Find a sign
Each guide begins with a compact fact table and then explores its symbolism in ordinary situations. The language offers ways to think about a sign, not a fixed description of everyone born under it. Choose a sign below to read its full guide.
- AriesMarch 21–April 19 · Fire · Cardinal
- TaurusApril 20–May 20 · Earth · Fixed
- GeminiMay 21–June 20 · Air · Mutable
- CancerJune 21–July 22 · Water · Cardinal
- LeoJuly 23–August 22 · Fire · Fixed
- VirgoAugust 23–September 22 · Earth · Mutable
- LibraSeptember 23–October 22 · Air · Cardinal
- ScorpioOctober 23–November 21 · Water · Fixed
- SagittariusNovember 22–December 21 · Fire · Mutable
- CapricornDecember 22–January 19 · Earth · Cardinal
- AquariusJanuary 20–February 18 · Air · Fixed
- PiscesFebruary 19–March 20 · Water · Mutable
Why sign dates can shift
The dates above are the common Sun-sign ranges used in popular Western astrology. The tropical zodiac divides the ecliptic into twelve equal 30° signs, beginning at the March equinox. Those divisions are not the same as the unequal astronomical constellations with similar names. The Sun enters each sign at an exact moment, so a calendar boundary can vary with the year and with your local time zone.
If your birthday falls near the beginning or end of a range, enter the recorded birth date, time, historical UTC offset, and place in a chart calculator. Without an accurate time, a boundary-date Sun sign can remain uncertain. A date list is a helpful index; a calculated position answers the more precise question.
Elements and qualities
The four elements group the signs into fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), and water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces). These are symbolic categories used in interpretation, not physical substances in a chart. Each element also appears once in each of the three qualities.
Cardinal signs—Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn—are associated with initiating. Fixed signs—Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius—are associated with sustaining. Mutable signs—Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces—are associated with adapting and distributing. The element and quality together give each sign a distinct place in the cycle. Compare signs with the same element to see three different ways its theme can be expressed.
Read beyond a Sun sign
Popular sign columns usually start with the Sun, but a birth chart includes the Moon, planets, angles, and houses. The Ascendant depends on a precise birth time and location. A person can recognize themes from several signs in the same chart, and no one sign settles a question about work, relationships, or character by itself.
Use the independent birth-chart calculator for tropical positions, including the Sun by degree and the Ascendant when a reliable birth time is available.
Open the birth chart calculator →