On this page
Cazimi and Combust are two classical conditions that describe how a planet relates to the Sun by degree. A planet is Cazimi when it sits within the heart of the Sun, traditionally measured at half a degree or less of separation. A planet is Combust when it wanders too close to the Sun and is said to burn, with the exact orb varying by planet. Both conditions shape how clearly a planet's significations express themselves in a natal chart.
The Cazimi & Combust Planets Calculator takes your birth date, time, and place, computes the exact positions of the planets against the Sun, and flags every planet that falls into either condition. Instead of eyeballing an ephemeris or guessing at orbs, you get a precise list of which of your planets are Cazimi, which are Combust, and how many degrees separate each one from the Sun.
Once the calculation is done, the tool walks you through an interpretation framework: what a Cazimi planet grants in terms of clarity and authority, what a Combust planet obscures or overexposes, and how each condition plays out across love and relationships, career and purpose, and subconscious expression. The result is a practical reading you can use right away, whether you are new to traditional astrology or refining a chart you have studied for years.
What Is Cazimi and Combust?
Cazimi occurs when a planet sits within roughly 0°00'–0°17' of the Sun's exact center — "in the heart of the Sun" — while combustion describes a planet burned by proximity to the Sun, typically within about 8°30' (classical sources extend the range to 15° for the Moon). Both conditions describe a conjunction with the Sun, but they reverse its effect: Cazimi elevates the planet to royal status, while combustion dims its visibility and expression.
In practical chart reading, a Cazimi Venus in Libra conjunct the Sun in the 7th house of partnership can signal an unusually dignified capacity for love and diplomacy — the planet is said to be enthroned. The same Venus combust at 5° from the Sun may struggle to express itself openly, as the Sun's glare overshadows it: affections exist but are hard to articulate or others fail to perceive them. Mercury is the most frequently combust planet simply because it never strays more than 28° from the Sun, so a Mercury combust in Gemini in the 3rd house is common and should be read as muted — not destroyed — mental quickness.
The Moon is combust when within 12° of the Sun (a New Moon), while Mars, Jupiter and Saturn combust at tighter thresholds of roughly 17°, 11° and 15° respectively. Unlike an opposition or square, which creates friction, a Sun conjunction concentrates the planet's significations into the Sun's domain — the 10th house Sun with a Cazimi Saturn, for example, can indicate authority earned through discipline rather than the restriction a combust Saturn might imply in the 6th house of daily work.
How Does a Cazimi and Combust Planets Calculator Work?
A Cazimi and Combust Planets Calculator works by computing the exact ecliptic longitude of the Sun and of every other planet at your birth moment, then measuring the absolute angular difference between them and comparing it against traditional combustion thresholds. If the separation falls within 0°17', the planet is flagged Cazimi; if it falls within the planet-specific combustion orb (roughly 8°30' for most planets, 12° for the Moon), it is flagged Combust.
Under the hood, the engine first resolves your birth data — date, exact time and geographic coordinates — into a moment in UTC, then runs a planetary ephemeris (such as a VSOP87-based series) to place the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto at precise zodiacal degrees. Because combustion depends only on Sun–planet separation, the calculation is largely independent of house system: whether you cast the chart with Placidus, Whole Sign or Equal House cusps, the Cazimi/Combust verdict stays the same. Houses matter only for interpretation — a Cazimi Mercury in the 10th house career sector reads differently from the same Mercury combust in the 12th house of hidden matters.
When an exact birth time is unavailable, the tool falls back to a solar-noon chart, which preserves planetary signs and aspect relationships reasonably well but can shift degrees by up to half a degree — enough to move a borderline planet in or out of the tight 0°17' Cazimi window, so results near the threshold should be treated as approximate. Beyond the natal snapshot, the same engine can be pointed at current transit positions or progressed Sun longitudes to show when a transit Sun temporarily combusts your natal Venus or when a secondary-progression Sun brings a natal planet into Cazimi. You can explore related placements across your chart in the Tools directory.
