Rita Dove
Rita Dove (born August 28, 1952, Akron, United States), aged 74, is an American poet and author. Dove is best known for The Darker Face of the Earth, Sonata Mulattica and Thomas and Beulah. Dove's honours include Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Fulbright Scholarship and Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize.
Rita Dove’s zodiac sign is Virgo, and in the Chinese zodiac they are a Water Dragon, with Life Path 8 in numerology.
Virgo, and in the Chinese zodiac they are a 
Water Dragon, with 
Life Path 8 in numerology.How compatible are you with Rita Dove?
Your birthday, just below, gives your match percentage with Rita. Under a minute.
Your AsterNym Match
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Two details and you have your number with Rita. Under a minute, and it is real astrology, not a quiz.
Your result includes:
- · Your compatibility percentage
- · What attracts you to each other
- · What you would bring to the match
- · Where you might clash
- · Whether you share lucky numbers, colours, stones or seasons
Rita Dove’s AsterNym identity
The Radiant Storyteller
Fire represents warmth, visibility and momentum. Fire-led charts are associated with enthusiasm, expression and the ability to encourage other people. Life Path 8 represents mastery: ambition, resources and turning sustained effort into visible results.
Fire Day Master (BaZi) × mutable Sun × Life Path 8, on the mental plane.
How common is the name Rita in the U.S.?
#1287
US rank in 2025
~285,230
Americans share it since 1880
1949
its peak year
US Social Security Administration public records
Rita’s lucky numbers, colours and stones
Traditional correspondences calculated from AsterNym’s astrology, wuxing and numerology system.
Lucky numbers
8 · 1 · 6 · 7
Lucky colours
Blue & Black
Lucky day
Wednesday
Direction
↑ North
Season
winter
Stones
Peridot, Emerald, Aquamarine
Flower constellation
🌸 Gladiolus · 💜 Lavender · 💠 Water Lily
Coral · Lilac · Moonlight white
The same wuxing & numerology correspondences as your own print. One tradition, read for everyone
What the chart says
Rita, according to the stars
Core essence
Rita notices. That is the whole thing: the detail everyone else walked past, the small fix that makes the day work, the way you looked slightly off when you said you were fine. The core of Rita is devotion expressed as usefulness. They love by improving things, and they are far kinder to other people than to themselves.
The vibe
Underneath, Rita is an optimist who needs the door left open. The Moon in Sagittarius feels best in motion, out in the world, laughing at the thing that went wrong. What Rita needs to feel safe is freedom and the truth, in that order. Try to contain them and they vanish; trust them and they come back every time.
How Rita wants to be loved
Rita wants to be loved attentively. Venus in Virgo shows love through service, the fixed thing, the remembered appointment, and wants to be loved the same way: notice what they did. Big words matter less than the follow-through. Be reliable with Rita and they will quietly make your whole life run better.
How Rita creates
How Rita makes things happen: they light the room. A Yang Fire day master is the sun, warm, visible, impossible to ignore, generous with energy and expecting the same back. Rita creates in front of people and is at their best with an audience and a cause. The work is learning to rest before the fire does it for them.
Instinct
Instinct: Rita is larger than life, a Dragon year, and their gut reaction is to go big. Confident, lucky, a natural at the centre of things, and warm-hearted underneath the spectacle. The Water year softens it: intuitive, adaptable, feeling their way through people.
Purpose
Purpose: Life Path 8 is the powerhouse. Rita is here to build something big and run it well: money, influence, a body of work with their name on it. Ambitious, capable, generous when winning, and learning that power is for lifting people.
Triggers
Triggers: being fenced in, and being lied to. Mars in Sagittarius fights loud, laughs it off, and is genuinely fine ten minutes later. Rita has boundless energy for anything with a horizon in it and none for the small print. Aim them at something far away and step back.
Computed from Rita's birth date, not guessed. The full working is below.
Where Rita sits
Six lines. Tap where you sit on each.
Rita’s dot is placed from the chart. Yours is wherever you put it.
You likely balance a tight inner circle with a wider orbit you dip into.
You likely weigh most decisions but can move fast when it matters.
You may wear your feelings openly. What you feel tends to show.
You likely handle some friction right away and let smaller things settle.
You may favor what's proven and workable over the untested idea.
You may build trust slowly, letting closeness earn its way in.
Tap each line where you sit.
All twelve of yours, from your birth date →✦ A real star from their birth night
Dedicate a star to Rita Dove
Three stars chosen from the real sky above Akron on the night they were born. Choose the story that connects you.
