The eleventh sign of the zodiac, usually dated January 20 to February 18: a fixed air sign ruled by Uranus and, traditionally, Saturn, read as independent, idealistic and original.
Aquarius at a glance
Aquarius, the eleventh sign, falls in the heart of the northern winter. It is an air sign, with Gemini and Libra, and a fixed sign, one of the four at the center of a season, which gives an airy sign surprising firmness. Modern astrology gives it Uranus, the planet found in 1781 and read as sudden change and invention, and tradition gives it Saturn. Its symbol is the Water Bearer, pouring water for everyone, and its polarity is the active one. The tradition gives it the ankles and the circulation. Its opposite is Leo, and the two form the axis of the individual and the group: Leo's self-expression against Aquarius's community.
The Aquarius character
The tradition reads Aquarius as the sign of the future. Air makes it mental and social, the fixed mode makes it hold its views firmly, and Uranus makes it original, even contrary. An Aquarius is described as independent, inventive, idealistic and friendly to everyone while close to few, someone who cares about causes, groups and humanity at large, and who would rather be right than popular. Its Saturn side, the tradition says, gives it discipline and a respect for systems it wants to improve. The difficulties are detachment, stubbornness in the name of open-mindedness, and a coolness that can puzzle warmer signs. Astrologers often give Aquarius the lesson of letting people in, not only causes.
Aquarius in love
In love Aquarius is read as friendship first. It wants a partner who is also a friend and an equal, who respects its independence and shares its interests, and it tends to distrust possessiveness and drama. The air signs Gemini and Libra share its love of ideas and conversation, and the fire signs Aries and Sagittarius are its friendliest, bringing warmth and adventure. Leo, the opposite sign, is the attraction of the heart to the mind, exciting and sometimes a tug of war between warmth and space. Taurus and Scorpio square Aquarius, which the tradition reads as a meeting of equally fixed wills. Two whole charts say far more than two Sun signs.
Aquarius at work
The tradition points Aquarius toward work that looks ahead: science and technology, engineering, invention, research, social causes and activism, community organizing and anything collaborative and new. It is read as a colleague full of original ideas, good in a team with a shared purpose and impatient with tradition for its own sake. Rigid hierarchies are said to suit it least. Many astrologers suggest that an Aquarius does its best work where it can change how something is done, and where colleagues value an unusual view.
Aquarius beyond the Sun sign
A planet in Aquarius is read as working through ideas and independence. Aquarius rising gives a friendly, unusual and slightly detached manner; the Moon in Aquarius a need for freedom and a cool way with feelings; Venus in Aquarius love built on friendship and space; and Uranus in Aquarius, a placement shared by everyone born from about 1995 to 2003, a generation drawn to networks and technology. The birth chart calculator shows your whole chart. The sections below give the Aquarius dates for the coming years, its compatibility with every sign, its three decans and the slow planets' stays in it.
Aquarius season dates
Aquarius season is the part of the year when the Sun is in Aquarius, and anyone born in it is a Aquarius. By the US Eastern calendar it began on January 19 or 20 in the years 1950 to 2049, and ended on February 18 or 19, when the Sun moved on into Pisces: the dates shift by a day with the leap-year cycle and the time zone. Times are US Eastern, to the minute; almanacs can differ by a minute.
How Aquarius relates to each sign by the traditional rule: signs of the same element (four apart) and of friendly elements (two apart) are read as easy, squares and quincunxes as friction, neighbors and opposites as mixed. A whole chart says far more than two Sun signs.
All four popular lists we compared give Aquarius blue (light blue, blue, turquoise, aquamarine, electric blue). William Lilly gave Aquarius “a sky colour with blue” in 1647, and its traditional ruler, Saturn, “black”.
Each sign splits into three decans of ten degrees, about ten days of the Sun's stay. The modern system gives each decan a sign of the same element; the older one gives it a planet in the Chaldean order, and the Golden Dawn a tarot card.
When Jupiter, Saturn and the outer planets pass through Aquarius: everyone born in those years shares that placement, with its retrograde loops counted as one stay.
Jupiter next in Aquarius 2032 to 2033Last there 2020 to 2021.
Saturn next in Aquarius 2050 to 2053Last there 2020 to 2023.
Uranus next in Aquarius 2079 to 2087Last there 1995 to 2003.
Neptune not in Aquarius again before 2100Last there 1998 to 2012.
In 2026 the Sun stands in front of the constellation Aquarius from Feb 16, 2026 to Mar 12, 2026, about a month later than the sign's dates: the signs are measured from the equinox, which has drifted west against the stars since the zodiac was named.
Aquarius is usually dated January 20 to February 18, the part of the year called Aquarius season. From 1950 to 2049 the Sun entered Aquarius on January 19 or 20 by the US Eastern calendar, and left on February 18 or 19, so birthdays near either end are worth checking to the minute.
What is Aquarius's element and ruling planet?
Aquarius is an air sign of the fixed mode. Modern astrology gives it Uranus and tradition Saturn. Air is read as ideas and community, the fixed mode as conviction, and Uranus as originality, which together give the sign its independence and its ideals.
Which signs are most compatible with Aquarius?
By the traditional rule, Gemini and Libra, the other air signs, and Aries and Sagittarius, in the friendly element of fire. Leo, the opposite sign, is read as the attraction of the heart and the mind.
Is Aquarius a water sign?
No. Despite its symbol, the Water Bearer, Aquarius is an air sign. The water it pours is read as knowledge or inspiration shared with everyone, which fits an air sign of ideas and community.