Bottom line: astrology software converts local time to UT and not vice versa, and the +/- values produced by this software are correct. Do you prefer Whole Sign houses? If so, you can create your free natal chart report with Whole Sign houses here. We also have a birth chart generator that draws the chart using Koch houses and using Equal houses. Sep 01, 2018 Planetdance is a surprisingly powerful free astrology program for both the Windows and Android platforms, with Quick.Chart importing (so you can transfer your chart files from most astrology programs to this one), all of the basic charts and calculations, and many additional features. Version 6 now has a full time-change atlas for the World.
An example 'chart sphere' animation.
3D Houses
The concept of three dimensional houses or '3D houses' refers to amethod of placing planets in one of the 12 astrological houses that requiresconsidering the planet's latitude in addition to its zodiac position longitude.All the various classic systems of house division (e.g. Placidus) attempt todefine a single zodiac position for each house cusp. That model is simple andeasy to work with, however it's limited because it doesn't take into accountthe third dimension, or a planet's ecliptic latitude. '3D houses' isnot a standard system of house division like others, because it goes beyond theold model of picking a single zodiac position for each house cusp.
Visualize the nature of a house to begin with. The sky or celestial sphereis divided into 12 equally sized wedges (like pieces of an orange) with respectto the local horizon, with houses 1-6 below the horizon, and houses 7-12 aboveit. Similarly, houses 10-3 are to the east of the meridian, and houses 4-9 areto the west of the meridian. The signs of the zodiac are also a set of 12equally sized 'orange wedges', however they're oriented to adifferent coordinate system, or more specifically are rotated to be alignedwith the ecliptic. The fact that houses consider the local horizon, and zodiacpositions consider the ecliptic, and standard house systems attempt to useecliptic coordinates to fully define houses, can be considered a distortedmodel and therefore less accurate astrology. Perhaps the reason why there's somuch debate about which house system is correct, is that they're all wrong! Inother words, perhaps each standard house system only seems to work in certaincircumstances when the planetary latitudes happen to place them in the correct3D house.
For a visual example, see the image below for a local horizon display of mychart in Astrolog. There are two charts side by side, which are identicalexcept the left is using classic 2D houses, and the right 3D houses. In bothcharts, the middle horizontal line is the horizon, the middle vertical line isthe south meridian, the vertical lines on either side of it are the primevertical passing through the east and west points, and the far edges are thenorth meridian. The 12 houses are marked by the green dotted lines (and labeledwith green numbers). The ecliptic and the signs of the zodiac are marked bypurple dotted lines (and labeled with purple glyphs). Planets are plotted nearthe ecliptic, and the Ascendant, MC, and house cusps are plotted where theyintersect the ecliptic. Notice how the star Sirius (labeled 'Sir') isclearly in the 5th house below the horizon, however with a zodiac positionslightly later than the Descendant, all classic house systems will place it inthe 7th house, making one think it's above the horizon! Similarly, the starPolaris (labeled 'Pol') is high in the sky on the meridian andtherefore correctly on the 10th cusp, however classic house systems will placeit way down in the 6th house.
Left: Classic 2D model ofhouses. Right: Accurate 3D model of houses.
A standard wheel chart display doesn't work well to show 3D houses. That'sbecause house cusps don't have single zodiac longitude positions anymore. Ineffect there needs to be something equivalent to a 'chart sphere'instead of a 'chart wheel'! With 3D houses, each planet is stillunambiguously in a single house. That means it's still possible to have asimple table listing each planet's zodiac position and house placement.However, it is important to realize that two planets at the same zodiacposition may be in different houses, because their latitudes differ. 3D housesdoesn't have 'house cusps' in the traditional sense that can bedefined by a single zodiac position, because planetary latitude can change 3Dhouse placement.
To compute 3D houses or determine which house a planet truly lies within,convert the planet's zodiac longitude and ecliptic latitude to local horizoncoordinates centered on the prime vertical. That means the azimuth or 0-360degrees (representing house positions 1-12) follows the prime vertical from thehorizon east point through the west point via the nadir. Similarly, thealtitude or -90 to +90 degrees ranges from the north to south points on thelocal horizon.
Some house systems have problems when computed in polar zones, or above theArctic and Antarctic circles. 3D houses doesn't suffer from any polar zoneissues. All 3D houses cover an equal percentage of space of the local horizon,or 1/12 the space of the celestial sphere, and this is true no matter where onthe world you're positioned.
