✦ Free Fixed Star Calculator — 277 Stars
Umbriel checks your chart against 277 fixed stars, with positions computed from SIMBAD and cross-checked against a second source. Free, in your browser, no account — and it tells you which stars carry a written meaning and which are position only.
- What you'll needBirth date, time and place
- What you getEvery fixed star touching a planet or angle in your chart, with its exact orb, magnitude and constellation
- CostFree — no account required
Runs in your browser. Nothing to install, nothing to set up.
What it actually is
Fixed stars are the stars themselves, as opposed to the planets that wander among them. Astrologically they are read as sharp, specific and unforgiving — a planet sitting on a bright star is said to take on that star's character much more narrowly than a sign or house placement does.
They are not actually fixed. Precession drags them forward through the tropical zodiac at about one degree every seventy-two years, which is why a star's listed position is always tied to an epoch. Umbriel computes each position for your own date rather than quoting a table.
⚠️ Umbriel carries 277 stars, and only 37 of them have a written meaning. The page says so on the star itself rather than filling the gap with invented copy. The other 240 are given as accurate positions, magnitude and constellation, and nothing more — which is a real answer, and better than a confident sentence somebody made up.
The positions were built from SIMBAD and then cross-checked against a second independent source. Nine stars disagreed between the two beyond an acceptable margin and were dropped rather than averaged, because averaging two sources that disagree produces a number neither of them supports.
How Umbriel computes it
Star positions were built from SIMBAD, the astronomical reference database, and then cross-checked against a second independent source. Nine stars where the two disagreed beyond an acceptable margin were dropped rather than averaged — averaging two sources that disagree produces a figure neither of them supports. Each star's position is then precessed to your own birth date rather than quoted at a fixed epoch, since the whole catalogue drifts about a degree every seventy-two years. Parans are computed from actual rising, setting and culmination times at your birth latitude, which is a different calculation from conjunction by longitude and gives different answers.
What's in your result
- Every star touching your chartConjunctions to planets and angles, within a tight orb.
- The exact orbIn degrees and minutes, so you can judge how close it really is.
- Magnitude and constellationHow bright the star is and where it sits, since brightness is traditionally part of the reading.
- A written meaning where one existsFor 37 of the 277 — and the page says plainly when there is not one.
- ParansThe stars rising, setting or culminating with your planets, which is a separate technique from conjunction by longitude.
Common questions
What are fixed stars in astrology?
The stars themselves rather than the planets. A planet conjunct a bright star is traditionally read as taking on that star's specific character, in a much narrower way than a sign placement.
How many fixed stars does Umbriel check?
277, with positions computed for your own date. 37 of them carry a written meaning; the rest are given as position, magnitude and constellation only, and the page says which is which.
Are fixed stars really fixed?
No. Precession moves them through the tropical zodiac at roughly one degree every seventy-two years, so a position is only meaningful with a date attached.
What orb should I use for a fixed star?
Much tighter than for a planet — commonly one degree or less, and some practitioners use a fraction of that for all but the brightest stars. Umbriel shows the exact orb so you can decide.
Why does Umbriel only interpret 37 of the 277?
Because those are the ones with a written meaning behind them rather than a guess. The remaining 240 are given as accurate position, magnitude and constellation, with the page saying so. Filling the gap with invented copy would make the tool look more complete and be worth less.
Is the fixed star calculator free?
Yes — all 277 stars, the parans, and the written meanings where they exist, with no account.
Go deeper
Each of these is a free tool in its own right.
Umbriel offers every system here as a set of prompts to think with, never as a statement of fact about who you are. Take what's useful, leave the rest.