What is a rising sign?

The sign on the eastern horizon

The Earth turns once a day, so the twelve zodiac signs rise over the eastern horizon one after another. The sign that had risen at your moment of birth is your rising sign, also called the ascendant.

Time and place both matter

One sign stays above the horizon for a little over two hours, so a small change in birth time can change the rising sign. Location matters too, because at the same clock time a different latitude and longitude shows a different sign on the horizon.

Not the same as a Sun sign

The sign people usually quote is the Sun sign, which depends only on the birth date. Two people born on the same day share a Sun sign but can have different rising signs.

Without a birth time the rising sign cannot be worked out. In that case Crossfate leaves it out and builds the result from the rest.