What is Descendant in Western astrology?

Definition

The Descendant is the western horizon point of an astrological chart, directly opposite the eastern horizon point called the Ascendant, and it is normally the cusp of the 7th house in most house systems.

In plain words

The Descendant is the point on the western horizon that sits exactly opposite the Ascendant, the eastern horizon point also called the rising sign. In astrology it is the place where the Sun sets in the west, according to Wikipedia's disambiguation entry for Descendant. Because it lies directly across from the Ascendant, the Descendant is usually the cusp of the 7th house in most house systems, as the Wikipedia Horoscope article describes it.

Also asked as

• What is the Descendant astronomically?
• How is the Descendant calculated?
• Does the Descendant require an exact birth time?
• What is opposite the Descendant?

History

The Descendant's name and technical sense come from the Wikipedia Descendant disambiguation page, which lists it as an astrological point and separates it from the lineal sense of the word, where a lineal descendant is a consanguineous relative directly related to a person. In the astrological sense, the term names the western horizon point, and the Wikipedia Descendant page lists it under the same heading as the Ascendant. Readers who meet the word in older or newer texts should first check which sense the author means. The page also notes that the Descendant is known by other names in different sources, so a reader who sees the word in a chart book or software label should confirm the intended point before comparing charts.³

Quick timeline

1. Early record — The Descendant's name and technical sense come from the Wikipedia Descendant disambiguation page, which lists it as an astrological point and separates it from the lineal sense of the word, where a lineal descendant is a consanguineous relative directly related to a person. In the astrological sense, the term names the western horizon point, and the Wikipedia Descendant page lists it under the same heading as the Ascendant. Readers who meet the word in older or newer texts should first check which sense the author means. The page also notes that the Descendant is known by other names in different sources, so a reader who sees the word in a chart book or software label should confirm the intended point before comparing charts.³
2. Classical framework — William Lilly's Christian Astrology (published 1647) places the Seventh House as the Angle of the West and describes it as masculine, so the Seventh House marks the western angle opposite the Ascendant. Lilly calls it the Angle of the West and assigns it the haunches, navel to buttocks, in his description of the houses. This classical framing gives the Descendant its western place on the chart.⁵
3. Later transmission — In Lilly's Christian Astrology, the Seventh House governs marriage and describes the person inquired after, including wives, sweethearts, and public enemies, with Libra and the Moon as its cosignificators.⁵
4. Modern usage — The Wikipedia Horoscope article describes the Descendant as the point in the west diametrically opposing the Ascendant, normally the cusp of the 7th house. This modern reference frames the angle as a fixed position on the horizon that most house systems place at the start of the seventh house. Readers can use that definition as a starting point for comparing charts.⁴

What classical and modern sources say

Classical view

William Lilly's Christian Astrology (published 1647) places the Seventh House as the Angle of the West and describes it as masculine, so the Seventh House marks the western angle opposite the Ascendant. Lilly calls it the Angle of the West and assigns it the haunches, navel to buttocks, in his description of the houses. This classical framing gives the Descendant its western place on the chart.⁵

In Lilly's Christian Astrology, the Seventh House governs marriage and describes the person inquired after, including wives, sweethearts, and public enemies, with Libra and the Moon as its cosignificators.⁵

Modern view

The Wikipedia Horoscope article describes the Descendant as the point in the west diametrically opposing the Ascendant, normally the cusp of the 7th house. This modern reference frames the angle as a fixed position on the horizon that most house systems place at the start of the seventh house. Readers can use that definition as a starting point for comparing charts.⁴

The article's angle list identifies the Descendant as the Seventh House angle, also called the West Angle, with setting sign and DSC/DC as alternate labels.⁴

Astronomy and calculation

Horizon position

The Descendant is the western horizon point, opposite the eastern horizon point called the Ascendant. Wikipedia's Horoscope article describes it as the point in the west diametrically opposing the Ascendant.⁴³