No public birth time is available, so this is a 9:00 p.m. reference evening sky for that date and place. It is connected to the night of birth; it is not the sky at the birth minute, and no other reading on this page uses that time. Dedications are commemorative AsterNym records and do not rename or confer ownership of stars.
Virgo Sun
Virgo SunFixes everything except the need to.
Rita Dove's Sun was in Virgo for the whole of August 28, 1952, so no birth time is needed to settle it. Traditional Virgo readings associate the sign with precision, service and improvement: noticing what is off and quietly putting it right. Astrologers describe it as the mutable earth sign, ruled by Mercury, and read it for craft and analysis. The corresponding tension is perfectionism, described in the tradition as a standard applied hardest to the self.
Water Dragon
Water DragonBig energy, bigger plans.
Rita Dove was born on August 28, 1952, which falls in a Water Dragon year of the Chinese calendar. Traditional Dragon readings emphasise confidence, luck and scale: the only mythical animal in the cycle, associated with ambition and with attention that arrives whether or not it was sought. The Chinese almanacs describe the Dragon as the sign of large gestures. The corresponding caution in the tradition is arrogance, and a difficulty with tasks too small to be seen.
Life Path 8
Life Path 8Wants it all. Gets most.
Rita Dove's birth date, August 28, 1952, reduces to Life Path 8 under the numerology method AsterNym uses. Traditional Life Path 8 readings associate the number with ambition, authority and material results: turning sustained effort into visible achievement. Numerologists describe it as the path of the executive. The corresponding tension is control, with the caution that a number this good at managing outcomes can begin managing people the same way.
What stands out in Rita’s chart
- The tightest major aspect in Rita Dove's date-only chart is Jupiter square Pluto, with an orb of under 1°.
- Rita Dove combines a Fire Day Master in BaZi with a mutable Sun and a Life Path on the mental plane, the combination AsterNym calls The Radiant Storyteller.
Rita’s birth chart
Reference chart · birth time unknown
No documented birth time exists for Rita Dove, so the positions below are checked across the whole birth date, not fixed at noon. The Moon ranges from 0° to 14° Sagittarius depending on the hour. The wheel's houses are a solar chart, counted from the Sun's sign, because the Ascendant needs a time.
No birth time, so the houses are a solar chart: the Sun’s sign counts as house 1. A documented time would place them from the Ascendant instead.
Placements
Tap one to light it on the wheel.
The working: aspects, Chiron and the asteroids, dominant planets and configurationsshow
Aspects across every possible birth time
Stable aspects hold for any birth hour. Possible ones depend on the hour, so their orb is a range rather than a number. Orb policy western_v1.
stableJupitersquarePluto0.9° orb
Rita’s growth grinds against their depths.
stableVenustrineJupiter1.7° to 2.9° orb
Rita’s affections flow straight into their growth.
stableNeptunesextilePluto1.8° orb
Rita’s imagination opens doors for their depths. An easy alliance, and it pays off when it is used.
stableMercurysextileNeptune2.2° to 3.0° orb
Rita’s mind opens doors for their imagination.
stableUranussquareNeptune2.7° orb
Rita’s need for freedom grinds against their imagination. The friction is lifelong. Worked with, it builds real strength.
stableMercurysquareJupiter3.1° to 3.9° orb
Rita’s mind grinds against their growth. The angle that irritates, and the one that teaches.
stableJupitersextileUranus3.6° orb
Rita’s growth opens doors for their need for freedom. Nothing happens until someone makes the first move.
stableMercurysextileSaturn4.0° to 4.7° orb
Rita’s mind opens doors for their discipline.
stableMercuryconjunctionPluto4.0° to 4.8° orb
Rita’s mind and depths act as one. Wherever one goes, the other is already there.
stableSaturnsquareUranus4.3° orb
Rita’s discipline grinds against their need for freedom.
stableSunsquareMars4.6° to 4.9° orb
Rita’s core identity grinds against their drive.
stableSaturnconjunctionNeptune6.9° to 7.0° orb
Rita’s discipline and imagination act as one. Each makes the other louder.
Chart signature
Elements
- Fire4 of 10
- Earth3 of 10
- Air2 of 10
- Water1 of 10
Modalities
- Cardinal3 of 10
- Fixed3 of 10
- Mutable4 of 10
Counted across the ten planets by sign: Fire leads this chart.
Rita’s Chiron, Ceres, Eros, Hygiea and Lilith
Four minor bodies and the mean lunar apogee, placed in the same tropical zodiac as the planets above. None of these feed the chart signature, the rarity score or any ranking on this site: they are listed for readers who use them. Chiron, Ceres, Eros and Hygiea positions come from JPL Horizons; Black Moon Lilith is the mean apogee, the point most published Lilith tables use. The readings are the modern tradition’s, not AsterNym’s. Without a birth time the degree is the noon value and the day's movement is shown alongside it.