Calculate Your Free Cazimi and Combust Planets
The free Cazimi & Combust Planets Calculator instantly identifies which planets in your natal chart sit within the Sun's beams — flagging any planet Cazimi (within 0°00'–0°17' of the Sun, "in the heart") and any planet Combust (within roughly 8°30' of the Sun for Mercury and Venus, with wider thresholds for Mars, Jupiter and Saturn). Enter your birth date, exact birth time and birthplace, and the engine computes planetary longitudes, then measures each planet's angular separation from the Sun to determine its Cazimi, Combust or free status.
Under the hood, the calculator computes house cusps using the Placidus system by default, with Whole Sign and Equal House options available — an exact birth time is required for accurate cusps, since even a 10-minute shift can move the Ascendant by 2–3°. If your birth time is unknown, the tool defaults to a solar-noon chart, which preserves accurate planetary signs, aspects and Sun–planet separations (the raw material for Cazimi/Combust judgment) even though house placements become approximate. Once your natal positions are fixed, the same engine can be run against current transits, solar arcs and secondary progressions to show when a progressed planet slips into or out of the Sun's combustion zone — for example, a Venus progressing to 1° before your natal Sun would mark a period of obscured Venusian matters (relationships, finances) until it clears.
Results are presented as a clear list: each flagged planet with its sign, degree, exact orb from the Sun, and status label. A Mercury at 14°58' Leo with the Sun at 15°05' Leo reads as Cazimi at 0°07' — a razor-thin conjunction traditionally granting that Mercury heightened clarity — while a Venus at 10°20' Aries with the Sun at 17°00' Aries reads as Combust at 6°40', signaling Venusian expression that is overpowered by solar heat. You can explore the full catalog of complementary readings in the Tools directory.
How to Find and Interpret Your Cazimi and Combust Planets
To find your Cazimi and Combust planets, calculate the exact zodiacal degree of the Sun at your birth, then compare it to the degree of every other planet: a planet within 0°17' of the Sun is Cazimi, a planet within the combustion orb (about 8°30' for Mercury and Venus, 17° for Mars, 11°30' for Jupiter, 15° for Saturn) is Combust, and a planet just outside those thresholds but within roughly 15° of the Sun for Mercury or 10° for Venus is traditionally called "under the beams" or peregrine-by-proximity. The Cazimi & Combust Planets Calculator performs this comparison automatically and reports the exact orb for each planet.
Interpretation turns on which planet is involved and where it rules in your chart. A Cazimi planet is considered purified and amplified: Venus Cazimi at 10°05' Taurus with the Sun at 10°12' Taurus suggests aesthetic judgment and relational grace that are unusually crisp and honored. A Combust planet, by contrast, is said to be scorched — its significations are present but obscured or destabilized. Mercury Combust in the 10th house career sector, for instance, can point to communication or analytical work that others struggle to see clearly, whereas the same Combust Mercury in the 3rd house daily-routines sector may simply describe a mind that talks itself into corners. The house matters as much as the planet: Combust Saturn in the 2nd house income sector can indicate value that accumulates slowly and privately, while Cazimi Saturn in the 7th house partnership sector can describe a partner or contract that carries unusual authority.
Aspects modify the picture further — a Combust Mars also square the natal Moon intensifies the combustion's heat into emotional friction, while a Cazimi Jupiter in flowing trine to the Midheaven can translate that solar blessing into public visibility. Timing is read through transits, solar arcs and progressions: when transiting Mercury retrogrades within 8° of your natal Sun, its Combust period coincides with the familiar communication scramble of Mercury retrograde; when a progressed Venus crosses into Cazimi, a window of sharpened social or creative favor opens. Read the technique alongside our broader astrology blog for deeper case studies.
What Does Your Cazimi and Combust Status Reveal?
Cazimi reveals a planet that is exalted to the point of sacred visibility, while combustion reveals a planet whose light is obscured by the Sun's overwhelming rays. A planet within 0°00'–0°17' of the Sun is Cazimi — "in the heart of the Sun" — and gains dignity and clarity. A planet within roughly 8°30' (for Mercury and Venus) or 17° (for Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) of the Sun is Combust, and its expression is weakened, hidden, or burned away by solar intensity.
