Astrology Signs 101

In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the vernal equinox. The astrological signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.

The Western zodiac originated in Babylonian astrology and was later influenced by the Hellenistic culture. Each sign was named after a constellation the sun annually moved through while crossing the sky. This observation is emphasized in the simplified and popular sun sign astrology. Over the centuries, Western astrology's zodiacal divisions have shifted out of alignment with the constellations they were named after by axial precession of the Earth while Hindu astrology measurements correct for this shifting. Astrology (i.e. a system of omina based on celestial appearances) was developed in Chinese and Tibetan cultures as well but these astrologies are not based upon the zodiac but deal with the whole sky.

Western astrological correspondence chart

The following table shows the approximate dates of the twelve astrological signs, along with the classical and modern rulerships of each sign. By definition, Aries starts at the First Point of Aries which is the location of the Sun at the March equinox. The precise date of the Equinox varies from year to year but is always between 19 March and 21 March. The consequence is the start date of Aries and therefore the start date of all the other signs can change slightly from year to year. The following Western astrology table enumerates the twelve divisions of celestial longitude with the Latin names. The longitude intervals are treated as closed for the first endpoint and open for the second – for instance, 30° of longitude is the first point of Taurus, not part of Aries. The signs are occasionally numbered 0 through 11 in place of symbols in astronomical works.

Sign	Gloss	Symbol	Unicode Character	Approximate Sun Sign Dates	Ecliptic Longitude (a ≤ λ < b)	House	Polarity	Modality	Triplicity	Northern Hemisphere Season	Southern Hemisphere Season	Modern Ruler	Classic Ruler
Aries	The Ram		♈︎	March 21 – April 19	0° to 30°	1	Positive	Cardinal	Fire	Spring	Autumn	Mars
Taurus	The Bull		♉︎	April 20 – May 20	30° to 60°	2	Negative	Fixed	Earth	Spring	Autumn	Venus
Gemini	The Twins		♊︎	May 21 – June 21	60° to 90°	3	Positive	Mutable	Air	Spring	Autumn	Mercury
Cancer	The Crab		♋︎	June 22 – July 22	90° to 120°	4	Negative	Cardinal	Water	Summer	Winter	Moon
Leo	The Lion		♌︎	July 23 – August 22	120° to 150°	5	Positive	Fixed	Fire	Summer	Winter	Sun
Virgo	The Maiden		♍︎	August 23 – September 22	150° to 180°	6	Negative	Mutable	Earth	Summer	Winter	Mercury
Libra	The Scales		♎︎	September 23 – October 22	180° to 210°	7	Positive	Cardinal	Air	Autumn	Spring	Venus
Scorpio	The Scorpion		♏︎	October 23 – November 22	210° to 240°	8	Negative	Fixed	Water	Autumn	Spring	Pluto (or)	Mars
Sagittarius	The Archer (Centaur)		♐︎	November 23 – December 21	240° to 270°	9	Positive	Mutable	Fire	Autumn	Spring	Jupiter
Capricorn	The Goat		♑︎	December 22 – January 19	270° to 300°	10	Negative	Cardinal	Earth	Winter	Summer	Saturn
Aquarius	The Water-bearer		♒︎	January 20 – February 18	300° to 330°	11	Positive	Fixed	Air	Winter	Summer	Uranus	Saturn
Pisces	The Fish		♓︎	February 19 – March 20	330° to 360°	12	Negative	Mutable	Water	Winter	Summer	Neptune	Jupiter