Composer & ornithologist

Olivier Messiaen

Transcribed birdsong across four continents and built it into his music, and wrote the Quartet for the End of Time in a prisoner of war camp for the four instruments available.

Born1908-12-10, Avignon, FranceA Thursday
Died1992-04-27, Clichy, FranceA Monday, aged 83
At birthSun in Sagittarius, Moon in Cancer

Birth Chart

1908-12-10, Avignon, France · time unknown, noon chart

Europe/Paristhe zone used then

Ordered-orbit layout: angles come from chart longitudes; orbit radii are fixed by planet order. Moon orbits Earth.

SunMercuryVenusEarthMoonMarsJupiterSaturnUranusNeptunePluto
Planetary placements
BodySignDegreeMotion
SunSagittarius18°03′Direct
MoonCancer18°38′Direct
MercurySagittarius10°28′Direct
VenusScorpio14°45′Direct
MarsScorpio9°45′Direct
JupiterVirgo13°52′Direct
SaturnAries3°22′Direct
UranusCapricorn15°21′Direct
NeptuneCancer16°26′Retrograde
PlutoGemini24°57′Retrograde

This is Olivier Messiaen's chart for 1908-12-10, the day they were born. Cast your own birth chart.

Death Chart

1992-04-27, Clichy, France · time unknown, noon chart

Europe/Paristhe zone used then

Ordered-orbit layout: angles come from chart longitudes; orbit radii are fixed by planet order. Moon orbits Earth.

SunMercuryVenusEarthMoonMarsJupiterSaturnUranusNeptunePluto
Planetary placements
BodySignDegreeMotion
SunTaurus7°23′Direct
MoonPisces4°50′Direct
MercuryAries10°34′Direct
VenusAries24°47′Direct
MarsPisces23°28′Direct
JupiterVirgo4°38′Retrograde
SaturnAquarius17°42′Direct
UranusCapricorn18°00′Retrograde
NeptuneCapricorn18°56′Retrograde
PlutoScorpio21°58′Retrograde

This is Olivier Messiaen's chart for 1992-04-27, the day they died, cast the same way a birth chart is cast. Cast one for any recorded date. It predicts nothing: the date is one you already have.

Their Astrocartography

Where each planet sat on one of the four angles at the moment Olivier Messiaen was born. Tap a line to read what the tradition associates with it.

The birth time is unknown, so this map is cast for noon. The SHAPE of it is right and the whole pattern slides east or west with the real time, so treat the longitudes as approximate.

Sun MCSun ICSun ACSun DCMoon MCMoon ICMoon ACMoon DCMercury MCMercury ICMercury ACMercury DCVenus MCVenus ICVenus ACVenus DCMars MCMars ICMars ACMars DCJupiter MCJupiter ICJupiter ACJupiter DCSaturn MCSaturn ICSaturn ACSaturn DCUranus MCUranus ICUranus ACUranus DCNeptune MCNeptune ICNeptune ACNeptune DCPluto MCPluto ICPluto ACPluto DC
Ring, where you were bornTap a line for what it meansZoom with the buttons · full screen to pinch, drag and rotate

Ten planets on four angles is forty lines, which is more than the interactive tool opens with on purpose. Draw your own map to choose which planets to show.

Charts are computed from real planetary positions (Swiss Ephemeris) for the recorded moment and place. Recorded times can carry small uncertainties; treat house and ascendant placements accordingly.