Zodiac Sign Calculator: What Is My Zodiac Sign?
Your zodiac sign, also called your Sun sign or star sign, is the sign the Sun was in when you were born. The date lists in magazines are averages, and the Sun does not change signs on the same day every year. This sun sign calculator reads your birthday and birthplace, and your birth time if you have it, then shows the sign the Sun was really in.
How to use it
- Type your birthday. Month, day and year. For most dates of the year this is already enough, and each box moves you to the next one when it is full.
- Pick your birthplace. Choose the town from the list. The place sets the local clock, and on a change-of-sign day the local clock decides the answer.
- Add the hour if you have it. Born near the edge of a sign and know the time? Enter it for a single answer. If not, tick the box and the card shows the hour the Sun moved.
Your zodiac sign is the sign the Sun occupied at your birth. On about 97 of every 100 dates the birthday alone settles it. On the other 3 the Sun changed signs that day, so the answer depends on the hour and on where you were born.
One answer with three names
Zodiac sign, Sun sign and star sign all mean the same thing here. When someone asks "what is my zodiac sign", they want to know where the Sun was on your birthday. The Sun passes through the twelve signs once a year and spends about a month in each.
You also have a Moon sign and a rising sign, but those are separate questions with separate answers. Most chart readings begin with the Sun. It stands for your character, your vitality, and what makes you feel most alive.
Why date lists can get your sign wrong
A date list has to print one date per sign, so it prints an average. The real year runs about six hours longer than 365 days, which means the Sun reaches each sign about six hours later than it did the year before, until a leap day pulls it back. So the change moves around. Here is the hour the Sun entered Taurus in five different years, worked out by this site's calculator:
| Year | Sun enters Taurus (UTC) |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 20 April, 17:07 |
| 1990 | 20 April, 08:26 |
| 1996 | 19 April, 19:10 |
| 2003 | 20 April, 12:02 |
| 2024 | 19 April, 14:00 |
The next table compares the usual list with what really happened. The last column gives the earliest and latest day each sign began between 1930 and 2030, counted in UTC.
| Sign | Usual dates | Real start |
|---|---|---|
| Aries | Mar 21 to Apr 19 | Mar 20 or 21 |
| Taurus | Apr 20 to May 20 | Apr 19 to 21 |
| Gemini | May 21 to Jun 20 | May 20 to 22 |
| Cancer | Jun 21 to Jul 22 | Jun 20 to 22 |
| Leo | Jul 23 to Aug 22 | Jul 22 or 23 |
| Virgo | Aug 23 to Sep 22 | Aug 22 to 24 |
| Libra | Sep 23 to Oct 22 | Sep 22 to 24 |
| Scorpio | Oct 23 to Nov 21 | Oct 22 to 24 |
| Sagittarius | Nov 22 to Dec 21 | Nov 21 to 23 |
| Capricorn | Dec 22 to Jan 19 | Dec 21 or 22 |
| Aquarius | Jan 20 to Feb 18 | Jan 19 to 21 |
| Pisces | Feb 19 to Mar 20 | Feb 18 or 19 |
If your birthday is not within a day or two of a change, the usual list and this calculator agree.
One real birthday: 20 April 1990
On 20 April 1990 the Sun entered Taurus at 08:26 UTC. A date list says everyone born that day is Taurus. Running real birth details through the calculator shows otherwise:
| Born on 20 April 1990 | Sun sign |
|---|---|
| New York, 1:00 AM | Aries |
| New York, 3:00 PM | Taurus |
| London, 8:00 AM | Aries |
| London, 10:00 AM | Taurus |
| Sydney, 5:00 PM | Aries |
| Sydney, 7:00 PM | Taurus |
The same date gives two different signs in all three cities, and the switch comes at a different local hour in each, because 08:26 UTC was 4:26 AM in New York, 9:26 AM in London and 6:26 PM in Sydney. That is why this page asks for a birthplace even though the Sun is the same for everyone at any given moment.
