Astrology is an amazing branch of science since it can predict our futures based on the placement of the heavenly bodies in the cosmos at different times. While most of us might not believe that astrology is a science or that it can really be used to predict the future correctly, almost all of us read our weekly horoscopes and have been through some kind of literature that talks about how sun signs influence our personalities. As the awareness about astrology is on an increase, finding people discussing ascendants and moon signs is becoming extremely common, and if you are one of those people who know nothing about what these things mean but do not want to be found wanting in front of your friends and relatives who are always talking about them, help is at hand with out little list of definitions of the most common astrological terms.

Sun Sign: The sun sign has been done to death by astrologers and laymen alike because of the ease with which a person's sun sign can be determined. All one needs to find out a person's sun sign is his or her date of birth and this is why people are always discussing sun signs every time they meet a stranger. Your sun sign is the sign of the zodiac where the sun was placed at the time of your birth. This is extremely easy to calculate since there are only twelve zodiac signs and the sun takes approximately a month to travel through each sign, so twelve months make for twelve sun signs. The sun sign is important because it influences an individual's personality and character to quite an extent and it is really easy to find out and understand why a person behaves in a certain manner if you know his or her sun sign.

Moon Sign: Your moon sign is the sign of the zodiac occupied by the moon when you were born. The moon sign is the astrological sign where the moon is placed at a person's time of birth. You can find out about your moon sign only by running your exact date and time of birth through an astrologer who will make the required calculations and tell you your moon sign. Apart from leaving its imprint on your personality and character, the moon sign reflects your emotional state and your emotional development. In adults, this influence manifests itself as emotional needs whose fulfillment a person will seek throughout his or her life.

Ascendant: A person's ascendant is the sign of the zodiac that was rising over the eastern horizon at the time of his or her birth. You will need to know your exact date and time of birth since the ascendant keeps changing almost every two hours. The ascendant reflects that part of your personality that is perceived by other people. It influences the way that you and other people around you see you as a person. Most people's personalities strongly show characteristics that have been imbibed due to their ascendant rather than being completely defined by their sun sign.