Opposition: 180° and the Orb

The geometric relationship

An aspect uses the shorter circular distance between two ecliptic longitudes. The exact target for a opposition is 180°. A difference exceeding 180° is subtracted from 360°. This also handles placements across the 0°/360° boundary correctly. A general relationship between signs and an exact degree-based aspect are different layers.

Orb: distance from exactness

For example, take longitudes of 12° and 190°. Their shorter separation is 178°, making the orb from the opposition target 2°. Starmora uses a 8° limit for this aspect, capped at 3° for pairs containing a lunar node. This is a method convention rather than calculation error or a rule shared by every astrologer.

Symbolic interpretation

An opposition is a relationship near 180° across the wheel. Symbolically it creates a view between two perspectives, poles or reciprocal needs. It does not make one side right and the other wrong. Rather than assigning an entire pole to another person, explore where both themes occur in your own experience.

Natal, transit and synastry

A natal aspect relates two bodies at birth. A transit relates a body at the chosen time to a natal position; synastry relates the natal positions of two people. The same aspect name does not make these contexts identical. The orb alone cannot establish applying or separating motion: direction and change over time must also be calculated.

Read the line alongside the interpretation

The chart connection joins the actual longitude points rather than necessarily the centres of symbols displaced for readability. The table shows separation and orb separately. A near-limit aspect can change inclusion with a small input difference. First identify the connected bodies, then add their signs and houses.

Write two wishes you hold about one subject separately. Ask under what conditions each is reasonable. Instead of erasing one, look for a way to organise time and boundaries so both can be acknowledged.