Astrology Signs: The Twelve Zodiac Signs, Their Dates and Traditions

Astrology signs, also called zodiac signs or sun signs, are the twelve equal parts into which astrologers divide the zodiac, the band of sky through which the Sun, Moon and planets appear to move. In Western astrology your sign is the one the Sun was passing through when you were born, and astrologers associate each sign with its own element, modality, ruling planet and character traits.

What the signs are

Encyclopaedia Britannica defines the zodiac as a belt of twelve constellations around the sky, through which the Sun, the Moon and the planets visible to the naked eye move as seen from Earth. Astrology holds that the positions of these bodies at the moment of an event, most of all a birth, shape its outcome. Each of the twelve signs takes up one-twelfth of that circle, or 30 degrees.

The signs are also a large part of popular culture. Britannica notes that millions of people read a daily horoscope, and it reports a resurgence of interest in astrology in the 2020s, especially among millennials and Generation Z.

Where the zodiac comes from

Omens seen in the sky were first sorted and cataloged in ancient Mesopotamia. Britannica records that the Babylonians divided the zodiac into twelve signs of 30 degrees each around 500 BCE, and several of their signs, among them the Twins, the Crab and the Balance, are still in use as Gemini, Cancer and Libra. Britannica places the theoretical basis of astrology itself in Hellenistic philosophy. Because most of the constellations along the Sun’s path represent animals, the Greeks called the band zodiakos kyklos, “circle of animals,” which gave the zodiac its name. The familiar glyphs for each sign are younger: their history is unknown, and they first appear in Greek manuscripts of the late Middle Ages.

The Western zodiac is one of several systems. Britannica notes that millions of people across the world follow the Chinese zodiac in East Asia and Hindu astrology in South Asia. The Chinese zodiac works differently, giving each of twelve animals a whole year in a repeating twelve-year cycle, in an order drawn from a myth about a great race between the animals.

How the signs are organized

Astrologers sort the twelve signs in three ways.

1. Element. The signs fall into four groups of three, based on the traditional elements. The fire signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius; the earth signs, Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn; the air signs, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius; and the water signs, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.
2. Modality. Each element group has one sign of each of three modalities. Britannica links cardinal signs with beginnings, fixed signs with sustaining and mutable signs with change. Astrology.com calls cardinal signs the zodiac’s pioneers and leaders, fixed signs its stabilizers and mutable signs its editors.
3. Ruling planet. Astrologers also pair each sign with a ruling planet, or with two in some modern systems. Astrology.com, for example, gives Mars as the ruler of Aries and Venus as the ruler of Taurus.

The twelve signs

The dates are Britannica’s; other astrology sources move some boundaries by a day. The traits are those astrologers traditionally associate with each sign, as Britannica lists them, and the ruling planets are Astrology.com’s.

1. Aries, the Ram (March 21 to April 19). Fire, cardinal, ruled by Mars. Traditionally associated with energy, courage and impulsiveness. Astrologers count Aries as the start of the astrological year.
2. Taurus, the Bull (April 20 to May 20). Earth, fixed, ruled by Venus. Associated with reliability, practicality and stubbornness.
3. Gemini, the Twins (May 21 to June 21). Air, mutable, ruled by Mercury. Associated with curiosity, a quick wit and inconsistency.
4. Cancer, the Crab (June 22 to July 22). Water, cardinal, ruled by the Moon. Associated with loyalty, protectiveness and moodiness.
5. Leo, the Lion (July 23 to August 22). Fire, fixed, ruled by the Sun. Associated with creativity, generosity and a domineering streak.
6. Virgo, the Virgin (August 23 to September 22). Earth, mutable, ruled by Mercury. Associated with an analytical mind, hard work and a critical eye.
7. Libra, the Balance (September 23 to October 23). Air, cardinal, ruled by Venus. Associated with diplomacy, cooperation and indecision.
8. Scorpio, the Scorpion (October 24 to November 21). Water, fixed, co-ruled by Mars and Pluto. Associated with passion, resourcefulness and jealousy.
9. Sagittarius, the Archer (November 22 to December 21). Fire, mutable, ruled by Jupiter. Associated with adventure, honesty and tactlessness.
10. Capricorn, the Goat (December 22 to January 19). Earth, cardinal, ruled by Saturn. Associated with discipline, responsibility and an unforgiving side.
11. Aquarius, the Water Bearer (January 20 to February 18). Air, fixed, ruled by Saturn and Uranus. Associated with independence, intellect and detachment.
12. Pisces, the Fish (February 19 to March 20). Water, mutable, co-ruled by Jupiter and Neptune. Associated with artistry, compassion and escapism.

How astrologers use the signs

Your sun sign is only one part of astrology. Astrologers read a birth chart, a map of where the Sun, Moon and planets stood at the moment of birth, and each sign is also tied to one of twelve houses, areas of life such as the self, which Astrology.com links to Aries, or partnerships, which it links to Libra. Astrology.com notes that the picture can differ a good deal depending on whether an astrologer uses tropical or sidereal astrology and which house system they choose.

What science says

Britannica states that astrology is not supported by science and that no link has been found between birth dates and personality or intelligence; it describes astrology as widely considered a pseudoscience today. Even so, a 2022 poll it cites found that 27 percent of Americans said they believed in astrology, rising to 37 percent among those under 30.

There is also an astronomical wrinkle. Over roughly 26,000 years, a slow wobble in Earth’s axis called the precession of the equinoxes has shifted the constellations, so the sign dates no longer match where the Sun actually appears. The astrological dates for Aries, for example, run from March 21 to April 19, while the Sun is actually in the constellation Aries from about April 19 to May 14. The Sun also passes through Ophiuchus, from November 30 to December 18, a constellation that is not part of the zodiac. Astrology signs are for reflection and entertainment, not a guide to decisions about health, money or the future.

Next steps

Find your sun sign in the list above, then note its element and modality. If you want to go further, an astrologer or a chart tool can show where the Moon and planets stood when you were born. Read what you find as a way to reflect on yourself rather than as a forecast.