurus. He gives degrees, not names, and reads the Moon in them on an angle of the chart: in some of them, the 5th of Leo, the 20th of Aquarius and the 30th of Taurus, royal or imperial power; in others, the 15th and 27th of Taurus, high position; in the 7th of Scorpio, power with fierce cruelty (Mathesis VI.2). In his day Regulus stood near 7 degrees of Leo, Aldebaran near 17 of Taurus, Antares near 17 of Scorpio and Fomalhaut near 11 of Aquarius. His degrees for Leo and Taurus land close to the first two; for Scorpio and Aquarius they don't, so the match is likely rather than certain.

The story of Persian astronomers naming four Watchers around 3000 BC is repeated in many books, but writers on star lore have questioned the Persian link, and I have not found it in an ancient source. The astronomy behind it is real, though. Around 3000 BC, Aldebaran and Antares stood almost exactly on the two equinoxes, and Regulus and Fomalhaut within about ten degrees of the two solstices. They really did mark the four corners of the year.

To see whether one of the four sits on your Sun, Moon or another planet, try the royal star calculator: your birthday is enough for the Sun.

What does Algol mean in astrology?

Algol is the most feared fixed star in astrology: the star in the head of Medusa, which Perseus carries. Its name comes from the Arabic raʾs al-ghūl, the head of the ogre or demon. It sits at 26 degrees 32 minutes of Taurus in 2026, so people born around 15 to 18 May have the Sun on it.

The fear is old. Ptolemy writes that Mars, under particular conditions of aspect, "in the Gorgon of Perseus" signifies "death by decapitation or mutilation" (Tetrabiblos IV.9). Lilly says the planet that signifies character, his significator of manners, joined to "Caput Medusae" gives "a certaine dogged nature and violence". In 1647 he judged a chart cast for the fate of King Charles I, and wrote that Mars "approaching Caput Algol, which is said to denote beheading, might intimate that". In January 1649 the king was beheaded.

The magicians used the same star the other way. Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy (1533) describes an image made under Algol, the head of a man with a bloody neck, that made the wearer bold, protected the body from harm and turned evil spells back on whoever sent them. Its stone is the diamond. The Greeks did the same with Medusa's face on their shields.

Algol really does change. Every 2 days, 20 hours and 49 minutes a dimmer companion star passes in front of it, and for about ten hours it fades from magnitude 2.1 to 3.4. John Goodricke proposed this explanation in 1783, and it was confirmed in 1889. In a reading I never read death from a chart, and I take Algol seriously only on a planet or an angle within a degree. There it reads as intensity that needs a direction.

What does Regulus mean in astrology?

Regulus is the bright star in the heart of the Lion, and its Latin name means little king. Ptolemy gives it the nature of Mars and Jupiter. It moved from Leo into Virgo in 2011 or 2012 and sits at 0 degrees 12 minutes of Virgo in 2026, on the Sun for births around 22 to 24 August.

Lilly calls it "the Basilisk, or Heart of the Lyon", and reads it on the planet that signifies character, his significator of manners, as magnanimous, generous, wanting to rule. Firmicus' regal star in Leo is most likely Regulus. Agrippa lists it among his fifteen Behenian stars, with garnet as its stone and the image of a lion or a man seated in honor.

Regulus lies almost exactly on the Sun's path, less than half a degree from it, closer than any other bright star. That makes it one of the strongest stars in the old sense, and it means the Moon often passes right over it. Births before 2012 have Regulus in late Leo; births after have it in early Virgo. Some modern astrologers read the move into Virgo as rank turning into service.

What does Spica mean in astrology?

Spica is the ear of wheat in the hand of the Virgin, a star of gifts and good fortune in the old books. Ptolemy gives it the nature of Venus and a little Mars. In 2026 it sits at 24 degrees 12 minutes of Libra, so people born around 16 to 18 October have the Sun on it.

Lilly writes that Spica on the planet that signifies character shows "a man or person of sweet disposition, diligent in attaining Arts and Sciences", and "a most admirable invention when Mercury is with him". Agrippa gives it emerald as its stone and an image that brings riches and helps you "overcome contentions".

Spica has a place in the history of astronomy too. Hipparchus, in the second century BC, discovered precession by comparing his own position for Spica with an older one. And the ayanamsa used in most Vedic charts, the Lahiri value, was designed to put Spica at the very start of sidereal Libra.

What does Aldebaran mean in astrology?

Aldebaran, the red eye of the Bull, is one of the four royal stars. Its Arabic name means the follower, because it rises after the Pleiades. Ptolemy calls it the Torch and gives it the nature of Mars. It sits at 10 degrees 9 minutes of Gemini in 2026, on the Sun for births around 30 May to 1 June.

Lilly reads Oculus Tauri, the Bull's eye, as "fierce, full of courage to delight in Military affaires", and adds that the Moon with it makes "a good fellow". Agrippa gives it rubies and the image of a flying man, for wealth and honor. Firmicus' 15th degree of Taurus fits Aldebaran well, since in his day it stood near the 17th; there he reads high position, not royalty.

What does Antares mean in astrology?

Antares is the red heart of the Scorpion, and its Greek name means the rival of Mars, because it matches the red planet in color. Ptolemy gives it the nature of Mars and a little Jupiter. In 2026 it sits at 10 degrees 8 minutes of Sagittarius, on the Sun for births around 1 to 3 December.