The Cazimi & Combust Planets Calculator measures the exact angular distance between the Sun and every other planet in your natal chart, then classifies each contact as Cazimi, Combust, Under the Beams (within 15° but outside combustion range for the Moon), or clear. For example, if your natal Sun sits at 15° Taurus and Venus is at 14°50' Taurus, Venus is Cazimi — her values, aesthetics, and relational instincts are amplified and purified. If instead Venus sits at 10° Taurus, she is Combust, and themes of love, money, and pleasure may feel obscured or unreliable in expression.
Under the hood, the calculator computes heliocentric-to-geocentric ecliptic longitudes for the Sun and each planet, subtracts them to find absolute separation, and applies classical combustion orbs that vary by planet. The Moon has no combustion status — it can only be Cazimi or Under the Beams — while Mercury's tighter 14° combustion limit reflects its proximity to the Sun. If your exact birth time is unknown, planetary signs and Sun–planet distances remain accurate because these change slowly over hours; only house placements (Placidus, Whole Sign, or Equal House cusps) would shift, and the calculator defaults to a solar-noon chart to keep sign and aspect data reliable.
Timing activates these placements: transit Sun returning to your natal Cazimi planet by conjunction once a year ignites that topic, while solar arc progressions slowly carry the Sun toward or away from a Combust planet across decades, marking long arcs of concealment or emergence. Check your own chart with the YesAstrology tools directory to see which planets fall into these solar conditions.
Cazimi and Combust Meanings and Core Insights
Cazimi means a planet is seated on the Sun's exact degree and is granted exceptional power and clarity; Combust means a planet's light is overwhelmed by the Sun and its significations are weakened, delayed, or hidden. These are the two poles of solar proximity in traditional astrology — one elevates, the other diminishes — and each planet responds differently based on its nature and distance from the Sun.
Cazimi planets function as if crowned. Mercury Cazimi sharpens intellect and communication to an extraordinary degree — think of a natal Sun at 20° Virgo with Mercury at 19°55' Virgo: the mind becomes luminous, precise, and authoritative. Venus Cazimi beautifies and harmonizes whatever she touches, granting refined taste and magnetic personal charm. Mars Cazimi lends commanding, decisive force; Jupiter Cazimi expands wisdom and ethical vision; Saturn Cazimi transmutes discipline into structural mastery. The Moon Cazimi — rarer still — grants intuitive brilliance and emotional transparency.
Combust planets struggle to be seen. Mercury Combust can indicate someone whose ideas are consistently overlooked or whose speech is misjudged, even when the intellect is sharp. Venus Combust may manifest as difficulty receiving affection or instability in finances, since Venus's domains are "burned" by the Sun's ego-drive. Mars Combust can produce suppressed anger or actions taken without full visibility; Jupiter Combust can obscure counsel or faith; Saturn Combust may delay recognition for hard work. Importantly, combustion does not erase the planet — it hides it, often until transits or progressions carry the Sun away, at which point the planet's gifts emerge.
The calculator distinguishes these states precisely: it reports each planet's exact degree of separation from the Sun, labels it Cazimi (0°00'–0°17'), Combust (within the planet-specific orb), or clear, and notes when a planet is merely Under the Beams (within 15° but outside combustion range). For instance, a chart with the Sun at 3° Leo and Saturn at 25° Cancer shows a 8° separation — Combust for Saturn — while the same Saturn at 20° Cancer (13° separation) would be Under the Beams but not Combust. House placement adds context: a Combust Venus in the 10th house career sector may hide professional charm until solar arc progressions separate her from the Sun, whereas the same Venus in the 5th house could obscure creative or romantic expression. For a deeper reading of your specific placements, explore the YesAstrology blog for detailed case studies.
Cazimi and Combust Planets and Love and Relationships
Cazimi planets in love relationships bring rare clarity and dignity to the heart, while combust planets (within roughly 8°17′ of the Sun for Mercury and Venus, tighter for Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) tend to mute or distort romantic expression until the relationship matures. A Venus Cazimi — Venus within 0°17′ of the Sun — often marks someone whose capacity for affection is radiant and unmistakable, whereas a combust Venus can describe love that is felt intensely but struggles to be voiced or received clearly in early dating stages.
