- Symbol
- ⚷︎ (U+26B7)
- Orbit
- about 50.7 years
- Found
- 1 November 1977
- Between
- Saturn and Uranus
Not a planet, but listed in most charts
Chiron was found by the astronomer Charles Kowal on 1 November 1977, on photographic plates taken at Palomar Observatory in California. At first it was classed as an asteroid, then as a comet because it showed a faint cloud, and it is now filed as a centaur, the name for icy bodies on orbits that cross those of the giant planets. Its path is tilted and stretched, and it swings from just inside the orbit of Saturn to near the orbit of Uranus once every 50.7 years or so.
Because of that orbit, astrologers who use it describe Chiron as a bridge between the inner planets, which are personal, and the outer ones, which are generational. The glyph appeared in astrological circles in the years after the discovery.
What kind of body Chiron is
Astronomers file Chiron under two numbers, 2060 Chiron as a minor planet and 95P/Chiron as a comet, because it behaves a little like each. It is the first of the centaurs to be found and still the best known. The class takes its name from the same myth: a body between the worlds of rocky planets and icy comets, as the centaur was part human and part horse. Its diameter is only a couple of hundred kilometres, far smaller than any planet, which is why chart software often leaves it out.
What the glyph and name are tied to
| Element | What it is |
|---|---|
| The key | The glyph is read as a key, which the tradition connects with opening a door into something that has been closed off. |
| The letter | One common account reads the figure as a K set on a circle, the K being the initial of Kowal, the discoverer. |
| The name | Chiron is the centaur of Greek myth, teacher of heroes and a healer, who gave up immortality after being wounded by an arrow. |
| The theme | Astrologers who use Chiron call it the wounded healer: someone whose own hurt becomes the source of their skill in helping others. |
How astrologers use it
1. Find the sign and house
Chiron stays in a sign from about 1.5 to 8 years, so its sign is shared across an age group, and its house is the personal part. The house is read as an area of life in which the person has to learn something by doing it.
2. Check the aspects
Close aspects from the Sun, Moon or ascendant are given the most weight, as with other minor points.
3. Look for the return
At around age 50 to 51 Chiron comes back to its birth position, an event called the Chiron return, read as a point of looking back over one's own history.
Notation and caution
- Unicode places it among the miscellaneous symbols as CHIRON, U+26B7 (⚷︎).
- Some fonts draw it with a heavier circle at the foot, and the shape can look different from font to font.
- The mythic theme is symbolism, and the page makes no claim about anyone's health or history.
- The birth chart calculator on this site lists the Sun and the planets and does not include Chiron, so use an ephemeris that does.
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 is the symbol for Chiron?
A key, ⚷︎, at Unicode U+26B7.
Is Chiron a planet?
No. It is a small icy body of the centaur type, and astrology treats it as a point of reference alongside the planets.
What is the Chiron return?
The moment Chiron returns to its birth position, at around age 50 or 51.
How long does Chiron stay in a sign?
Between about a year and a half and eight years, since its stretched orbit makes it fast in some signs and slow in others. That uneven pace is unlike the steady progress of Saturn.
Why do some charts leave Chiron out?
Because it is a small icy body and not one of the classical planets. Many chart programs list only the Sun, Moon and planets by default, and Chiron is an optional extra.
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