The twelve Western zodiac signs
The twelve signs of Western astrology are the most familiar part of astrology worldwide — they are what newspaper horoscopes are built on. This guide explains how the tropical signs are defined, the dates each one covers, and the elements and modalities that give each sign its character.
What a tropical sign is
Western astrology divides the ecliptic, the Sun’s apparent yearly path, into twelve equal 30° segments starting from the March equinox. Because the signs are measured from the equinox rather than from the stars, they are tied to the seasons: Aries always begins with the northern spring, Cancer with the summer solstice, Libra with the autumn equinox and Capricorn with the winter solstice.
The signs share their names with constellations, but they are not the same thing. The constellations are unequal in size, and precession has moved the equinox point about 24° away from where it sat when the system was set up. That is why Vedic astrology, which follows the stars, places most planets one sign earlier. See Western and Vedic astrology compared for the full story.
Dates of the signs
The dates below are the usual ones for the Sun’s entry into each sign. The exact day can shift by one either way from year to year because the calendar year is not exactly 365 days, so if you were born on a boundary (a “cusp”) it is worth checking with a calculator such as our Sun sign calculator.
| Sign | Approximate dates | Element | Modality | Traditional ruler | Modern ruler |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | 21 March – 19 April | Fire | Cardinal | Mars | Mars |
| Taurus | 20 April – 20 May | Earth | Fixed | Venus | Venus |
| Gemini | 21 May – 20 June | Air | Mutable | Mercury | Mercury |
| Cancer | 21 June – 22 July | Water | Cardinal | Moon | Moon |
| Leo | 23 July – 22 August | Fire | Fixed | Sun | Sun |
| Virgo | 23 August – 22 September | Earth | Mutable | Mercury | Mercury |
| Libra | 23 September – 22 October | Air | Cardinal | Venus | Venus |
| Scorpio | 23 October – 21 November | Water | Fixed | Mars | Pluto |
| Sagittarius | 22 November – 21 December | Fire | Mutable | Jupiter | Jupiter |
| Capricorn | 22 December – 19 January | Earth | Cardinal | Saturn | Saturn |
| Aquarius | 20 January – 18 February | Air | Fixed | Saturn | Uranus |
| Pisces | 19 February – 20 March | Water | Mutable | Jupiter | Neptune |
The four elements
Each element appears three times, spaced 120° apart, so signs of the same element form a “grand trine” and are said to understand one another easily.
Fire: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Fire signs are associated with enthusiasm, initiative and self-expression. At their best they inspire others and act on instinct; their growth often lies in patience and in following through once the first spark fades.
Earth: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Earth signs are linked with practicality, reliability and the physical world — money, craft, the body and routine. They tend to build slowly and well, and may need to remind themselves that not everything valuable can be measured.
Air: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Air signs are tied to thought, conversation, relationships and ideas. They are often sociable, curious and fair-minded, and can benefit from connecting ideas to feelings and to action.
Water: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Water signs are associated with feeling, intuition, memory and emotional bonds. They tend to be perceptive and caring, and often thrive when they learn to protect their energy without shutting others out.
The three modalities
Each modality appears four times, one per element, and the signs of a modality are spaced 90° apart.
- Cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) — signs that begin each season. Linked with starting, leading and setting direction.
- Fixed (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) — signs at the middle of each season. Linked with persistence, loyalty and consolidation, and sometimes with stubbornness.
- Mutable (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) — signs that close each season. Linked with adaptability, learning and transition.
Every sign is a unique pairing of one element with one modality: Aries is cardinal fire, Taurus fixed earth, Gemini mutable air, and so on. Vedic astrology uses the same groupings under Sanskrit names — chara (movable), sthira (fixed) and dwiswabhava (dual) — as explained in the twelve rashis.
Polarity and opposite signs
Signs alternate between masculine or active (fire and air) and feminine or receptive (earth and water), terms many modern astrologers replace with “yang” and “yin” or “outward” and “inward”. Each sign also sits opposite a partner sign 180° away — Aries and Libra, Taurus and Scorpio, Gemini and Sagittarius, Cancer and Capricorn, Leo and Aquarius, Virgo and Pisces. Opposite signs share a modality and complementary elements, and are often described as two ends of the same theme, such as self and other for Aries and Libra.
Traditional and modern rulers
Before the outer planets were discovered, the seven visible bodies ruled the twelve signs in a neat pattern: the Sun and Moon one sign each, the other five two signs each. After 1781 many astrologers gave Aquarius to Uranus, Pisces to Neptune and Scorpio to Pluto. Today some Western astrologers use only the traditional rulers, some only the modern ones, and many use both. Vedic astrology keeps the traditional scheme, which is why its sign lords match the left-hand ruler column above.
More than your Sun sign
Your Sun sign is only one part of a chart. A full Western reading also looks at the Moon sign, the rising sign (Ascendant), the signs on each house cusp and the aspects between planets. Two people born on the same day can have very different charts if they were born a few hours apart. The same is true in Vedic astrology, where the Moon sign and rising sign usually carry more weight than the Sun.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean to be born on the cusp?
The Sun is always in one sign or the other. Being born near a boundary simply means you need the exact time and place to find out which. Many people born on a cusp relate to both signs.
Is there a thirteenth sign?
The Sun passes through the constellation Ophiuchus, but the zodiac signs are equal 30° divisions, not constellations, so neither Western nor Vedic astrology adds a thirteenth sign.
Where can I read daily forecasts?
Our horoscope pages are arranged by sign. They follow the Vedic Moon sign by default, so check which sign applies to you first.