The house placement sharpens the reading. Venus combust in the 5th house of romance may show a person who pours enormous creative and romantic energy into partners but fears the light will expose their vulnerability, while Venus Cazimi in the 7th house of partnership can indicate a spouse or committed partner who becomes a defining source of identity and public standing. Compare this with Venus in the 11th house of friendship-based love, where combustion often plays out as unspoken attraction inside a social circle rather than in formal dating.
The calculator determines these conditions by comparing each planet's geocentric longitude against the Sun's longitude at your birth moment, using standard orb thresholds for combustion, under-beam (within 17°) and cazimi (within 0°17′). If your birth time is unknown, the tool defaults to a solar-noon chart so planetary signs and Sun aspects remain accurate, though house-based relationship readings (5th, 7th, 11th) require a verified time — you can refine this with the Free Birth Time Rectification Calculator. Timing is then tracked through transits and secondary progressions: a progressed Venus separating from combustion typically coincides with a period where withheld affection finally becomes expressible.
Practically, a combust Mercury in the 7th house can describe difficulty articulating needs to a partner, which often eases when Mercury's next transit applies an exact trine to natal Venus. A Mars cazimi in the 1st house, by contrast, can describe a partner or self-image that is boldly assertive in love without losing coherence. Read combustion as a signal to slow down and clarify, and cazimi as a signal that the planet's qualities are concentrated rather than diminished.
Cazimi and Combust Planets and Career and Purpose
Cazimi planets in career astrology indicate professional talents that are amplified and legitimized by visibility, while combust planets describe abilities that are real but obscured — often requiring deliberate positioning before they are recognized. A Mercury cazimi in the 10th house of career can mark someone whose thinking and communication become central to their public role, whereas a combust Mercury in the 6th house of daily work may describe an employee whose analytical skill is consistently overlooked until a transit from Jupiter or a solar arc progression to the Midheaven brings it forward.
House context determines which career axis is affected. Saturn combust in the 10th suggests authority that is earned slowly and sometimes questioned, contrasting with Saturn cazimi in the same house, which can describe a person who embodies institutional responsibility from an early stage. Mars combust in the 2nd house of income may show earnings that fluctuate because initiative is inconsistently asserted, while Mars cazimi in the 10th can describe a leadership style that is commanding without being scattered. Compare these with a combust Sun in the 10th itself — the classic signature of a professional whose identity and vocation are so fused that the person struggles to separate self-worth from job title.
The calculator computes these placements by measuring the angular distance between each planet and the Sun in your natal chart, applying the cazimi orb of 0°17′ and combustion orbs that vary by planet (Mercury and Venus up to 8°17′, Mars 7°35′, Jupiter 9°30′, Saturn 10°30′ in traditional practice). House cusps are derived from your exact birth time and location using the Placidus system by default, with Whole Sign and Equal House available as alternatives; without a birth time, the tool falls back to a solar-noon chart that preserves sign and aspect accuracy but leaves house-based career distinctions (10th vs 6th vs 2nd) unresolved. Timing of career activation is tracked through transits to the Midheaven, solar arc directions, and secondary progressions — a progressed Sun separating from combustion with natal Venus, for instance, often coincides with a period where creative or relational work finally gains public traction.
For a fuller picture of how your chart describes professional trajectory, cross-reference these findings with the natal chart's broader career pattern, since combustion rarely operates alone — it usually sits alongside house rulerships and aspect dynamics such as a square from Saturn to the Midheaven or a trine from Jupiter to the 10th house ruler that modify the outcome.
Cazimi and Combust Planets and Subconscious Expression
Cazimi and combustion describe how a planet's expression is altered by its proximity to the Sun: a planet within 0°00' of the Sun is Cazimi ("in the heart of the Sun") and receives exalted, luminous strength, while a planet within roughly 8°30' of the Sun — but not within 0°17' — is Combust, meaning its light is burned away and its significations are weakened or obscured. Planets in these conditions shape subconscious expression because the Sun governs conscious identity; when another planet sits close to it, that planet's function operates beneath awareness, filtered through the ego rather than expressed independently.
