Not a body but a point: where the Moon's orbit crosses the plane of the ecliptic.
It is read as a direction of growth — what does not come naturally and has to be earned — while the opposite South Node marks what one already does all too well. Being a mathematical point rather than an object that rises and sets, it has no astrocartographic lines.
Reading the nodal axis
The North and South Nodes are always exactly opposite, so they are read as a single axis running through two signs and two houses of your chart. The South Node describes skills and habits already acquired, comfortable but a little worn; the North Node the less familiar direction where, traditionally, growth and fulfilment lie.
Take a North Node in Libra with the South Node in Aries. In astrology this reads as independence that comes easily and a pull towards learning cooperation, listening and compromise. The task is not to give up the Aries side but to put that strength to work for something shared. The houses show which areas of life this shift plays out in.
Why the site uses the mean node
There are two ways to calculate the nodes. The true node follows the actual motion, which wobbles backwards and forwards; the mean node averages it out and moves steadily, always backwards through the zodiac, completing the circle in about eighteen and a half years. The two stay within a couple of degrees of each other, but that can be enough to change sign.
SideraMea uses the mean node, which has the advantage of regular motion. That is why the North Node in your chart always carries the R for retrograde: it is not an anomaly, it is simply how it moves. The South Node is not drawn separately, because it always sits at the opposite degree.
Frequently asked questions
What does the North Node mean in a birth chart?
In astrology the North Node points to a direction of growth: qualities and experiences that do not come naturally but bring a sense of fulfilment once developed. It is read together with the opposite South Node, which stands for what you already know how to do. The North Node's sign and house describe the kind of challenge and where it shows up.
What is a nodal return?
The lunar nodes take about eighteen and a half years to travel round the zodiac. A nodal return is when they come back to the position they held at your birth: around 18 or 19, then near 37 and 56. Traditionally it is read as a time when the question of your own direction comes back to the fore.
How are the lunar nodes linked to eclipses?
Eclipses happen when the Sun is close to one of the nodes at a New Moon or Full Moon: only then do the Sun, Earth and Moon line up closely enough for one to cast a shadow on another. This is why astrology ties eclipses to the nodal axis, and pays particular attention to those that fall near the nodes in your own chart.
See it in your own chart
Calculating your birth chart is free: wheel, planets, houses, aspects and a first reading. All you need is your date, time and place of birth.