If you do not know your birth time
Tick the box under the time boxes and leave them empty. For most dates nothing changes, because the Sun stayed in one sign all day. If it moved that day, the card lists both signs and gives the time of the move in your birthplace. Born before that time, you have the first sign. Born after it, the second.
You then only need a rough idea of the hour. A relative may remember whether it was morning or night, and a birth record may have the exact minute.
"On the cusp" is not a third sign
People born near a change of sign often say they are on the cusp. It is a handy phrase, but the Sun is always in one sign or the next, never in both. Enter a time and the card gives one sign with its degree. A Sun at 29 degrees of Aries is at the very end of Aries, and a Sun at 0 degrees of Taurus has just begun Taurus. Some people feel they recognize themselves in both descriptions, and reading the neighbouring sign does no harm. Your chart still has one Sun sign.
What each sign is about
The card gives a one-line reading for your sign. Grouped by element, the short version is:
- Fire: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. Aries is direct and quick to start things. Leo is warm and likes to shine. Sagittarius is hopeful, frank and hungry for freedom.
- Earth: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. Taurus is steady and hard to rush. Virgo notices details and likes order. Capricorn is persistent and builds slowly.
- Air: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius. Gemini is curious and runs several interests at once. Libra weighs both sides and cares about fairness. Aquarius thinks independently and likes fresh ideas.
- Water: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces. Cancer feels deeply and stays close to what is familiar. Scorpio is intense and private. Pisces is gentle, imaginative and tuned in to other people.
Why people with one sign can seem so different
Your Sun sign is one placement among many. Two people with the same Sun can have different Moon signs, different rising signs and a different planet in almost every position. Your Moon sign speaks to what you need in order to feel safe, and your rising sign to how you come across at first. The three together are called your Big 3, and your birth chart holds all of them.
Signs and the stars in the sky
This calculator uses the tropical zodiac, the system most Western astrology follows, where the signs are tied to the seasons and Aries begins at the March equinox. The constellations with the same names have drifted away from those positions over the centuries. Vedic astrology uses a different zodiac, about 24 degrees away, so it often gives the sign before. Neither system changes the date you were born. The how we calculate page explains how the positions are worked out.
Common questions
How do I find my zodiac sign?
Enter your birthday and birthplace in the form at the top of this page and your sign appears below it. If the Sun changed signs on your birthday, the card shows both signs and the time of the change, so you can tell which is yours.
Is my zodiac sign the same as my Sun sign?
Yes. When people say zodiac sign or star sign, they almost always mean the sign the Sun was in at birth. Your Moon and rising sign are also zodiac signs, so a chart has several, but only the Sun sign goes by that name.
I was born on 20 April. Am I Aries or Taurus?
It depends on the year, the hour and the place. In 1990 the change came at 4:26 AM in New York, so a birth at 1:00 AM there was Aries and one at 3:00 PM was Taurus. Enter your own details to find out.
Why does my sign differ from the one in a magazine?
Magazines print one average date for each sign, but the Sun reaches a sign at a different time each year. For a birthday a day or two from a change, the printed list can show the neighbouring sign. This calculator checks your actual year.
Can I find my zodiac sign by date of birth only?
Usually, yes. About 97 of every 100 dates have one Sun sign all day, and the time box can stay empty. The other 3 need at least a rough hour, and the card tells you which hour matters.
What does it mean to be born on the cusp?
It means you were born close to the point where the Sun moved from one sign to the next. The Sun is still in one sign at that moment. Add your birth time and the calculator shows which one, with the degree.
Is there a 13th zodiac sign?
Not in the zodiac this calculator uses. The tropical zodiac has twelve equal signs tied to the seasons. The story about a thirteenth sign comes from the constellation Ophiuchus, which lies along the Sun's path in the sky but is not one of the twelve signs.
Can my zodiac sign change?
No. Your Sun sign is fixed by your birth moment and stays the same for life. It can only seem to change if a date list had it wrong, or if you compare it with a different system such as Vedic astrology.
What is my zodiac sign, Moon and rising?
This page answers the Sun part. The Moon needs a birth date and often a time, and the rising sign needs an exact time and place. Enter them once and See my full chart shows all three, along with your other placements.