Combust planets tend to run silently in the background. For example, a Combust Venus in the 5th house may suppress romantic desire or artistic confidence without the native realizing why affection feels withheld, while a Cazimi Venus in the same house would instead amplify charm and creative authority to an almost regal degree. The subconscious dynamic is the same axis — love, beauty, value — but combustion buries it and Cazimi enthrones it.
The calculator determines these conditions by comparing each planet's ecliptic longitude against the Sun's longitude at your birth moment. If no exact birth time is supplied, the tool defaults to a solar-noon chart, which preserves planetary sign placements and aspect accuracy (including Sun conjunctions) while house cusps — computed via Placidus, Whole Sign, or Equal House — are treated as approximate. Transits, solar arcs, and progressions can later activate a Combust or Cazimi planet: a transit Jupiter crossing a natal Combust Mercury, for instance, may temporarily restore that Mercury's voice in communication and 3rd-house matters.
Cazimi and Combust Planets for Each Planet in Your Chart
Each planet reacts differently to solar proximity: Mercury is Combust within 14° (Cazimi within 0°17'), Venus within 9°48', Mars within 17°, Jupiter within 11°, and Saturn within 15° — the outer planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are never traditionally classed as Combust because their slow motion keeps them far from the Sun for years. The calculator measures each planet's exact angular distance from the Sun in your chart and flags it as Cazimi, Combust, or clear.
Practically, a Combust Mercury in the 3rd house clouds thinking and speech — the native may second-guess every message — while Cazimi Mercury in the 10th house can produce striking intellectual authority in career. A Combust Mars in the 1st house mutes assertiveness, whereas Cazimi Mars in the 6th house can lend relentless drive to daily work and health routines. Combust Saturn in the 4th may hide family responsibility from view; Cazimi Saturn in Capricorn in the 10th can signal earned mastery and public standing. Compare this to a well-aspected planet outside combustion range — say, a trine Jupiter in the 9th — which expands visibility openly rather than through the Sun's filter.
Run your chart through the calculator to see which of your planets fall into these windows, then consider how conjunctions, squares, and oppositions to the Sun reinforce or complicate the result. The tool's engine applies the same angular thresholds regardless of house system, so a Combust Venus reads as Combust whether you view the chart in Placidus or Whole Sign; only the house placement — and therefore the life area affected — shifts with the cusp method.
Cazimi vs Combust Planets
Cazimi and combustion are two opposite conditions of a planet's conjunction with the Sun: a planet is cazimi when it sits within roughly 0°00'–0°17' of the Sun's exact degree ("in the heart of the Sun"), and it is combust when it falls within about 8°30' of the Sun but outside that narrow cazimi band — classically Mercury within 14° and Venus within 9° are also treated as combustion, while Mars, Jupiter and Saturn combust at 17°30', 11° and 15° respectively. In both cases the planet is in a Sun conjunction aspect, but the interpretive outcome flips: cazimi grants the planet royal, amplified status, while combustion scorches and obscures it.
The underlying logic comes from medieval and Hellenistic doctrine: the Sun is the source of light and visibility, so a planet placed exactly in its heart is enthroned — Mercury cazimi, for example, is said to sharpen intellect and articulate speech to an exceptional degree, while Venus cazimi beautifies and dignifies affection. Move that same Venus a few degrees off the exact conjunction and she becomes combust: her significations — attraction, taste, valuables, the 2nd house income she rules — are said to smolder, become hidden, or struggle to express cleanly. A combustion reading is not a curse; it typically points to a matter that operates privately, is overpowered by the Sun's agenda (often the 5th house creativity or 10th house status, depending on where the Sun sits), or requires more effort to be seen.