House placement

The Wikipedia angle list identifies the Descendant as the Seventh House angle, also called the West Angle, with setting sign and DSC/DC as alternate labels. In most house systems it is normally the cusp of the 7th house.⁴

Classical name

William Lilly's Christian Astrology (published 1647) calls the Seventh House the Angle of the West and describes it as masculine, placing it opposite the Ascendant.⁵

Clock-face axis

In the article's clock-face comparison, the 1st house and 7th house sit at 9 and 3 o'clock, so the Descendant lies opposite the Ascendant across the horizontal east-west axis.⁴

The astronomy

In astrology, the Descendant is the western horizon-point directly opposite the eastern horizon, the point where the Sun sets in the west, according to Wikipedia's disambiguation entry for Descendant. Because the point sits on the horizon, it is tied to the same east-west line that marks where the Sun rises and sets. A reader can therefore picture the Descendant as the setting end of that line, with the Ascendant at the rising end.³

The Wikipedia Horoscope article describes the Descendant as the point in the west diametrically opposing the Ascendant, so the two horizon points form the ends of one east-west axis.⁴

Where astrologers differ

Wikipedia's Descendant disambiguation page lists the Descendant as an astrological point and notes it is also known as the Ascendant, though the Ascendant is also the rising sign. This shows that the same word can name the opposite horizon point in different sources, so a reader should check which sense is meant. The Wikipedia Horoscope article keeps the two points distinct as opposite ends of one axis. In the article's clock-face comparison, the 1st house and 7th house sit at 9 and 3 o'clock, so the Descendant lies opposite the Ascendant across the horizontal east-west axis.

Then and now

Then

William Lilly's Christian Astrology (published 1647) places the Seventh House as the Angle of the West and describes it as masculine, so the Seventh House marks the western angle opposite the Ascendant. Lilly calls it the Angle of the West and assigns it the haunches, navel to buttocks, in his description of the houses. This classical framing gives the Descendant its western place on the chart.⁵

Now

The Wikipedia Horoscope article describes the Descendant as the point in the west diametrically opposing the Ascendant, normally the cusp of the 7th house. This modern reference frames the angle as a fixed position on the horizon that most house systems place at the start of the seventh house. Readers can use that definition as a starting point for comparing charts.⁴

Worked out from the evidence

Reasoned from the cited facts, not stated outright by any one source.

Because the Descendant and Ascendant are opposite ends of one east-west axis, a chart reader who knows one horizon point can locate the other by stepping across the chart, which is why the 7th house cusp and 1st house cusp always sit 180 degrees apart in most house systems.

Lilly's seventh-house meanings of marriage and the person inquired after sit on the same horizon point that modern sources call the Descendant, so the classical and modern uses name one chart position under two vocabularies.

Not yet confirmed

• How Lilly's Christian Astrology handled the Descendant when the birth time was uncertain is not described in the sources, so the practice of checking time and place cannot be traced to his text.

Follow the parts of Descendant

Continue through Ascendant, Midheaven.

Questions people also ask

What is the Descendant astronomically?

In astrology the Descendant is the western horizon-point directly opposite the eastern horizon, the point where the Sun sets in the west, according to Wikipedia's disambiguation entry for Descendant.³

Does the Descendant require an exact birth time?

Lilly's Christian Astrology treats the Descendant as dependent on observation time and location, so an inaccurate birth time can change the calculated angle. Checking the time and place first keeps the position reliable.⁵

What is opposite the Descendant?

The Ascendant is opposite the Descendant, the eastern horizon point also called the rising sign. The Wikipedia Horoscope article describes the Descendant as the point in the west diametrically opposing the Ascendant, normally the cusp of the 7th house.³⁴

Method and review

Every statement about Descendant was checked against the wording of its 5 sources (Ptolemy (LacusCurtius), Encyclopaedia Britannica, Wikipedia and Lilly (Skyscript)), and its positions and boundaries were calculated with Astronomy Engine. How the Machine works.