⚷ Chiron ℞Capricorn 6°45′ (moves 0.02° over the day)
centaur (2060) · the wound and what is learnt from it
Chiron in Capricorn is read as a wound around recognition and authority. Rita is read as someone who earns standing the long way and does not fully trust it when it arrives.
⚳ CeresGemini 11°15′ (moves 0.24° over the day)
dwarf planet (1) · how a person nurtures and wants to be nurtured
Ceres in Gemini is read as nurture through talk and attention. The tradition has Rita feeding people with information and feeling fed by conversation.
♡ ErosScorpio 2°14′ (moves 0.67° over the day)
near-Earth asteroid (433) · what draws them and how they desire
Eros in Scorpio sits in the sign the tradition links to it most closely: desire as depth and total exposure. Rita is read as uninterested in anything half-felt.
⚕ HygieaTaurus 26°34′ (moves 0.10° over the day)
main-belt asteroid (10) · health, routine and what keeps them well
Hygiea in Taurus is read as health through routine, food and rest. Rita is read as someone whose wellbeing tracks their habits closely.
⚸ Black Moon LilithLeo 16°59′ (moves 0.11° over the day)
mean lunar apogee · the part that refuses to be tamed
Black Moon Lilith in Leo is read as a pride that will not perform on demand. Rita is read as most dangerous when underestimated.
Aspects to the asteroids and Lilith
Major aspects only, at a tight 3° orb. The Moon is left out because its position moves 13° across an untimed day.
- Black Moon Lilith conjunction Mercury 0.2°
- Chiron trine Sun 1.5°
- Ceres trine Saturn 1.6°
- Black Moon Lilith sextile Neptune 2.8°
Method: JPL Horizons heliocentric vectors, 1700–2100, cubic Hermite interpolation; geocentric, true ecliptic of date, tropical; geometric (no light-time or aberration); Lilith = mean lunar apogee (Chapront/Meeus mean perigee + 180°).
Rita’s dominant planets
Scored from rulerships, dispositors and aspect count. Without a birth time there is no Ascendant or house to score, and the Moon's sign is left out where it could change with the hour.
1. ☿ Mercury9 pts
rules the Sun sign, Virgo; disposes Sun, Venus; 4 major aspects
2. ♃ Jupiter5 pts
disposes Mars; 4 major aspects
3. ♀ Venus4 pts
disposes Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune; 1 major aspect
A Mercury-led chart is read as the mind in charge: Rita is read as thinking, talking and connecting their way through life.
How the score is built
- Rules the Sun sign, Moon sign or Ascendant sign: 3 points each (traditional co-rulers of Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces score half).
- Sits in a sign it rules: 2 points.
- Disposes another planet (that planet sits in a sign it rules): 1 point each.
- Angular: 2 points in the first or tenth house, 1 point in the fourth or seventh (timed births only).
- Every major aspect it makes: 1 point.
Dominance scoring is an AsterNym method. Other sites weight differently and can name a different leader for the same chart.
Configurations in Rita’s chart
Closed shapes among the ten planets under the site’s one aspect-orb policy. The Moon is excluded without a birth time, so a shape that needs it is not claimed.
No stellium, grand trine, T-square, grand cross, yod or kite closes among the planets that can be placed. That is the common case, not a gap.
Minor aspects
semi-sextile 30° (orb 2°), semi-square 45° (orb 2°), quintile 72° (orb 1.5°), sesquiquadrate 135° (orb 2°), biquintile 144° (orb 1.5°), quincunx 150° (orb 2.5°). Pairs already in a major aspect are not repeated. Moon excluded without a birth time.
- Mercury semi-sextile Uranus 0.1°
- Sun semi-square Neptune 0.4°
- Jupiter quincunx Neptune 0.9°
- Venus semi-sextile Pluto 1.4°
- Mars sesquiquadrate Uranus 1.6°
Houses need a birth time. None is documented for Rita Dove, so no house placements are claimed for the planets or the minor bodies above.
