The twelve signs and their dates
Your zodiac sign is the sign the Sun was passing through when you were born. The Sun moves about one degree a day and takes a year to cross all twelve signs, so each sign covers roughly a month. The usual dates are below, with the days the Sun actually arrived in each sign over 111 years, calculated by this site's own engine.
| Sign | Usual dates | The Sun arrived (1930–2040, UTC) | Element | Mode | Ruler |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | March 21 – April 19 | Mar 20 (76 years), Mar 21 (35) | Fire | Cardinal | Mars |
| Taurus | April 20 – May 20 | Apr 19 (28), Apr 20 (81), Apr 21 (2) | Earth | Fixed | Venus |
| Gemini | May 21 – June 20 | May 20 (31), May 21 (78), May 22 (2) | Air | Mutable | Mercury |
| Cancer | June 21 – July 22 | Jun 20 (9), Jun 21 (85), Jun 22 (17) | Water | Cardinal | Moon |
| Leo | July 23 – August 22 | Jul 22 (53), Jul 23 (58) | Fire | Fixed | Sun |
| Virgo | August 23 – September 22 | Aug 22 (24), Aug 23 (82), Aug 24 (5) | Earth | Mutable | Mercury |
| Libra | September 23 – October 22 | Sep 22 (33), Sep 23 (77), Sep 24 (1) | Air | Cardinal | Venus |
| Scorpio | October 23 – November 21 | Oct 22 (7), Oct 23 (86), Oct 24 (18) | Water | Fixed | Pluto, traditionally Mars |
| Sagittarius | November 22 – December 21 | Nov 21 (11), Nov 22 (89), Nov 23 (11) | Fire | Mutable | Jupiter |
| Capricorn | December 22 – January 19 | Dec 21 (50), Dec 22 (61) | Earth | Cardinal | Saturn |
| Aquarius | January 20 – February 18 | Jan 19 (10), Jan 20 (91), Jan 21 (10) | Air | Fixed | Uranus, traditionally Saturn |
| Pisces | February 19 – March 20 | Feb 18 (45), Feb 19 (66) | Water | Mutable | Neptune, traditionally Jupiter |
The dates are in Universal Time. In the Americas the change often falls on the evening before: at five hours behind UTC, the Sun entered Aries on March 19 in 7 of those years. That is why the calculator asks for a birth place on the days when it matters.
The four elements of the zodiac
Each sign belongs to one of four elements, and the three signs of an element are read as sharing a temperament. Astrologers often start a chart by counting the planets in each element, and the birth chart calculator shows that balance for you.
- Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius): energy, enthusiasm and the urge to act. Fire signs are read as warm, direct and inspiring, and at their worst impatient.
- Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn): practicality, patience and the physical world. Earth signs are read as steady and capable, and at their worst stubborn.
- Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius): ideas, words and connection. Air signs are read as curious and sociable, and at their worst detached.
- Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces): feeling, intuition and closeness. Water signs are read as caring and perceptive, and at their worst easily overwhelmed.
Fire and air are read as feeding each other, as are earth and water, which is why those pairings count as friendly in zodiac compatibility.
The three modes
The signs also fall into three modes, or modalities, which describe how each one moves. Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) begin each season and are read as starters and leaders. Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) sit in the middle of a season and are read as steady and loyal. Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) end each season and are read as adaptable. Every sign is one element in one mode: Leo, for example, is fixed fire.
Born on the cusp
People born within a day or two of a sign change are often said to be "on the cusp", and some astrologers read a blend of the two signs. Technically the change happens at one instant, so everyone has a single Sun sign. If you were born on the day of a change, the calculator shows the exact moment the Sun crossed into the next sign, in your local time when you give a place, and which side your birth falls on when you also give the time.
The Sun reaches the start of Aries at the March equinox, and each later sign follows 30° further on. Its speed varies a little through the year, fastest in early January, which is why some signs are a day longer than others.
Your sign is one part of your chart
Your zodiac sign describes your core identity: what energizes you and what you are growing into. A birth chart holds much more. Your Moon sign describes your emotional needs, and your rising sign the way you meet the world; together with the Sun they are your big three. Venus shows how you love, Mars how you act, and every planet sits in a house of life as well as a sign. The Sun, moon and rising calculator is the natural next step.
Tropical and sidereal zodiacs
This calculator uses the tropical zodiac, the standard in Western astrology, which ties Aries to the March equinox. Vedic (Indian) astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, which is measured against the background stars. Because the equinox slowly drifts against the stars, the two zodiacs are now about 24° apart, so most people's sidereal Sun sign is the one before their tropical sign. Neither is a mistake; they answer different questions, and this site uses tropical positions throughout.