Practical distinctions matter when you read a chart. Consider two contrasting cases: if your Mercury is cazimi in the 10th house in Capricorn, communication and career authority reinforce each other, whereas Mercury combust in the same 10th house suggests your ideas are constantly filtered through the boss, the institution, or your own reputation — the message exists but struggles to stand alone. Similarly, a Moon cazimi (an extremely rare event, sometimes called a "black Moon" condition when the New Moon is exact) concentrates emotional focus, while a Moon combust just a few degrees from the Sun — common at every New Moon beyond the exact degree — can indicate feelings that are hard to separate from a parental or partner's influence. The calculator reports both states side by side so you can see exactly which planets fall into which band, along with the orb applied.
How Accurate Is the Cazimi and Combust Calculator?
The Cazimi & Combust Calculator is accurate to the arc-minute level of the planetary positions it computes: it converts your birth date, time and place into geocentric ecliptic longitudes for the Sun and each planet, then compares them directly, so a planet reported as cazimi sits within the classical 0°17' heart-of-the-Sun band and a planet reported as combust sits inside the applicable combustion orb for that planet (Mercury 14°, Venus 9°, Mars/Jupiter 17°30', Saturn 15°). Because cazimi and combustion are pure conjunction measurements, they depend only on planetary longitudes — not on house cusps — so the results hold regardless of whether you read the chart with Placidus, Whole Sign, or Equal House.
Accuracy is highest when your birth time is exact. Planetary signs, degrees, and all conjunction aspects — including the Sun conjunction that defines cazimi and combustion — are computed from the full date-time-place input, and these remain reliable even if you omit the birth time: the tool falls back to a solar-noon chart, which preserves planetary sign placement and aspect structure while leaving house cusps approximate. Since the cazimi window is only about 17 arc-minutes wide, a birth time off by a few minutes can shift a borderline planet in or out of the heart of the Sun; combustion orbs are far more forgiving, so a planet 5° from the Sun will be flagged as combust under any realistic timing error.
Interpretive accuracy is a separate question from computational accuracy. The orbs used here follow classical Hellenistic and medieval thresholds rather than modern tight-conjunction conventions, so you may see combustion flagged where a looser modern reading would simply call it a Sun conjunction. Timing cycles — transits, solar arcs, and progressions — can also activate a natal cazimi or combustion later: a transit Jupiter crossing your natal combust Venus, for instance, can temporarily lift the hidden matter into visibility, while a progressed Sun changing sign can alter which house carries the combustion theme. The calculator reports the natal condition; how it unfolds over time depends on these cycles. For a fuller reading of the condition alongside house placement and aspects, the premium report expands on each flagged planet.
Practical Advice for Working with Cazimi and Combust Energies
Work with Cazimi placements by giving the planet deliberate visibility, and work with combust placements by protecting the planet from the Sun's glare through timing, privacy, and reduced public exposure. A Cazimi planet — within roughly 0°00' to 0°17' of the Sun — is amplified and honored, so schedule the matters it rules during daylight hours or when the transiting Sun supports it. A combust planet — typically 3° to 8°30' from the Sun (with Mercury's threshold tighter, around 14°) — is weakened in public expression, so route its affairs through quieter channels rather than announcements.
For example, if Venus is Cazimi in your 7th house of partnerships, relationship decisions made around sunrise or under an evening Venus hour tend to land with unusual grace. If Mercury is combust in your 10th house of career, delay contract signings and important emails until Mercury separates from the Sun by at least 3° — the calculator shows the exact separating degree so you can count forward. Similarly, a Cazimi Mars in the 1st house favors launching competitive projects on a Tuesday during daylight, while a combust Mars in the 6th house of daily work suggests handling disputes internally rather than escalating them publicly.
Under the hood, the calculator computes house cusps using your chosen system — Placidus, Whole Sign, or Equal House — from your exact birth time and location; an exact time pins the Ascendant and therefore every cusp degree, while a missing time defaults to a solar-noon chart that preserves planetary signs and aspects but leaves house placement approximate. Timing cycles then activate these natal potentials: transiting Sun conjunct a natal combust planet re-ignites its combustion annually, solar arcs carry the Sun across the same degree over decades, and secondary progressions slow the Sun's motion to roughly one degree per day of lived experience. Check the Tools directory for complementary aspect and transit calculators when you want to layer these cycles.
