What is a quincunx?
It is 150 degrees: half a turn minus one sign. It is the only one of the six in which the two planets have nothing in common — neither element nor mode. Fire with water and cardinal with mutable, for instance. That is why it is called minor: not because it matters less, but because tradition took it in after the first five, and with a much tighter orb.
An aspect is the distance between two planets measured on the wheel of the zodiac. When that distance falls close to an angle the tradition recognises, the two are said to form an aspect — and that is what links one part of the chart to another. The whole logic is in what an aspect is.
How common the quincunx is
I measured 200,000 charts drawn at random between 1930 and 2025, with the same orbs this site uses to cast charts and with the engine’s own rule: each pair of planets forms one one aspect, the tightest one.
| Aspect | Angle | Average per chart | Charts that have at least one | Of the five major ones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | 90° | 2.90 | 93.5% | 23.4% |
| Sextile | 60° | 2.82 | 94.1% | 22.8% |
| Trine | 120° | 2.68 | 92.9% | 21.6% |
| Conjunction | 0° | 2.47 | 93.9% | 19.9% |
| Opposition | 180° | 1.52 | 73.0% | 12.3% |
| Quincunx | 150° | 0.93 | 58.2% | — |
It is the least frequent of the six: an average of 0.93 per chart, and only 58.2% of people have any. The cause is not the angle — 150 degrees are two places on the wheel, like the trine. It is the orb: the quincunx uses three degrees when the Sun or the Moon is involved, against eight for the square. It is tight on purpose, and that is why it does not count among the five major aspects.
And there is a number the table shows that almost no astrology text says out loud: 58.2% of charts have at least one quincunx. Having one does not set many people apart. Not having one sets you apart more: that is 41.8% of charts. And what really distinguishes is WHICH planets it links, and which houses they are in.
How the quincunx feels
The quincunx links what has nothing in common, and it is the only aspect that does not resolve: there is no synthesis possible between two functions that share neither language nor rhythm. What tradition describes is permanent adjustment — the person neither picks between the two sides nor joins them; she keeps patching. It usually shows up as that subject that comes back for a whole lifetime and is never finished.
The limit is worth saying: these are tendencies, not a verdict. An aspect describes how two functions of the chart talk to each other — it does not foretell events, diagnoses nobody and decides nothing for you.
Four quincunxes that show up a lot
The aspect on its own says almost nothing: what gives it a subject are the two planets. These four pairs are among the most common, and they show how the same geometry changes face:
| The pair | How it usually shows up |
|---|---|
| Sun–Moon | who you are and what you need do not speak to each other; it usually looks like tiredness with no cause |
| Moon–Saturn | emotion and limit in different languages — wanting to be held and believing you may not |
| Venus–Pluto | taste and intensity with no bridge; it attracts what does not suit and knows it |
| Mars–Neptune | will and imagination out of step; the energy vanishes when the target appears |
Notice that the angle is the same in all four and the subject is completely different. That is why "I have a quincunx" is not a reading — it is the start of one.
The pairs that never form a quincunx
Six pairs never form a quincunx — the same list as the opposition, and for the same two reasons. The three inner ones do not get far enough from the Sun: Mercury stops at 27.8°, Venus at 47.2°, and between themselves they reach 73.8°. The three outer ones move too slowly: Uranus and Neptune reached 145.9° and never passed 150; Neptune and Pluto never left the band between 42.6° and 65.3°.
This is not a rule of one school: it is the orbits of the planets. And it is a useful check at home — if a site shows one of those pairs with this aspect, it is not calculating the sky.
The orb decides whether it counts
Two planets almost never fall on the exact angle. The orb is the leeway allowed: how far off the angle the aspect can be and still count. And it does not belong to the aspect alone — it depends on who forms it.
This site uses a wider orb for the Sun and the Moon, a narrower one for the outer planets, and takes the average of the two. Measured across the same 200,000 charts: when a quincunx happens, the average distance to the exact angle is 1.18°. That is, the tight aspect is far more common than the one on the edge — and your chart shows the exact distance of each, instead of only the name.
See the quincunxes in your chart — the chart is free and comes out at once, with date, time and city. It lists every aspect with the two planets, the orb and the exact distance. Generate my chart for free.
The quincunx in your chart
The question that matters is not how many you have: it is where they fall. An aspect between two planets in the 10th house speaks of work and reputation; the same aspect between the same planets in the 4th speaks of home and family. The house depends on the hour and city of birth, and it is what turns geometry into a reading.
The two texts that carry on from here are what an astrological house is, which explains the twelve areas, and what the birth chart is, which puts the whole picture together.
Frequently asked questions about the quincunx
Does the quincunx really matter?
It is a minor aspect, which means a smaller orb and not smaller importance. The practical difference is that it has to be much closer to the exact angle to count: when a quincunx happens on this site, the average distance to the exact 150 degrees is 1.18°, against 3.22° for a square. In other words — when it shows up, it is tight, and a tight aspect is an aspect you feel.
How many quincunxes does a chart usually have?
On average 0.93, measured across 200,000 charts drawn at random between 1930 and 2025 with the orbs this site uses. And 58.2% of charts have at least one — so having none, which is the case for 41.8%, is the less common of the two. What says most about the person is WHICH planets it joins.
What is the orb of the quincunx?
It depends on the two planets, not on the aspect alone. This site uses a wider orb for the Sun and the Moon and a narrower one for the outer planets, and takes the average of the two. When a quincunx actually happens, the average distance to the exact angle is 1.18° — well inside the limit, because a tight aspect is more common than one on the edge.
Does the quincunx show up in everyone’s chart?
No. 58.2% of charts have at least one, so 41.8% have none — and that is real information about the person, not a flaw in the calculation.
Questions for people just starting out
The quincunx in brief
- Angle 150 degrees
- Average per chart 0.93
- Charts that have it 58.2%
- Of the five major ones —%
- What it does links what has nothing in common
The quincunx links what has nothing in common. What it links is what decides the subject, and that your chart answers. See yours free here.