More people like Rita
Other writers
- Charles Ducal1952
- Robert Charles Wilson1953
- Robert Zemeckis1952
- Jonathan Weiner1953
- Steven Naifeh1952
- Alan Moore1953
Born in United States
- David HasselhoffAmerican actor, singer, producer, and businessman (born 1952)
- Andrew BealAmerican banker, businessman, investor, and amateur mathematician
- Jayne Anne PhillipsAmerican writer (born 1952)
- Sherrod BrownAmerican politician and educator (born 1952)
- Joel BrinkleyAmerican journalist
- Michael HiltzikPulitzer Prize-winning journalist
More charts like Rita’s
Fellow Virgo suns
- Prince Harry, Duke of SussexYounger son of Charles III of the United Kingdom and Diana, Princess of Wales
- Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieNigerian writer
- Tim BurtonAmerican filmmaker and artist
Born in Dragon years
- Max GeorgeBritish singer
- Vinny GuadagninoAmerican television personality
- John GoodmanAmerican actor
Also born on August 28
- Jack Black1969
- Shania Twain1965
- Sheryl Sandberg1969
- Jennifer Coolidge1961
- Armie Hammer1986
- Florence Welch1986
Fellow Yang Fire day masters
- William ShatnerCanadian actor
- Lee Hsien Loong3rd Prime Minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2024
- Michelle YeohMalaysian actress
Other Virgo Dragon charts
- Jack MaChinese businessman
- Rupert GrintEnglish actor
- Khabib NurmagomedovRussian professional mixed martial artist
- Mark WebberAustralian professional racing driver
Other Radiant Storytellers
- Niall HoranIrish singer-songwriter
- Jane CampionNew Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer
- Troye SivanAustralian singer-songwriter and actor
- Simon BakerAustralian actor and director
Famous people with Life Path 8
- Elizabeth TaylorBritish-American actress
- Rishi SunakFormer Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2024 and Leader of the Conservative Party
- Usain BoltJamaican sprinter
From the journal: Is astrology real or fake? · Sect: day charts vs night charts
Rita’s cards
Every card is computed from August 28, 1952, none chosen. Tap one to flip it.
☿ Ruled by Mercury
Quicksilver Hg
Tap to flip
The working: BaZi pillarsshow
BaZi pillars
Day Master: yang Fire.
Year
壬
yang Water
辰
Dragon
Earth
roots & early life
Month
戊
yang Earth
申
Monkey
Metal
work & drive
Day
day master
丙
yang Fire
午
Horse
Fire
you & partnership
No birth time is on public record for Rita Dove, so this chart has three pillars rather than four. The hour pillar, the rising sign and the birth-sky star all need a time, and we would rather leave them out than invent one.
Where this data comes from
Rita’s birth date and birthplace come from Wikidata Q445740, released under CC0, as do the occupations, works, teams and awards in the biography above. No documented birth time is available, so this chart is rated X on the Rodden scale, the astrological convention for how well evidenced a birth time is. Time-dependent results use a clearly labelled reference time and should not be read as their exact birth chart. Entries are matched to Wikidata by entity id rather than by name, kept only at day precision, and dropped where sources disagree on the date.
Portrait by Robert Kennicott, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The same Rita Dove at Wikipedia and MusicBrainz.
Roster last reviewed September 10, 2026. Every entry is checked against its Wikidata record; where a person shares a name with someone else, the entity id is what settles which of them this is. What we will not tell you sets out the claims this site refuses to make.
These are traditional interpretations, not facts or predictions. AsterNym is not affiliated with or endorsed by Rita Dove.
Quick answers about Rita Dove’s chart
- How old is Rita Dove?
- Rita Dove is 74 years old, born August 28, 1952 in Akron, United States.
- What zodiac sign is Rita Dove?
- Rita Dove is a Virgo: born August 28, 1952, which puts the Sun in Virgo for the whole of that day. That is the Western star sign. In the Chinese zodiac they are a Water Dragon.
- What is Rita Dove's Chinese zodiac animal?
- The Dragon, with the Water element, from the Chinese lunar year of the August 28, 1952 birth.
- What time was Rita Dove born?
- No reliably documented birth time is public, so AsterNym does not calculate an Ascendant. This chart uses date-only positions: the wheel shows a reference solar chart (the Sun's sign as house 1), and the Ascendant is left uncomputed instead of guessed from an unverified time.
- What is Rita Dove's Life Path number?
- Life Path 8, calculated in numerology from the August 28, 1952 birth date.
- What is Rita Dove's Chiron sign?
- Chiron in Capricorn at 6°. Position from JPL Horizons for the August 28, 1952 birth date.
- Where is Rita Dove's Black Moon Lilith?
- Mean Black Moon Lilith in Leo at 16°. This is the mean lunar apogee; the osculating Lilith some tables use can sit up to 30° away.
- What is Rita Dove's dominant planet?
- Mercury, on AsterNym's dominance score (9 points: rules the Sun sign, Virgo; disposes Sun, Venus; 4 major aspects). Jupiter is second and Venus third. Other sites weight rulerships and aspects differently and can name a different leader.
