The time of day someone is born has a big impact on their personality. Because the sun is the central star of our solar system, the astrological sun is a key energy in people's personalities. Individuals born when the sun is at or near its peak (noon) have big, bold, outgoing personalities. Their personalities reflect characteristics of the sun at that time of day (strong, powerful, direct). These people are born to lead and be seen. They often become performers or CEOs and can definitely become famous or influential. Sunrise and sunset are two other potent times to be born re: the sun's influence. Sunrise tends to create cheerful, blooming sorts of personalities (as that is the nature of the sun at that time), and sunset babies tend to have a sort of low key dazzle, similar to the sublime energy (and light show) at that time of day.
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I've made a loose observation that people born during the morning (esp sunrise to noon) are more likely to be "morning people", and people born at night (esp sunset to midnight) are more likely to be "night owls". People born early in the morning (around 5am, for example) often like to get up around their birth time. None of these observations holds 100% of the time, but there does seem to be a correlation, which is interesting. People often feel most at home, most themselves close to the hour when they were actually born. It's a personal power hour. This is true for day or night babies. .
Where's YOUR Sun??
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Night babies have the sun located in the bottom half of their astrology charts. This part of the chart is more private, personal, internal, and introverted. The upper half (the day side) of the chart is more social, relational, external, and extroverted. Having the sun in the bottom of the chart naturally makes someone more sensitive, reserved, reflective, and receptive. Being more reflective = being more like the moon. Being more sensitive means they may be able to pick up on subtle energies within themselves (and their charts)(like their moon sign) that day-born people might miss or not be able to distinguish as clearly.
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Essentially, the impact of the sun is muted in the charts of people born at night. The sun is on the other side of the planet when they were born. They entered this world, this dimension in the more soothing star-filled energy of night. Thus, night babies have a subtle gentleness or indirectness compared to day babies. Because the impact of their sun is dialed down, the relative impact of the moon is a little stronger or more obvious. This is especially true for Cancer-risings, who are ruled by the moon. Day-born Cancer risings (or day-born Cancer sun signs) will also feel their moon more than other day-born signs, but night-born Cancer risings (or Cancers) do tend to have an especially strong connection to their moon, especially if it is in the 4th house (the natural house of Cancer and the moon). .
Special Cases...
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Astrology can get VERY nuanced, however. Individuals with Leo rising who have their sun below the horizon (night babies) can still be pretty outgoing, for example, as can anyone with the sun in trine (120 degree connection) to the ascendant (which can happen from below or above the horizon). I find that those with a below-horizon trine of the sun to ascendant tend to be intermittently outgoing and intermittently introverted or reserved (an introverted-extrovert). I have this aspect in my chart, and it is definitely true for me. They need more alone time/time for reflection compared to those with tines from sun to ascendant above the horizon. An additional interesting case is those born with sun in the 5th house. The 5th house is below the horizon (usually relates to a birth between 9-11 pm, depending on location and time of year), but it is the area of the chart associated with Leo (and ruled by the sun). So, people with their sun in the 5th house can be very outgoing, charming, fun-loving, and exuberant (many actors have this placement). They are "Leo-like ___ (fill in the blank with whatever their sun sign is)." (A Leo-like Scorpio, for example) And Leos are big and bold and center stage. They aren't like the moon. They are ruled by and more like the sun. So, a person born at night with a fifth house sun may be a little less likely to over-identify with their moon compared to someone with a second, third, fourth, or sixth house sun (other below-horizon chart locales). .
Sun in the first house is another special case. Because the 1st house is the house of self, personality, and appearance, having the sun in this location can make a person pretty bold, courageous, and outgoing, traits that are more sun-identified. Theirs is a destiny that includes working on themselves, exploring what they can be and do, and presenting themselves to the world. If the sun is very close to the ascendant line (sunrise babies) they will usually be quite extroverted and may even become a performer. Many famous people have this placement. Suns that are deeper in the first house (further away from the ascendant) are less outgoing/extroverted (less sun-identified), but they still are probably more outgoing than suns in most (except maybe the 5th) of the other below-horizon houses. .
