Tropical vs Sidereal

Tropical anchors signs to the seasonal cycle; Sidereal anchors them to the fixed stars. The difference arises from the precession of the equinoxes.

Tropical astrology

Tropical signs begin at the March equinox (0° Aries). This aligns the zodiac to seasons and daylight dynamics—common in modern Western astrology.

Sidereal astrology

Sidereal systems apply an ayanāṃśa offset to align longitudes with fixed stars. Many Vedic/Jyotish traditions use Lahiri; KP is a close variant. Also explore True Sidereal.

Which should I use?

Test both with your chart. If you resonate with seasonal symbolism, try Tropical; if you prefer fixed-star anchoring, try Sidereal; if you want constellation-sized segments, try True Sidereal.