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Aspects and orbs: how astrologers measure angles

Aspects are specific angles between two planets, measured along the ecliptic. The five classical (Ptolemaic) aspects: conjunction (0°, fusion), sextile (60°, easy cooperation), square (90°, friction), trine (120°, effortless flow), opposition (180°, confrontation and balance).

Planets are almost never at the exact angle, so astrologers allow an orb, a tolerance band. StarScore uses 6° for conjunctions, squares, trines and oppositions, and 4° for sextiles, and always publishes the orb so you can see how tight a claim is. An aspect at 0.2° orb is a loud signal; the same aspect at 5° is background hum. Tighter is stronger: when we rank a day's aspects, orb is the sort key.

Applying aspects (still tightening) are conventionally read as stronger than separating ones. StarScore does not currently label that distinction: generated transit dates are the closest noon-UTC sample in a daily scan, not an exact-to-the-minute zero-orb time. Jyotisha uses a different aspect system (graha drishti by house count) which the kundli pages describe separately.