The ninth sign of the zodiac, usually dated November 22 to December 21: a mutable fire sign ruled by Jupiter, the Archer, read as adventurous, honest and hungry for meaning.
Sagittarius at a glance
Sagittarius, the ninth sign, closes the autumn quarter, and the Sun leaves it at the December solstice. It is a fire sign, with Aries and Leo, and a mutable sign, one of the four in which a season loosens its hold. Jupiter rules it, the largest planet and the one astrologers call the greater benefic, and its symbol is the Archer, a centaur with a drawn bow. For most of the Sagittarius season, from about November 29 to December 17, the Sun actually stands in front of the stars of Ophiuchus, the constellation between Scorpius and Sagittarius on its path. Its polarity is the active one, and the tradition gives it the hips and thighs, the body's long stride. Its opposite is Gemini, and the two form the axis of learning: Gemini gathers facts and conversation, Sagittarius looks for the meaning behind them.
The Sagittarius character
The tradition reads Sagittarius as the sign of the horizon. Fire gives it optimism, Jupiter gives it a large appetite for experience and ideas, and the mutable mode keeps it moving. A Sagittarius is described as adventurous, cheerful, frank and philosophical, a traveler in body or mind, happiest when it is learning, exploring or arguing about what life means. Its honesty is famous and its tact less so: the tradition's Sagittarian says what it thinks and wonders why anyone minds. Restlessness, overpromising and a dislike of detail are the usual difficulties. Astrologers often give the sign the lesson of commitment, staying long enough for a journey to become a home.
Sagittarius in love
In love Sagittarius is read as warm, generous and in need of room. It wants a partner who is also a companion on the road, someone to laugh, argue and travel with, and it tends to shy away from anything that feels like a cage. The fire signs Aries and Leo share its energy, and the air signs Libra and Aquarius are its friendliest, sharing its interest in people and ideas. Gemini, the opposite sign, is the lively pairing of two curious minds who never run out of things to talk about. Virgo and Pisces square Sagittarius, which the tradition reads as a clash of priorities. A comparison of two whole charts says far more than two Sun signs.
Sagittarius at work
The tradition points Sagittarius toward work with range and purpose: teaching, especially at a university, publishing, law, philosophy and religion, travel and tourism, sport and outdoor work, and anything international. It is read as an inspiring colleague with big ideas, generous with encouragement and bored by paperwork. A job that feels pointless is said to be the hardest thing for it to stay in. Many astrologers suggest that a Sagittarius does its best work when it believes in the mission, and that it needs a patient partner for the details it would rather skip.
Sagittarius beyond the Sun sign
A planet in Sagittarius is read as reaching for more. Sagittarius rising gives an open, friendly and restless manner; the Moon in Sagittarius a need for freedom and optimism to feel at ease; Jupiter in Sagittarius, Jupiter in its own sign, a big-hearted, searching faith in life; and Venus in Sagittarius love that needs adventure and honesty. The birth chart calculator shows every placement at once. The sections below give the Sagittarius dates for the coming years, its compatibility with every sign, its three decans and when the slow planets pass through it.
Sagittarius season dates
Sagittarius season is the part of the year when the Sun is in Sagittarius, and anyone born in it is a Sagittarius. By the US Eastern calendar it began on November 21 or 22 in the years 1950 to 2049, and ended on December 21 or 22, when the Sun moved on into Capricorn: 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 Sagittarius 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 Sagittarius purple (purple, plum). William Lilly gave Sagittarius “yellow or a green sanguine” in 1647, and its traditional ruler, Jupiter, “a colour mixed with red and green”.
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 Sagittarius: everyone born in those years shares that placement, with its retrograde loops counted as one stay.
Jupiter next in Sagittarius 2030 to 2031Last there 2018 to 2019.
Saturn next in Sagittarius 2044 to 2047Last there 2014 to 2017.
Uranus next in Sagittarius 2065 to 2072Last there 1981 to 1988.
Neptune not in Sagittarius again before 2100Last there 1970 to 1984.
Pluto not in Sagittarius again before 2100Last there 1995 to 2008.
Sagittarius in the sky
In 2026 the Sun stands in front of the constellation Sagittarius from Dec 31, 2025 to Jan 19, 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.
Sagittarius is usually dated November 22 to December 21, the part of the year called Sagittarius season, which ends at the December solstice. From 1950 to 2049 the Sun entered Sagittarius on November 21 or 22 by the US Eastern calendar, and left on December 21 or 22, so birthdays near either end are worth checking to the minute.
What is Sagittarius's element and ruling planet?
Sagittarius is a fire sign of the mutable mode, ruled by Jupiter. Fire is read as enthusiasm, the mutable mode as restlessness and range, and Jupiter as growth, wisdom and good fortune, which together give the sign its love of adventure and ideas.
Which signs are most compatible with Sagittarius?
By the traditional rule, Aries and Leo, the other fire signs, and Libra and Aquarius, in the friendly element of air. Gemini, the opposite sign, is read as a lively, talkative match of two curious signs.
Why is the Archer half horse?
The constellation has long been drawn as a centaur drawing a bow, sometimes linked in Greek myth with the wise centaur Chiron. The tradition reads the figure as the sign itself: animal energy below, a mind aiming far above.