There are 12 zodiac signs, running from Aries, which begins on March 21, to Pisces, which ends on March 20. Each covers about a month. Here are the dates for all of them, their element, modality and ruling planet, and also what astronomy says about the subject, because the constellations in the sky do not match the horoscope calendar.
Dates of the 12 zodiac signs
| Order | Sign | From | To | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aries | March 21 | April 19 | Ram |
| 2 | Taurus | April 20 | May 20 | Bull |
| 3 | Gemini | May 21 | June 20 | Twins |
| 4 | Cancer | June 21 | July 22 | Crab |
| 5 | Leo | July 23 | August 22 | Lion |
| 6 | Virgo | August 23 | September 22 | Maiden |
| 7 | Libra | September 23 | October 22 | Scales |
| 8 | Scorpio | October 23 | November 21 | Scorpion |
| 9 | Sagittarius | November 22 | December 21 | Archer |
| 10 | Capricorn | December 22 | January 19 | Goat |
| 11 | Aquarius | January 20 | February 18 | Water bearer |
| 12 | Pisces | February 19 | March 20 | Fish |
These are the conventional dates, the ones most horoscopes use. The order is not arbitrary: it starts at the March equinox, which marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere and of autumn in the southern.
Why the dates shift by a day depending on the year
If you were born right on the boundary between two signs, you have probably seen your date assigned to one or the other depending on the source. It is not a mistake. The Sun does not enter each sign at the same time every year: the calendar year lasts 365 days, or 366 in a leap year, while the real solar year is about six hours longer than 365. That gap moves the Sun's entry into each sign by several hours, and sometimes by a whole day.
| If you were born on | You may be | It depends on |
|---|---|---|
| March 19 to 21 | Pisces or Aries | The year and time of birth |
| April 19 to 21 | Aries or Taurus | The year and time of birth |
| June 20 to 22 | Gemini or Cancer | The year and time of birth |
| September 22 to 24 | Virgo or Libra | The year and time of birth |
| December 21 to 23 | Sagittarius or Capricorn | The year and time of birth |
Anyone born on those boundary days needs the year, time and place of birth to know where the Sun was. That is what astrology calls a birth chart. Local time matters, and some countries add a twist: Chile, for example, changes its clocks twice a year, as we explain in the time change in Chile.
Elements, modalities and planets
Astrology groups the signs in two ways. By element, into four groups of three signs. By modality, into three groups of four, according to the point of the season in which each one falls.
| Element | Signs | Trait attributed to it |
|---|---|---|
| Fire | Aries, Leo, Sagittarius | Drive and enthusiasm |
| Earth | Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn | Practicality and persistence |
| Air | Gemini, Libra, Aquarius | Ideas and communication |
| Water | Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces | Emotion and intuition |
| Sign | Element | Modality | Ruling planet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | Fire | Cardinal | Mars |
| Taurus | Earth | Fixed | Venus |
| Gemini | Air | Mutable | Mercury |
| Cancer | Water | Cardinal | Moon |
| Leo | Fire | Fixed | Sun |
| Virgo | Earth | Mutable | Mercury |
| Libra | Air | Cardinal | Venus |
| Scorpio | Water | Fixed | Pluto (traditional: Mars) |
| Sagittarius | Fire | Mutable | Jupiter |
| Capricorn | Earth | Cardinal | Saturn |
| Aquarius | Air | Fixed | Uranus (traditional: Saturn) |
| Pisces | Water | Mutable | Neptune (traditional: Jupiter) |
Cardinal signs open a season, fixed signs fall in its middle and mutable signs close it. The modern rulers of Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces were added after the discovery of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, which ancient astrology did not know.
What astronomy says
Astrology is not a science: there is no evidence that the position of the Sun at birth determines a person's character or future. What is real is the zodiac as a strip of sky. It is the band along which, seen from Earth, the Sun, the Moon and the planets move over the course of the year.
The horoscope calendar was fixed more than two thousand years ago. Since then, Earth's axis has been slowly turning, a motion called precession, and the constellations have drifted by about a month relative to the dates. Today, when the horoscope says the Sun is in Aries, in the sky it is almost always in front of Pisces.
| Topic | Astrology | Astronomy |
|---|---|---|
| Number | 12 signs of equal size | 13 constellations of different sizes in the zodiac band |
| Dates | Fixed, anchored to the March equinox | They vary: the Sun spends longer in some constellations than in others |
| Ophiuchus | Not a sign | The Sun crosses it between late November and mid-December |
| Basis | Cultural tradition | Observation and measurement |
That is where the story of the 13th sign comes from. Ophiuchus is a real constellation, and the Sun passes in front of it every year. The boundaries of the constellations were set by the International Astronomical Union in the 20th century, but that did not change the horoscope, which was never based on those boundaries but on dividing the year into 12 equal parts. NASA explains it in its guide to constellations.
How to see the zodiac constellations from Chile
Chile has some of the darkest skies on the planet, and the zodiac constellations can be seen with the naked eye away from cities. From the southern hemisphere they appear upside down compared with the traditional drawings, which were made looking from the north.
- Scorpius is the easiest to recognise: it sits high in the sky during the Chilean winter, with the reddish star Antares at its centre.
- Sagittarius is next to Scorpius, towards the centre of the Milky Way.
- Leo is visible on autumn nights, towards the north.
- Taurus and Gemini appear in summer, near Orion.
- The constellation that corresponds to your sign cannot be seen on your birthday: on those days the Sun is in front of it. It is best seen about six months later.
To go stargazing, choose moonless nights and get away from the city. A long weekend is a good excuse: check the 2027 public holiday calendar.
Frequently asked questions
What are the dates of the zodiac signs?
Aries runs from March 21 to April 19 and, from there, each sign covers about a month, up to Pisces, from February 19 to March 20. The table at the top has them all.
What is the first sign of the zodiac?
Aries, because the zodiac starts at the March equinox. The last is Pisces.
Which signs are fire, earth, air and water?
Fire: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. Earth: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. Air: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. Water: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.
Is there a 13th zodiac sign?
Not in astrology. Ophiuchus is a constellation the Sun passes through, but the horoscope divides the year into 12 equal parts and does not depend on constellation boundaries.
Why does my sign change depending on the website?
Because the Sun enters each sign at a different time every year. If you were born on a boundary day, you need the year and time of birth to know for sure.
Is astrology a science?
No. It is a cultural tradition. Astronomy, which is a science, studies the same stars without attributing to them any influence on personality.