When the sun is located directly down below (the 4th house), which happens with babies born near midnight, this places the sun in the classical Cancerian (moon-ruled) area of the chart. So of all the night-born babies, these are possibly the most likely to be highly influenced by and identified with the moon. They are a Cancer-like ___ (fill in the blank with whatever their sun sign is). (Cancer-like Leo, for example, a very paradoxical case!!) Since Cancer is ruled by the moon, then these people really do feel the moon much more strongly than others. They also take on Cancerian characteristics - they tend to be more maternal; they enjoy being at home; they are very strongly connected to their families (family of origin and family they create), they are domestic; they are sensitive, sentimental, and compassionate; they are emotional and attuned to the emotional needs of others. They can even be a bit (to very) moody. These are all characteristics usually associated with the moon in astrology. So, regardless of their sun sign, individuals born close to midnight with the sun in the 4th house will be more Cancerian and thus more aligned with the moon.
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How to be a bonafide MOONCHILD...
A night-born person with the moon on any of the angles (1st, 10th, 7th, 4th house cusps) will have an especially strong connection to their moon. This is because any planetary body on one of the angles is extra powerful in a person's chart. Day-born people with these placements will also still feel their moon more strongly than the average person. They will be more sensitive, more emotional, more intuitive, more perceptive, more compassionate, and more sentimental. Connection to home and family is usually strong with all of these moon placements, for those born in day or night. It is possible, however, that night-born people with angular moon placements (esp true for 1st and 4th house) do feel their moons extra strongly, however. Since the influence of their sun is muted, the relative impact of their extra-strong moon is greater. .
It's also possible that night-born people with moon in the upper hemisphere of the chart (corresponding to moon being up in the sky when they were born) may feel or notice their moon more clearly because their sun is muted in the bottom half of the chart, but the moon is located in a more extroverted, social (aka direct and obvious) part of the chart. This would be more true for 11th, 10th (very strong here, as mentioned above), 9th, 8th, and 7th houses than the 12th, which is a more subtle and complex (can feel hidden here) position for the moon. Day or night babies born with moon in the top half of their charts have the moon featuring more prominently in their public personalities, so indeed it may feel extra-strong if their sun is below, exerting its impact more subtly or internally. .
The moon phase at which a person is born is also relevant. It may be easier to feel the energy and relative impact (in a chart, on a personality) of the moon when a person is born when the moon is not in direct challenging aspect to the sun (ie, in waxing or waning crescent phases). At the full moon the sun is directly opposite the moon, and there is a strong push/pull between the two forces, regardless of day or night birth. At the half moon (first and third quarter moons) there is a 90 degree (square) relationship between the sun and moon, still a strong connection. During new moons the sun and moon are conjunct (in alignment in the same sign). Sun and moon energies fuse in the personalities of new moon babies and are more difficult to distinguish or disentangle. Sun and moon work together in this person's karma and soul work, regardless of what time of day they were born. If born at night, however, it's possible the feminine (moon) side may be a bit more dominant since the sun will have muted potency. .
Summing It UP
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So, a day-birth emphasizes and externalizes the sun, and a night-birth somewhat mutes and internalizes the sun. This relative de-powering is not, however, absolute. Night babies still feel their suns, but because its relative impact is a little lower, they may feel their moon more strongly than many day-born people, especially if their moon is placed on one of the chart angles (IC, MC, AC, DC), their sun is in the 4th house, or they have Cancer-rising.
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Interesting, right? Look at your chart to see which of these things is true for you, and ponder if you feel more aligned with the warm and radiant sun or cool and reflective moon. For the record, I'm a night-born 5th house sun with a sun-ascendant trine. My moon is conjunct the IC (in the 4th house), and I have Cancer rising. That interesting combo of things makes me more sun-aligned than most night babies and more moon-aligned that most night or day babies. So, moon is my queen, but the sun keeps her spicy!
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What about you?? Where's your moon? Where's your sun? Anyone born at night who strongly identifies as a moonchild?? Anyone born during the day but still really favors the moon? I'd love to hear your story!! (Comment below!!)
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PS. Here's the MindBodyGreen article that inspired this post: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/how-your-birth-time-plays-role-in-your-astrological-moon-sign