A horoscope gives you information about your basic personality, gifts, skills and challenges based on the astrological Sun Sign that you were born under. A full astrological Natal Chart reading incorporates all 10 planets and their different meanings into a very specific analysis of your life and current circumstances, while a horoscope reading looks just at one planet, the Sun. Your Sun Sign is determined by the day and month that you were born and where the Sun was in the sky during that particular time.

Because the Sun takes roughly a month to travel through each sign and there are 12 months and 12 signs, each one-month span is assigned a different sign; however, no one entire month is exclusive to one sign.

The sign that the Sun was traveling through during the day of your birth is known as the sign that you were born under or your "astrological Sun Sign." The Sun is just one of ten planets that astrology considers and is the planet that represents the part of the self that is more external and also represents the basic nature of an individual. Because most horoscopes are based only on the Sun Sign, these horoscopes generally give a forecast about how specific issues related to the Sun Sign play out in a person's chart.

As the planets move through the sky they periodically form distinct patterns in relation to each other. These patterns give information about the past, present, and future of each of the 12 astrological signs.

A horoscope is determined by an astrologer who analyzes these patterns and translates their meaning into useful insight. The time period that the astrologer looks at to gather information can be as little as one hour or as broad as an entire year, resulting in a range of horoscope options from the daily to a broader yearly overview.