Calculated point
Vertex in astrology
The Vertex is the point where the ecliptic crosses the prime vertical in the west, which makes it a genuine angle of the chart rather than an invented one, even though it is not one of the four everybody knows. It is usually read as the place other people arrive from.
How old this reading is
Mid twentieth century, from L. Edward Johndro and Charles Jayne
Also called: the third angle.
Vertex at a glance
| What it is | An angle: where the ecliptic meets the prime vertical in the west |
|---|---|
| Cycle | Moves with the Earth's rotation, a full circuit each day |
| Time in a sign | Varies with latitude, and unstable in the far north and south |
| Retrograde | Not applicable |
| Requires | An accurate birth time and place |
| Governs | Encounters, other people, what arrives rather than what is chosen |
Arithmetic rather than astronomy. These are positions derived from other positions, so they depend entirely on an accurate birth time and are meaningless without one.
What the Vertex is read as
The common reading is fated encounters: the Vertex marks where things happen to you through other people rather than by your own initiative. It is most used in synastry, where a partner's planet sitting on your Vertex is read as a meeting with a sense of inevitability about it.
This is a modern idea, developed by L. Edward Johndro and Charles Jayne in the mid twentieth century, and it is not universally accepted. Plenty of competent astrologers ignore the Vertex entirely. It is included here because it is standard in the software people compare against, not because the site is asserting it works.
Where it stops behaving
The Vertex is only well defined in the middle latitudes. Above about 66 degrees north or south, the geometry degenerates and the position becomes unstable or undefined.
For anybody born well inside those limits it behaves normally. It is worth knowing about because a chart calculated for a far northern birthplace can show a Vertex that swings wildly for a small change in birth time.
Frequently asked questions
- What does the Vertex mean in astrology?
- It is read as a point of encounter: things that arrive through other people rather than through your own action. It is used mostly in relationship comparisons and is a modern rather than a traditional technique.
- Is the Vertex the same as the Descendant?
- No. Both are in the western half of the chart, and they are different points. The Descendant is opposite the Ascendant on the horizon; the Vertex is where the ecliptic crosses the prime vertical.
Where is your Vertex?
None of this describes you until you know where your Vertex actually sits. Every chart on this site now includes it, calculated from the Swiss Ephemeris alongside the ten planets.
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