- Angle
- 0 degrees
- Symbol
- ☌︎ (U+260C)
- Commonly used orb
- Up to 8 degrees
- Harmonic
- 1st
How close two planets must be to count as conjunct
The exact angle is 0 degrees, and the orb is the allowance on either side. Many astrologers accept up to about 8 degrees for a conjunction, a few stretch that to 10 degrees when the Sun or Moon is involved, and a few modern readers use 5 or 6. The figure is a convention, not a law, so two chart readers can disagree about a pair that sits 9 degrees apart. What nearly everyone agrees on is that the tighter the orb, the more the two planets read as a single unit.
Two planets can also be conjunct across a sign boundary, for instance one at 28 degrees of Aries and one at 3 degrees of Taurus. Their longitudes are only 5 degrees apart, so they meet the orb, but they speak in two different signs and many readers treat that as a looser, more mixed conjunction than two planets inside one sign.
Direction matters in the older method. A conjunction is applying while the faster planet is still approaching the exact degree and separating once it has passed it. Traditional authors weighted the applying version more heavily, because the meeting has not happened yet and the promise is still open.
How often some conjunctions come round
Each pair has a fixed rhythm set by how fast the two bodies move. These are the mean intervals between one conjunction and the next.
| Pair | Mean interval | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sun and Moon | 29.53 days | This is the new moon, the start of the lunar cycle. |
| Sun and Mars | 779.9 days | About 26 months, the same rhythm as Mars opposition. |
| Jupiter and Saturn | 19.86 years | The great conjunction. One fell in December 2020, the next is in 2040. |
| Saturn and Neptune | 35.9 years | Last exact around February 2026 at the start of Aries. |
| Uranus and Neptune | 171.4 years | The last one was in 1993, in Capricorn. |
How the tradition reads the same angle in different pairs
The conjunction itself has no mood. The planets decide the mood, which is why astrologers say it intensifies instead of softening or hardening.
- Venus with Jupiter is called a double benefic pairing in the old language, since both planets were classed as helpful.
- Mars with Saturn is the classic difficult pairing: drive meeting restraint, and the two can brake or discipline each other.
- Sun with Moon at birth is a new moon birth, read as a person whose will and feelings point the same way.
- A planet within about 8 degrees 30 minutes of the Sun is called combust in the older texts, read as overwhelmed by the Sun's light.
- A planet within 17 arcminutes of the Sun is called cazimi, meaning in the heart of the Sun, and the same texts treat it as the opposite of combust: empowered instead of burned.
How to find a conjunction in your own chart
1. Write down each planet as a degree and sign
A birth chart lists them as, for example, Venus 12 degrees Aries. Convert to a single number if it helps: Aries starts at 0, Taurus at 30, Gemini at 60, and so on in steps of 30.
2. Subtract, and take the short way round
Subtract the smaller number from the larger. If the answer is above 180, subtract it from 360, so the gap is always the short way round the circle. A result under about 8 means the two planets meet the commonly used orb. Venus at 12 and Mars at 17 give 5 degrees. A planet at 359 and one at 2 give 357, which is 3 degrees the short way.
3. Check both sides of a sign boundary
A planet at 29 degrees of one sign and another at 2 degrees of the next are only 3 degrees apart. Look for these across all twelve boundaries.
4. Note which planet is faster
The faster body, often the Moon, Mercury, Venus or Mars, sets the applying or separating label, and it is the one that carries the contact toward the slower planet.
Conjunction compared with the other aspects
A conjunction is the only aspect with an angle of zero, so it is also the only one that puts both planets in the same place, usually in the same house. Every other aspect links two different places in the chart. For that reason conjunctions are often listed first in aspect tables, and some astrologers call it the seed from which the other angles grow, since every aspect is a division of the 360 degree circle that starts at the conjunction.
Read the neighbours too. The sextile, square, trine and opposition each describe a different relationship between two separate signs, and the quincunx adds one more that is more awkward to classify. The aspects hub lays all six side by side.
Find it in your own chart
A symbol or an aspect only means something against a whole chart. Look up your placements, then read the planets in their signs and the houses they fall in.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean when planets are conjunct?
It means the two planets are at nearly the same zodiac degree, within the allowed orb. Astrologers read it as a blending of the two functions, strongest when the orb is tight.
Is a conjunction good or bad?
Neither on its own. The tradition says a conjunction amplifies whatever the two planets represent, so the result depends on the pair and on the sign, house and other aspects around it.
Can two planets be conjunct in different signs?
Yes, when they sit on either side of a sign boundary and are still within orb. Some astrologers call this an out-of-sign conjunction and read it as less fused than one inside a single sign.
What is the difference between conjunct and conjunction?
Conjunction is the noun for the aspect and conjunct is the adjective: Venus conjunct Mars describes the same thing as a Venus Mars conjunction.
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