Herbie Hancock’s birth chart
Born 12 April 1940, in Chicago, Illinois. StarMap has no verified birth time yet.
Aries Sun · Gemini Moon
Herbie Hancock’s zodiac sign and chart, in brief
12 April 1940 was a Friday: the day Herbie Hancock was born in Chicago, Illinois. The Sun was in Aries, so Aries is their zodiac sign, with the Moon in Gemini. Herbie turns 86 in 2026. No verified birth time is on file for Herbie; the chart is cast for midday, without houses.
Of the ten planets, three are in fire signs, three in earth, three in air and one in water. By modality the count is five mutable, three fixed and two cardinal. Moon, Venus and Mars all fall in Gemini. No two planets sit closer to an exact angle than Sun and Jupiter: a conjunction, about 0.6° from exact at midday. Aspects to the Moon are not counted, because the Moon moves about thirteen degrees in a day. Neptune was retrograde. Pluto changed direction that day, turning direct, so whether it was retrograde at the birth depends on the hour. The Moon was a waxing crescent.
StarMap's dataset holds 21 other people born on 12 April, among them Montserrat Caballé, Lisa Gerrard and David Letterman.
See the sky the day Herbie was born: the stars over Chicago, Illinois, drawn as a star map with the date and the place beneath.
Herbie Hancock’s Sun, Moon and rising sign
Sun sign
Aries
about 22° Aries at midday
An Aries Sun starts things. For Herbie Hancock that points to energy that is direct and impatient with delay, and to feeling most like themselves when there is something to go first at. The work of this placement is finishing what the spark began.
Moon sign
Gemini
in this sign all day; the degree depends on the birth time
The Moon in Gemini processes feeling by naming it. For Herbie, talking, writing and switching perspective are likely ways to settle, and silence can make small worries loud. They probably need people who let them think out loud.
Rising sign
The rising sign changes about every two hours, so it cannot be known without a birth time. The table below shows which sign was rising over Chicago, Illinois, at each hour of the day.
Herbie Hancock’s rising sign, by birth time
StarMap has not verified a birth time for Herbie yet. It shows a birth time only when Astro-Databank rates it AA, A or B on the Rodden scale (AA from a birth certificate or record, A from the person, someone close to them or a news report, B from a biography). Until then, this is the rising sign for every possible time of birth on 12 April 1940, computed for Chicago, Illinois.
| Born around (local time) | Rising sign |
|---|---|
| 00:00 to 00:05 | Sagittarius rising |
| 00:05 to 01:55 | Capricorn rising |
| 01:55 to 03:20 | Aquarius rising |
| 03:20 to 04:30 | Pisces rising |
| 04:30 to 05:40 | Aries rising |
| 05:40 to 07:05 | Taurus rising |
| 07:05 to 08:55 | Gemini rising |
| 08:55 to 11:20 | Cancer rising |
| 11:20 to 13:55 | Leo rising |
| 13:55 to 16:25 | Virgo rising |
| 16:25 to 19:00 | Libra rising |
| 19:00 to 21:35 | Scorpio rising |
| 21:35 to 23:55 | Sagittarius rising |
| 23:55 to 24:00 | Capricorn rising |
Times are rounded to five minutes. Close to a boundary, a few minutes either way change the answer.
The chart wheel
Drawn for midday on 12 April 1940, with only the aspects that held all day. The Moon may stand up to eight degrees either side of where it is drawn. How to read a chart wheel
Placements
| Sun | 22° Aries 40' |
|---|---|
| Moon | Gemini |
| Mercury | 25° Pisces 05' |
| Venus | 8° Gemini 14' |
| Mars | 7° Gemini 15' |
| Jupiter | 22° Aries 02' |
| Saturn | 2° Taurus 50' |
| Uranus | 20° Taurus 17' |
| Neptune | 23° Virgo 23'℞ |
| Pluto | 0° Leo 36'turned direct that day |
| North Node | 19° Libra 59' |
| South Node | 19° Aries 59' |
Positions at midday, local time. Without a birth time there are no houses.
Herbie Hancock’s planets, sign by sign
Each planet by sign: what the placement is traditionally taken to mean, not a claim about Herbie Hancock’s private life.
With the Sun in Aries, Herbie Hancock's sense of purpose tends to come alive when there is a clear start line. They probably feel most like themselves pushing into something new, though that energy can burn hot and fade before the finish. The typical pattern is a project launched with excitement, then handed off once the routine sets in.
The Moon in Gemini runs its daily habits on conversation and mental stimulation, and Herbie is likely to settle by talking a worry through rather than sitting with it quietly. A day with no one to talk to can leave them restless. The habit is to message a friend the moment something comes to mind, before deciding what to think about it.