Campanus is the standard house system most similar to 3D houses. Campanushouses are defined by the intersection of the ecliptic with the 12 house'orange wedges'. That means Campanus houses and 3D houses give thesame house placements for planets exactly on the ecliptic. Since most planetsare near the ecliptic, and it's only things like Pluto, asteroids, andespecially fixed stars that are located any significant distance from it,Campanus houses can be used as a rough approximation for 3D houses.
The page http://www.quadibloc.com/other/as01.htmshows a graphicaldepiction of Campanus houses. However, remember that only 3D houses fullyuses the 3D orange wedge model of space to determine house placement. If aplanet is anywhere within the 12th house orange wedge on the local horizon,then 3D houses places it in the 12th house. Campanus houses starts with theorange wedge model to determine where the ecliptic intersects each house,however once determined then Campanus becomes a standard house system like anyother, in which a planet changing its ecliptic latitude will never change itshouse placement. In other words, Campanus and all standard house systems stilluse and define house cusps as positions along the ecliptic, and disregardplanetary latitude when determining house placement. As the linked to pagesays, 'To keep things simple for astrologers, tables of houses, insteadof recording the entire path of the line between houses, give the boundary ofeach house as a single angular position.' That's the essence of 3Dhouses: We no longer need to 'keep things simple' as we did in the19th century, and computers can properly see and work with the entire path ofthe line between houses.
There are actually multiple systems of 3D houses. Everything described above is really 3D Campanus or “3D Equal houses”, in which each 3D house is an equal sized 30 degree slice of the celestial sphere. Savage 820b manual. However, every standard house system has a corresponding 3D house system, defined by great circles drawn from the due South point to the due North point on the local horizon, passing through each 2D cusp where it intersects the ecliptic. This transformation changes the pole where all 12 houses meet from the ecliptic poles to the local horizon, but won't ever change the house of planets that are exactly on the ecliptic. For example, see http://www.astrolog.org/astrolog/pic/placidus.gif for '3D Placidus' houses, in contrast to http://www.astrolog.org/astrolog/pic/campanus.gif for '3D Campanus'.
All standard house systems suffer from issues such as having planets orstars below the horizon being placed in houses 7-12, or planets east of themeridian being placed in houses 4-9. When using 3D houses (and only when using3D houses) for all planets at all times the following statements are true. Noclassic system of house division can make all the below statements true,because they don't take into account planetary latitude:
- All 12 houses are the same size and always cover the same proportions ofthe local horizon.
- A planet above the horizon will always be in houses 7-12.
- A planet below the horizon will always be in houses 1-6.
- A planet east of the meridian will always be in houses 1-3 or 10-12.
- A planet west of the meridian will always be in houses 4-9.
- A planet exactly rising anywhere along the eastern horizon will always beon the boundary line between houses 12 and 1.
- A planet exactly setting anywhere along the western horizon will always beon the boundary line between houses 6 and 7.
- A planet transiting the meridian above the horizon will always be on theboundary line between houses 9 and 10.
- A planet transiting the meridian below the horizon will always be on theboundary line between houses 3 and 4.
Note that 3D houses have some similarities to Gauquelin sectors, asresearched by
In the article http://www.skyscript.co.uk/houprob_print.html#6backby Deborah Houlding, she also considers 3D houses and chart spheres, or how a planet's latitude canchange what house it is properly within.
In Astrolog, one can turn on 3D houses with the '-c3' commandswitch, or in the Windows version with the '3D Houses' checkbox inthe Calculation Settings dialog. One can also select the 'Setting / HouseSettings / 3D Houses' command, or just press the 'a' key. Clipper 5.3 for windows download.
Chart Spheres
A chart sphere is a 3D wheel chart. Instead of a flat 2D wheel that onlypositions planets based on their zodiac longitude, a 3D model of the celestialsphere is depicted which shows the 12 sign 'orange wedges' and theseparate set of of 12 house 'orange wedges', and how planets arepositioned within them. Chart spheres are a good way to visualize and work with3D houses.
A chart sphere is similar to a local horizon chart, such as seen above, justthat it's displayed around a sphere instead of on a flat rectangle. The sphereis by default transparent, which means that both sides of the sphere areoverlapping and can be seen at once. Because chart spheres are 3D displays,they are effective when animated (i.e. rotated) to get a better sense of theirdepth. There are various ways that display of chart spheres can be customizedin Astrolog, such as one can select what things to display and what colors touse for them.