Lilly reads the "Scorpions Heart" as a "rash, ravenous and head-strong person, destructive to himselfe by his obstinancy" (so spelled in the 1659 edition). In his 1647 judgment on King Charles he also noted the Moon "with Antares, a violent fixed star". Agrippa saw a better side: under the Heart of the Scorpion an image of an armed man gave intellect and memory, with sardonyx and amethyst as its stones.

What does Fomalhaut mean in astrology?

Fomalhaut is the bright star in the mouth of the Southern Fish, and its Arabic name means exactly that, the fish's mouth. It is the fourth royal star. Ptolemy gives it the nature of Venus and Mercury. It sits at 4 degrees 14 minutes of Pisces in 2026, on the Sun for births around 21 to 23 February.

In Firmicus' day Fomalhaut stood in Aquarius, the sign of his fourth regal star, though his degree does not match it closely. It lies about 21 degrees south of the Sun's path, so by Lilly's rule it speaks more softly through a planet than Regulus or Aldebaran do.

What does Sirius mean in astrology?

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky, the Dog Star of the Great Dog. Its name comes from the Greek for glowing or scorching. Ptolemy gives it the nature of Jupiter and a little Mars. It sits at 14 degrees 26 minutes of Cancer in 2026, on the Sun for births around 5 to 7 July.

In Egypt its first rising before dawn, in July, came just before the Nile flood, and Egyptians honored it as the goddess Sopdet. The Greeks linked that same summer rising to the heat, which gave us the dog days. Agrippa gives it beryl and an image of a dog, for honor and goodwill from powerful people. Sirius lies almost 40 degrees south of the Sun's path, so by Lilly's rule it touches a planet only weakly.

What do the Pleiades mean in astrology?

The Pleiades are the Seven Sisters, a small cluster on the shoulder of the Bull, and Alcyone is the brightest of them. Ptolemy gives them the nature of the Moon and Jupiter. Alcyone moved into Gemini in 2001 and sits at 0 degrees 21 minutes of Gemini in 2026, on the Sun for births around 20 to 22 May.

Lilly says "the Pleiades in 24. Taurus, inclines the Native to be wanton, ambitious, turbulent". The Greek poet Hesiod told farmers to start the harvest when the Pleiades rise at dawn and to plough when they set. Agrippa gives them crystal and quicksilver, and an image of a little virgin or a lamp, said to increase the light of the eyes and reveal hidden things.

What does Vindemiatrix mean in astrology?

Vindemiatrix is a star in the wing of Virgo, and its Latin name means the grape gatherer. Ptolemy names it Vindemiator and gives it the nature of Saturn and Mercury, a dry, careful mix. It sits at 10 degrees 18 minutes of Libra in 2026, on the Sun for births around 2 to 4 October.

At magnitude 2.8 it is fainter than most stars in this article, and it lies 16 degrees north of the Sun's path. By Lilly's rule that makes it a minor voice. I would read it only when it sits right on a planet, and then through that planet's own condition.

What does Deneb Algedi mean in astrology?

Deneb Algedi is the star in the tail of the Sea Goat, and its Arabic name means the goat's tail. Ptolemy gives the stars in Capricorn's tail the nature of Saturn and Jupiter. It sits at 23 degrees 55 minutes of Aquarius in 2026, on the Sun for births around 11 to 13 February.

It is the fifteenth of Agrippa's Behenian stars, the Tail of Capricorn, with chalcedony as its stone and an image of a hart or a goat said to bestow prosperity. It lies close to the Sun's path, so the planets, and the Moon most often, pass right over it.

What are the Behenian stars?

The Behenian stars are fifteen bright fixed stars used in medieval and Renaissance magic, each with its own stone, plant and image. Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy (1533) gives the list after Hermes and Thabit. The name comes from the Arabic bahman, root, because each star was a root of power for its planets.

Stones from Book I, chapter 32; images from Book II, chapter 47. Agrippa puts the Bear's star in the tail of the Lesser Bear in one chapter and the Great Bear in the other; modern lists take it as Alkaid, in the Great Bear. Alkaid sits far north of the zodiac, so it is not in the finder above.

Where are the fixed stars in 2026?

Here are the 29 bright stars in the finder, with their tropical positions in 2026 and the nature Ptolemy gives them. For an earlier birth year, subtract about one degree for every 72 years: a star at 10 degrees in 2026 stood near 9 degrees 18 minutes in 1976.

Table computed by Roman Oleksandr, 2026.

Common questions about fixed stars

Do fixed stars change signs? Yes, slowly. Regulus left Leo for Virgo in 2011 or 2012, and Alcyone, the brightest of the Pleiades, entered Gemini in 2001. A star crosses one whole sign in about 2,150 years.

What orb should I use for fixed stars? About one degree is the common choice, a little more for the brightest stars and for the Sun and Moon. The old texts give no single number; they stress brightness and closeness to the Sun's path instead.

Does a fixed star matter if no planet is on it? Very little. A star works through what it touches. A star in an empty part of your chart is mostly sky. The exception is a star rising with your Ascendant or on your Midheaven, which needs your exact birth time.

Do fixed stars make aspects? The old texts use conjunctions, and stars rising or setting with a planet or the Ascendant. Squares and trines to fixed stars play almost no part in them.

Has fixed-star astrology been proven? No. No branch of astrology has passed a controlled scientific test, and fixed stars are no exception; see what astrology can't do. What this page gives you is the tradition, its sources, and exact positions.