astrootldr
Orbit schematic - North Node highlightedEarth

North Node

point · cycle 6,798 days

Dignities

Rules
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Hellenistic tradition

The lunar nodes (Rahu/Ketu in Vedic tradition; Caput/Cauda Draconis in medieval Western) mark eclipse points.

Modern Western reading

Modern Western astrology reads the North Node as a direction of growth in evolutionary frameworks.

Questions

How long does the North Node take to go through the zodiac?
About 18.6 years (6,798 days) for one full circuit as seen from Earth. That is the synodic figure this site computes ephemeris positions against, not a sidereal orbital period, and it is what determines how long the North Node stays in one sign: roughly one twelfth of the cycle, stretched or compressed by retrograde motion and by the eccentricity of the orbit.
Which sign does the North Node rule?
The North Node rules no sign in the classical scheme. Rulership is a fixed correspondence, so it holds in every chart; what changes chart to chart is whether the North Node actually occupies one of those signs.
Is the North Node a personal planet?
The North Node is classified here as a point. Points are calculated positions rather than bodies, so they have no orbit of their own and no physical ephemeris to check against.

This is cultural and astronomical reference, not personal prediction or advice.

Cycle periods are mean orbital values. Traditional interpretations paraphrased from primary classical and modern sources. See sources.

Last reviewed .