Mercury in Pisces thinks in images and impressions more than straight lines, and Herbie is likely to communicate through metaphor, tone and instinct rather than clean argument. Explaining a conclusion they nonetheless feel certain about can be the struggle. It is the kind of mind that knows something is off before it can say why.
Venus in Gemini loves through conversation, wit and mental connection, and tends to find a dull partner harder to stay with than a challenging one. Herbie probably values variety and being kept interested. Attention may wander with this Venus, and that can be treated as more serious than it is. Banter is the natural way to flirt here, more than anything more direct.
With Mars in Gemini, Herbie is likely to act through words, argument and quick manoeuvring rather than force, and anger to come out sharp and verbal. Arguments can be won without the conflict underneath ever being resolved. A disagreement can still be under debate long after the other person just wants it to end.
Jupiter in Aries
22° Aries 02' at midday
growth and excess
Jupiter in Aries grows through bold, direct action and taking the first step before feeling fully ready. Herbie's overreach, on this reading, is starting more than can realistically be finished. A burst of confidence tends to get a new venture off the ground, whether or not the groundwork is in place.
Saturn in Taurus gathers its discipline around security and the things a person relies on, and Herbie is likely to take very little for granted. The doubt is a fear that stability could disappear, even when it clearly has not. This placement likes to know what things cost before committing, and tends to stay careful even in steady times.
Uranus in Taurus
20° Taurus 17' at midday
freedom, generational
Uranus in Taurus is a generational placement that Herbie shares with many people born within a few years. That generation rethinks ownership, land and what security means, often through technology that unsettles older arrangements. Personally, that may be a reluctance to prize things simply because an older generation did.
Neptune in Virgo
23° Virgo 23' at midday ℞
imagination, generational
Neptune moves slowly, so Herbie shares its place in Virgo with people born years either side. The imagination of this generation turns towards service, craft and idealised routines of self-improvement. In one life it can mean chasing an impossibly perfect daily practice.
Pluto in Leo
0° Leo 36' at midday
power, generational
Pluto in Leo is held by a whole generation, one that transforms ideas of individual power, leadership and fame. At a personal scale, for Herbie, it can be a charged relationship with authority and with who gets to hold the spotlight.
Aspects in Herbie Hancock’s chart
How the planets stand to each other, tightest first. Without a birth time the orbs are those at midday, and aspects to the Moon are left out because the Moon moves about thirteen degrees in a day.
Sun conjunction Jupiter
about 0.6° at midday
Herbie Hancock's identity carries a natural optimism and a generous sense of scale, so they tend to think bigger than the room requires. Confidence comes easily with the Sun conjunct Jupiter, and the discipline worth building is matching that optimism with follow-through.
Venus conjunction Mars
about 1.0° at midday
With Venus conjunct Mars, affection and drive are closely linked, so, for Herbie, wanting something and going after it are likely to feel like one impulse. The aspect brings plenty of romantic and creative energy; its test is letting the wanting outlast the first chase.
Mercury opposition Neptune
about 1.7° at midday
Under Mercury opposite Neptune, clear thinking competes with the lure of an appealing story or a hopeful assumption. Checking conclusions against plain evidence keeps Herbie on firm ground, without asking them to give up the imagination that makes their thinking interesting in the first place.
Saturn square Pluto
about 2.2° at midday
Saturn square Pluto sets the need for control against the instinct for transformation, and Herbie may grip a structure most tightly at the very moment it needs to change. Each old form that is let go leaves a strength behind that is more real than the grip was.
Mercury trine Pluto
about 5.5° at midday
Herbie's thinking and depth support each other, which gives them a natural ability to work through complex or hidden material without getting overwhelmed. With Mercury trine Pluto, research and difficult conversations both come easily, and Herbie can stay with a hard subject long after others have looked away.
One more aspect, listed without a reading. It is between two of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, whose aspects hold for years at a time, so everyone born while it holds shares it.
- Uranus trine Neptuneabout 3.1°
Aries Sun and Gemini Moon, like Herbie Hancock
Also born on 12 April
How this page is made
Planet positions are computed with the astronomy-engine ephemeris and checked against Swiss Ephemeris. Birth dates and places come from Wikidata; birth times, where StarMap has one, come from Astro-Databank and are shown with their Rodden rating. The readings describe what a placement is traditionally taken to mean. They are written by StarMap for reflection and entertainment, not as statements about the person’s private life. New to charts? How to read a birth chart.
Birth data: Wikidata. StarMap has not verified a birth time yet. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).
StarMap is for entertainment and self-reflection. It does not predict health, money or legal outcomes.