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Calculation of Ascendant
Calculation of Ascendant
For making the horoscope, first of all we have to calculate the Ascendant. Ascendant is the
rising sign at the time of birth. Let us see how the Ascendant is calculated. This will be done
with the help of two books, viz. Table of Ascendants, and Annual Ephemeries, 1993 (for the
year of birth) by Lahiri. These two books can be procured from the market.
Details of sample birth are once again given below. We would calculate Ascendant for this.
We have indicated the Longitude and Latitude of Bombay as above. These were taken from
page 101 of the book "Table of Ascendants". This book contains the necessary information
about many major cities of India and abroad. If the city required is not given therein, kindly
see the Atlas for these details. And, if Atlas is not handy, nearest city can be taken. But for
accurate casting of horoscope, accurate details are required.
As made clear earlier, in a northern horoscope, Ascending sign is written in the top centre
and then zodiac signs are continued anti-clockwise. Later on planets are placed in the
horoscope. So, to calculate the Ascendant sign, the first Step is to find out the Local Mean
Time (LMT).
Step 1
Method 1
Convert the IST to LMT. There are two ways to find out the correction time to IST to obtain
LMT::
Formula for getting the correction time to IST to find out LMT is 15° = 1 hour, or 1° = 4
minutes
(Please note, Longitude is given in degrees (°), minutes (') and seconds (''), [ 1° = 60', 1' =
60''), whereas the time is given in hrs, minutes and seconds [1 hr = 60 minutes, 1 minute =
60 seconds]. Do not confuse the minutes of Longitude with the minutes of time.
As per above formula, divide Longitude 72° 50' by 15 to know the LMT. It comes to: 4 hr 51
mt 20 secs. How? This is shown below to facilitate your understanding of the calculations.
Hence, 4 hr 48 minutes
= 4 h 51 m 20 s.
- 5 h 30 m 0 s
- 0 h 38 m 40s
Method 2
= 4 ( - 9° 40')
Hence 4 x 9 = 36 m and
Therefore, 36 m + 2 m 40 s = 38 m 40 s
Method 3
Refer to Table of Ascendants, page 101. Against Bombay, Local Time correction to IST is
given as -38 m 40 s (which is same as calculated by us).
Use of Book is easy and quick. The first and second methods have been given only for
understanding.
IST: 3 h 50 m 0 s
Time correction: -0 h 38 m 40 s
3 h 11 m 20s ............A
Step II
The next step is to find out the sidereal time for the given date, time and place of birth.
Now, let us calculate sidereal time for the time of birth on 10.12.1993 for Bombay:
8 h 48 m 40 s ... C
(For afternoon birth, there is no need of this deduction. Correction to increase the time
interval is apllied straight to the LMT).
Now apply correction to increase the time interval (From page 5, Table IV, Table of Asc):
for 8 hr + 1 m 19 s
for 48 m + 8 s
for 8 hr 48 m: 1 m 27 s ..... D
Step III
Now to find out the Ascendant, refer to Tables given in the book Table of Ascendants for
various latitudes. Search for the latitude of Bombay (or its nearest place, if the same is not
available). On page 29, Table for Latitude 19° N is given. As given earlier, the latitude for
Bombay, the required place of birth, is 18° 58' N (say, 19° N).
In this page, we have to search for the Ascendant for the Sidereal Time given above as, 8 hr
25 m 58 s as at E.
Ascendant for
If we deduct the former from the latter, we get 4 minutes = 55 m but we need 2 minutes (8h
24 m + 1 m 58' (1 m 58' is approximately equal to 2') = 8 h 26 m. So for 2 minutes, we get 28
m (55/2: 27.5, say 28).
= 6 s 10° 46'
Step IV
Now, apply correction for Ayanamasha for 1993, as per page 6 of Tables of Ascedants,
which is -46'.
- 46'
This means, Ascending sign is Libra (7), and it has travelled 10° 28'in Libra. Horoscope for
this birth will be caste by writing 7 in the top centre, as explained earlier.