An example chart sphere is below. Sign wedges are in dark blue, and housewedges are in green. Aspect lines (turned off in this picture) are interestingbecause they're 3D lines passing through the interior of the sphere. Also, seethe top of this page for an animated chart sphere. In the animated sphere abovethe ecliptic is a brighter purple, and you can also see the aspect linescrossing through the sphere.
In Astrolog, show a chart sphere for the current chart with the'-XX' command switch, or in the Windows version with the'Graphics / Show Chart Sphere' command, or just press the'X' key. For more information about doing chart spheres in Astrolog,see new feature #1 at the top of the Astrolog6.30 release notes.
An example chart sphere.
Chart spheres are a good way to visualize the difference between 3D housesand 2D houses. Below are two chart spheres side by side, which are identicalexcept the left sphere is using 2D houses, and the right 3D houses. In the leftsphere with 2D houses, planetary latitude is ignored when determining houseposition, which means the 12 house 'orange wedges' share the samepoles as the 12 sign 'orange wedges'. Notice how all 12 houses haveareas which are above and below the horizon, which is counterintuitive. In theright sphere with 3D houses, the 12 house 'orange wedges' are alignedwith the local horizon, and always have their poles at the north and southpoints on the horizon. In this model, all of houses 1-6 are always below thehorizon, and all of houses 7-12 are above the horizon. Because the poles aredifferent, planetary latitude needs to be taken into account to correctlydetermine house position.
Left: Chart sphere with classic 2Dhouses. Right: Chart sphere with accurate 3D houses.
The animation below shows how Campanus house cusps change over time. A standard 2D wheel chart is compared side-by-side to a 3D chart sphere, with both animating the same chart at the same times. Campanus houses are defined by dividing the local horizon into 12 equal sized wedges (with the horizon as their 'equator'). That's similar to how signs of the zodiac divide the celestial sphere into 12 equal sized wedges (with the ecliptic as their equator). Where the ecliptic intersects these houses defines the 12 Campanus cusps. That means Campanus houses are effectively a 3D version of Equal houses, because house sizes are equal from a 3D standpoint. (That's one argument in favor of Campanus being the 'best' house system.) A 2D chart wheel is basically a 2D cross-section of the 3D chart sphere, taken on the plane of the ecliptic. At high latitudes, Campanus can produce narrower houses (at least when looking at the 2D wheel). As can be seen on the 3D chart sphere, this happens at times when the ecliptic is nearly parallel to the horizon, which causes the ecliptic cross section to slice near the point on the horizon where all the houses meet, which means planets can enter and leave certain houses more quickly. Notice how the Sun and Pluto are tightly conjunct on the wheel chart, however they're actually a bit farther away from each other in space on the celestial sphere, because their ecliptic latitudes differ.
Compare this Campanus animation to the correspondinganimation for Regiomontanus houses. Notice how with Campanus the 3D wedges on the celestial sphere are always the same size. They're always fixed 30 degree wedges (even though Campanus houses appear to vary in size in the 2D wheel cross section). Regiomontanus houses are fixed and unchanging wedges on the 3D sphere too, however unlike Campanus its houses are differently sized based on where you are in the world. This is why a more descriptive name for Campanus houses is '3D Equal houses'. Also compare the Campanus animation to the animation for Placidus houses. Placidus houses are different sizes not only based on where you are in the world, but also based on the time of day. You can see them changing and wobbling over time not only on the wheel, but also in the green colored house wedges on the 3D sphere.
Left: Campanus houses in classic 2D wheel. Right: Campanus house boundaries on celestial sphere.
Chart spheres aren't just a 2D display that happens to looks 3D, but theycan be actual 3D wireframe models. In 3D model form, one can move among a chartsphere or render it in perspective. The video below animates flying around andwithin a chart sphere, while the chart within the sphere is also animatingforward through time. In the sphere, the 12 zodiac sign 'orangewedges' can be seen in dark blue (moving around the local horizon as thethings rise and set), the 12 house 'orange wedges' can be seen ingreen (which are always fixed and don't move with respect to the localhorizon), aspect lines can be seen appearing and disappearing over time passingthrough the interior of the sphere, and even constellations are added half waythrough in purple. This video can demonstrate the difference between the 12equally sized signs used in astrology, and the various irregularly shapedconstellations used in astronomy.
In Astrolog, c
House Focused Wheel Charts
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Can a standard 2D wheel chart be better at taking into accountplanetary latitude? The answer is yes, if it is displayed in an alternativefashion.
