The seventh sign of the zodiac, usually dated September 23 to October 22: a cardinal air sign ruled by Venus, the Scales, read as fair, sociable and made for partnership.
Libra at a glance
Libra, the seventh sign, opens the second half of the zodiac: the Sun enters it at the September equinox, when day and night are equal everywhere. It is an air sign, with Gemini and Aquarius, and a cardinal sign, one of the four that begin a season. Venus rules it, as it rules Taurus, but in air rather than earth, so the planet of harmony works through people and ideas instead of things. Its symbol, the Scales, is the only object among the twelve, and its polarity is the active one. The tradition gives Libra the kidneys and lower back, organs of balance. Its opposite is Aries, and the two form the axis of self and other.
The Libra character
The tradition reads Libra as the sign of relationship and fairness. Air makes it social and thoughtful, Venus gives it charm, taste and a dislike of conflict, and the cardinal mode means it takes the initiative in bringing people together. A Libra is described as gracious, diplomatic, fair-minded and good company, with an eye for beauty and a talent for seeing every side of a question. The same talent is its classic difficulty: weighing every option can make decisions slow, and the wish to keep the peace can hide what it actually wants. Astrologers often give Libra the lesson of choosing, even when a choice disappoints someone.
Libra in love
Partnership is read as Libra's natural ground. The sign is described as romantic, attentive and happiest as one half of a pair, often at its best when there is someone to share life with. The air signs Gemini and Aquarius share its love of ideas and conversation, and the fire signs Leo and Sagittarius are its friendliest, bringing energy and warmth. Aries, the opposite sign, is the famous attraction of opposites: Aries acts, Libra considers, and each has what the other lacks. Cancer and Capricorn square Libra, which the tradition reads as a clash of priorities. A whole-chart comparison says much more than two Sun signs.
Libra at work
The tradition's Libra belongs where people, fairness or beauty are the work: law and mediation, diplomacy, human resources, counseling, design, fashion, art and any job built on partnerships or negotiation. It is read as the colleague who smooths tensions, sees what each side needs and makes a room feel pleasant, and as a strong partner in business more than a lone operator. Harsh, conflict-ridden workplaces are said to wear it down. Astrologers often suggest that a Libra should decide its own priorities before a negotiation, since it can argue anyone's case, including the other side's.
Libra beyond the Sun sign
A planet in Libra is read as working through relationship and balance. Libra rising gives a charming, graceful first impression; the Moon in Libra a need for harmony and company to feel at ease; Venus in Libra, Venus in its own sign, a romantic, fair-minded way of loving; and Mars in Libra energy that works best in partnership. The birth chart calculator shows all of your placements. The sections below give the Libra dates for the coming years, its compatibility with every sign, its three decans and when the slow planets pass through it.
Libra season dates
Libra season is the part of the year when the Sun is in Libra, and anyone born in it is a Libra. By the US Eastern calendar it began on September 22 or 23 in the years 1950 to 2049, and ended between October 22 and October 24, when the Sun moved on into Scorpio: 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 Libra 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.
The scales of a balance. The Babylonians saw scales in these stars, the Greeks the Scorpion’s claws, and the Romans scales again. The character is U+264E (LIBRA) in Unicode, which phones usually draw as an emoji.
Three of the four popular lists we compared give Libra blue, and three give it pink (pink, pastel pink). William Lilly gave Libra “black or dark crimson, or tawny colour” in 1647, and its traditional ruler, Venus, “white or purple colour”.
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 Libra: everyone born in those years shares that placement, with its retrograde loops counted as one stay.
Jupiter next in Libra 2028 to 2029Last there 2016 to 2017.
Saturn next in Libra 2039 to 2042Last there 2009 to 2012.
Uranus next in Libra 2051 to 2059Last there 1968 to 1975.
Neptune not in Libra again before 2100Last there 1943 to 1957.
Pluto not in Libra again before 2100Last there 1971 to 1984.
Libra in the sky
In 2026 the Sun stands in front of the constellation Libra from Oct 31, 2026 to Nov 23, 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.
Libra is usually dated September 23 to October 22, the part of the year called Libra season, which starts at the September equinox. From 1950 to 2049 the Sun entered Libra on September 22 or 23 by the US Eastern calendar, so birthdays around those days, and around October 22 to 24, are worth checking to the minute.
What is Libra's element and ruling planet?
Libra is an air sign of the cardinal mode, ruled by Venus. Air is read as thought and relationship, the cardinal mode as initiative, and Venus as harmony and beauty, which together give Libra its gift for diplomacy and its love of balance.
Which signs are most compatible with Libra?
By the traditional rule, Gemini and Aquarius, the other air signs, and Leo and Sagittarius, in the friendly element of fire. Aries, the opposite sign, is read as the classic attraction of opposites.
Why is Libra the only sign that is an object?
Every other sign is a person or an animal, but Libra is a pair of scales. Greek astronomers knew its stars as the claws of the neighboring Scorpion; the scales, which Roman writers made the standard figure, were linked with the equinox, when day and night are equal, which fits the sign's reading as balance.