How Precise Does Your Birth Time Need To Be To Calculate Your Birth Chart?

Your birthday will tell you your sun sign in astrology, but as for the rest of your natal chart, you'll need to know what time you were born. Whether you've had to text your mom out of the blue asking if she remembers, or double-check your birth certificate, you may have wondered, does it really need to be down to the minute? To find out, we consulted mbg's resident astrologists, the AstroTwins.

Just a few minutes difference can change a lot, they add, noting that they themselves were actually born four minutes apart and have one slight variation in their charts. They add they have other friends who are also twins, born 10 minutes apart, who have different rising signs—which will result in a completely different outward personality and appearance, according to astrology.

Of course, in this case, you'd want to look at a few different times within that window to scope out what resonates. And even if you do have your rising sign pegged, the entirety of the chart may not be totally accurate: "You may have planets placed in the wrong houses of your chart," the twins add.

Or, if you're up for it, the twins suggest writing to the Office of Vital Records in your birth state for a copy of your certificate, or you could try reaching out to the hospital you were born in as well, to see if they have a record of your birth.

Knowing the exact time you were born is the fastest and most reliable way of mapping an accurate natal chart, but if you don't have it down to the minute, you can still receive good readings and insight into your own astrological makeup.