Standard wheel charts are 'sign focused', which meansthat a planet is plotted within the wheel based only on its sign position orzodiac longitude, and its latitude is ignored. Wheel charts can instead be'house focused', which means that the graphical position of where aplanet is placed around the wheel will be its proportion through the 3D house.(In other words, the planet's proportion through the 3D house or percentageacross the prime vertical on the local horizon, will be used to position theplanet between the two appropriate house cusps on the wheel.) The result willcause planets to seem to move, or even seem to be in a different sign (howeverthey will always be in the right house). That's the reverse of a standard'sign focused' wheel which will always position planets in the rightsign (however they may be in the wrong 3D house). If one wants a graphicaldisplay accurate for both zodiac sign positions and 3D house positions at thesame time, then they should use a chart sphere.
See below for an example of 'sign focused' and'house focused' wheels displayed side by size. On the left is astandard 'sign focused' wheel. The correct zodiac position of eachplanet is indicated by the planet's positioning within the surrounding ring ofsigns. Similarly, the standard house position of each planet is indicated bythe planet's positioning within the surrounding ring of houses. However, sincethe wheel doesn't do anything with planetary latitude, the apparent house maynot be the correct 3D house. On the right is a 'house focused' wheel.The correct 3D house position of each planet is indicated by the planet'spositioning within the surrounding ring of houses. However, the sign positionof each planet isn't necessarily the positioning within the surrounding ring ofsigns. Notice how planets are positioned differently in the two wheels, usuallysubtly but sometimes significantly, especially for the fixed stars Sirius andPolaris.
Left: Standard 'sign focused'wheel. Right: Alternative 'house focused' wheel.
Note if the house system is Campanus, than switching between'sign focused' and 'house focused' for a wheel chart willresult in objects like the Sun and lunar Nodes not moving at all. That'sbecause those objects are on the ecliptic (i.e. at 0 latitude) and Campanushouses and 3D houses have the same cusp points for objects on the ecliptic.
In Astrolog, if you turn on the '3D Houses' setting,then its standard wheel chart will be displayed 'house focused'instead of 'sign focused'.
3D Aspects
'3D aspects' refers to aspect calculationsthat take planetary latitude into account. When calculating the angle and orbof aspects, in classic astrology only the zodiac position longitude of a planetis considered, and the planet's latitude is ignored. However, it's possible foraspect calculations to take the latitude of planets into account too. In otherwords, the aspect angle between two planets is determined by the 3D greatcircle distance between them on the celestial sphere, and not just the 2Ddifference between their zodiac position longitudes.
For example, during a New Moon the Sun and Moon may be as muchas 5 degrees different in latitude. That means that even when a New Moon isexact, the 3D aspect orb between them may be up to 5 degrees. (If the Sun andMoon are conjunct in both zodiac position and latitude, then a solar eclipse istaking place.) For bodies with latitudes that can be widely different from theecliptic, such as Pluto, asteroids, and especially fixed stars, the differenceis more pronounced. For example, a body at 0Leo and -30 latitude will be Squarea body at 0Leo and +60 latitude, because they're 90 degrees apart, even thoughthey’re both at the same longitude and would be considered Conjunct normally.
3D aspects suggests that an exact time New Moon in which theSun and Moon are different by 5 degrees in latitude, has the same orb orstrength as a standard Sun/Moon conjunction different in zodiac positionlongitude by 5 degrees. If you use 3D aspects, then aspect orbs will increaseby up to the latitude difference, which can cause some aspects to disappear ifthey're pushed beyond the orb limit.
'3D orbs' is a related concept to 3D aspects.3D orbs means orb limits apply to latitude as well as zodiac positionlongitude. With 3D orbs active, a Conjunction with a 5 degree orb will beconsidered out of bounds (and therefore not a valid Conjunction) if the zodiacpositions are different by more than 5 degrees, or if the latitudes aredifferent by more than 5 degrees. 3D orbs can be considered a'lighter' version of 3D aspects or 3D aspects partially applied,because no aspects will change into other aspects, however some aspects willdisappear if pushed beyond the vertical orb limit. For example, two bodies at0Leo will potentially be considered Conjunct (and never any other aspect, nomatter how much their latitudes differ) however they'll only be Conjunct iftheir latitudes are close enough to be within orb.
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3D Aspects and 3D orbs are two separate settings independent ofeach other, and one can use either or both of them. This results in fourpossible combinations, or different ways to determine aspects. Assume there'sone body at 0Leo and -30 latitude, and another body at 0Leo and +60 latitude.That results in the following aspects between them:
