Solar Return Planets Aspects API

Solar Return Planets Aspects

Returns the internal planetary aspects within a Western Solar Return chart for a given year — the dedicated aspect analysis layer of the Solar Return endpoint suite. While the Solar Return Details endpoint includes aspects as part of a broader consolidated response, this endpoint focuses exclusively on the aspect relationships between the Solar Return chart's own planets, making it the appropriate choice when the internal aspect structure of the annual chart is the primary subject of analysis or when aspect data needs to be retrieved independently of planetary positions and house cusps.

What This API Does

This endpoint accepts an individual's birth details, their current geographic location for the target year, the desired solar return year (solarYear), and an aspectsType filter, then computes the precise moment of the Sun's return to its natal tropical degree and calculates all qualifying aspects between the planets in the Solar Return chart at that exact moment. The Solar Return chart is cast for the individual's current location (cLat, cLon, cTzone) rather than their birth location, following standard Western Solar Return practice. The aspectsType parameter controls the scope of the aspect set returned — all includes both major and minor aspects, major returns only the five classical major aspects (conjunction, sextile, square, trine, opposition), and none suppresses aspect data entirely, which is useful when only the Solar Return moment confirmation is needed.

Data Returned

The response provides a complete Solar Return internal aspect dataset:

• Solar Return planet-to-planet aspects — all qualifying aspects formed between pairs of planets within the Solar Return chart itself, representing the internal dynamic tensions and harmonies of the annual chart

• Aspect type — the name and symbol of each aspect (conjunction, sextile, square, trine, opposition, and minor aspects when aspectsType is set to all)

• Aspecting and aspected planets — the two planets forming each aspect, identifying the planetary pair whose energies are in dynamic relationship within the Solar Return chart

• Orb — the exact degree of separation between the two planets from the precise aspect angle, indicating how tightly the aspect is formed and therefore how strongly it is considered to operate

• Applying or separating status — whether each aspect is applying (the two planets are moving toward exact aspect) or separating (they have passed the exact angle and are moving apart), a key interpretive distinction in Solar Return analysis

• Aspect nature — whether each aspect is considered harmonious, challenging, or neutral in Western astrological interpretation

• Solar Return moment — the precise date, time, and timezone of the Sun's exact return to its natal tropical degree, confirming the moment for which the aspects are calculated

Main Use Cases

• Solar Return internal aspect analysis — accessing the complete set of aspects within the Solar Return chart as the primary subject of analysis, identifying the dominant planetary dialogues and dynamic tensions that characterize the annual chart's internal structure

• Major aspect filtering — using aspectsType: major to retrieve only the five classical major aspects for a cleaner, more focused analysis, particularly useful for practitioners who work exclusively with major aspects in Solar Return interpretation

• Applying aspect prioritization — using the applying/separating status data to identify which Solar Return aspects are still building toward exactness, since applying aspects are generally considered more potent and forward-looking in annual chart interpretation

• Tight orb identification — using the orb data to identify the most tightly formed aspects in the Solar Return chart, which are considered the most powerful and defining influences of the solar year

• Solar Return chart interpretation — providing the aspect data needed to interpret the internal planetary dynamics of the Solar Return chart, identifying which planets are in strong dialogue and what themes those dialogues represent for the year ahead

• Aspect-based annual forecast generation — using the Solar Return internal aspects as a data source for automated annual forecast content, identifying the dominant aspect patterns (stellia, T-squares, grand trines, etc.) that shape the year's overall energy

• Comparative Solar Return analysis — running the endpoint for consecutive solarYear values to compare the internal aspect structures of Solar Return charts across multiple years, identifying years with particularly powerful or challenging aspect configurations

• Solar Return relocation aspect comparison — leveraging the separate current location inputs to compute Solar Return aspects for different geographic locations, examining how the internal aspect structure of the annual chart changes when the Solar Return is cast for different locations

Key Functionality

• Computes the precise Solar Return moment — the exact date and time when the Sun returns to its natal tropical degree for the target year — ensuring all aspects are calculated for the astronomically correct solar return instant

• Accepts separate current location inputs (cLat, cLon, cTzone) distinct from the birth location, correctly implementing the standard Western Solar Return practice of casting the chart for the individual's location at the time of the solar return

• Accepts a solarYear parameter to compute Solar Return aspects for any past, present, or future year, enabling historical review, current year analysis, and multi-year forward planning

• Provides an aspectsType filter (all, major, none) that controls the scope of the aspect set returned — enabling callers to retrieve all aspects including minor ones, restrict the response to the five classical major aspects only, or suppress aspect data entirely depending on the use case

• Returns applying and separating status for every aspect, enabling practitioners to distinguish between aspects that are still building in influence and those that have already peaked — a key interpretive distinction in Solar Return analysis

• Returns exact orb values for every aspect, enabling orb-based filtering and prioritization of the most tightly formed and therefore most influential aspects in the Solar Return chart

• Returns a focused aspect-only dataset — without planetary positions, house cusps, or cross-chart natal aspects — making it the efficient and purpose-built choice when the internal aspect structure of the Solar Return chart is the primary subject of analysis

• Supports a configurable house system via the X-House-Type header for consistency with other Solar Return endpoints, ensuring house-based aspect interpretations align with the house framework used across the suite

• Supports configurable lunar node type via the X-Node-Type header (mean or true nodes), ensuring node positions — and therefore aspects involving the nodes — reflect the caller's preferred calculation method

• Computes all planetary positions in the tropical zodiac, consistent with the Western Solar Return astrology framework

• Designed for localization — the Accept-Language header controls the language of planet names, aspect names, and all descriptive content in the response

• Serves as the dedicated internal aspect layer of the Western Solar Return endpoint suite, complementing the Solar Return Planets and Solar Return House Cusps endpoints by providing a focused, aspect-only response optimized for internal chart dynamic analysis and annual forecast interpretation