Zodiac Sign Calculator

Your zodiac sign, also called your sun sign or star sign, is the sign the Sun was in on the day you were born. The zodiac is a belt of 12 equal sections, 30 degrees each, that the Sun appears to move through over a year. It spends about a month in each one.

When someone asks "what's my horoscope sign?", this is what they mean. It's the sign in your newspaper horoscope, and it describes your core identity and the way you go after what you want. It's one part of a birth chart, which also has a moon sign, a rising sign and the other planets.

Here are all 12 signs with their usual dates, element and ruling planet. Where two planets are listed, the first is the traditional ruler and the second is the one modern astrologers added after Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were found.

Sign	Usual dates	Element	Ruling planet
Aries	Mar 21 – Apr 19	Fire	Mars
Taurus	Apr 20 – May 20	Earth	Venus
Gemini	May 21 – Jun 20	Air	Mercury
Cancer	Jun 21 – Jul 22	Water	Moon
Leo	Jul 23 – Aug 22	Fire	Sun
Virgo	Aug 23 – Sep 22	Earth	Mercury
Libra	Sep 23 – Oct 22	Air	Venus
Scorpio	Oct 23 – Nov 21	Water	Mars / Pluto
Sagittarius	Nov 22 – Dec 21	Fire	Jupiter
Capricorn	Dec 22 – Jan 19	Earth	Saturn
Aquarius	Jan 20 – Feb 18	Air	Saturn / Uranus
Pisces	Feb 19 – Mar 20	Water	Jupiter / Neptune

These dates are a guide. The exact day the Sun changes sign moves a little from year to year, which is why the calculator checks your actual birth date instead of reading from this table.

Enter your birth date. Birth time and place are optional. The ring of signs on the astrolabe plate turns and stops on your sun sign, with the Sun lit on it. You get:

• your sun sign;
• the exact degree the Sun was at, for example 14° Leo;
• the sign's element, modality (cardinal, fixed or mutable) and ruling planet;
• a one-line description of the sign.

It's free, and you don't need an account to see your result.

• Aries: bold, direct and quick to start things.
• Taurus: steady, sensual and hard to rush.
• Gemini: curious, talkative and always juggling ideas.
• Cancer: protective, sensitive and loyal to the people they love.
• Leo: warm, proud and happiest when they can share the spotlight.
• Virgo: careful, practical and good at spotting what needs fixing.
• Libra: charming, fair-minded and uneasy with conflict.
• Scorpio: intense, private and committed all the way.
• Sagittarius: restless, honest and always looking for the next horizon.
• Capricorn: disciplined, ambitious and patient about long goals.
• Aquarius: independent, inventive and a bit of an outsider.
• Pisces: imaginative, empathetic and easily absorbed in other people's moods.

For a longer look at each sign, read Zodiac Signs and Dates.

The Sun doesn't change signs at the same moment every year. A calendar year is 365 days and Earth's orbit takes a bit longer, so the exact time of each change drifts, and leap years pull it back. Most changes fall between the 19th and the 23rd of the month. The time is also tied to a time zone, so someone born in Tokyo and someone born in Los Angeles on the same calendar date can have different signs.

If you were born on one of those days, you're a "cusp" birthday. Your birth time settles it. The calculator compares your time with the moment the Sun changed sign that year. If you don't enter a time, it shows both possible signs and asks you to add one.

Your sun sign is the best-known part of your chart, but it isn't the whole picture. The moon sign describes your emotions and what you need to feel safe. The rising sign describes how you come across and how you start things. Together with the Sun they make up your "big three."

To see all three at once, use the Big Three calculator. To see every planet and house, try the birth chart.