Zodiac and Astrology

The Zodiac

Zodiac and Astrology

The night sky has been read as a mirror for thousands of years. This is your starting point for the twelve zodiac signs and the basics of astrology, with a free tool to map your own chart and a growing library to take you deeper.

Calculate your free birth chart

Begin here

What Is Astrology?

Astrology is the study of how the Sun, Moon and planets relate to life on earth. At its heart sit the twelve zodiac signs, the band of sky the Sun appears to travel through across the year. Each sign carries its own element and ruling planet, and a stretch of the calendar it belongs to.

A birth chart, also called a natal chart, maps exactly where every planet sat at the moment and place you were born. Astrologers read it as a portrait, a language of symbols for reflection rather than a fixed map of fate.

You do not need to believe in prediction to find it useful. Many people read their chart as a mirror, a way of putting words to patterns they already feel. You can find a clear overview of the twelve astrological signs in any good reference.

All twelve

The 12 Zodiac Signs

Aries

21 Mar to 19 Apr

Fire · Mars

Bold

Taurus

20 Apr to 20 May

Earth · Venus

Steady

Gemini

21 May to 20 Jun

Air · Mercury

Curious

Cancer

21 Jun to 22 Jul

Water · Moon

Tender

Leo

23 Jul to 22 Aug

Fire · Sun

Warm

Virgo

23 Aug to 22 Sep

Earth · Mercury

Precise

Libra

23 Sep to 22 Oct

Air · Venus

Harmonious

Scorpio

23 Oct to 21 Nov

Water · Mars

Intense

Sagittarius

22 Nov to 21 Dec

Fire · Jupiter

Adventurous

Capricorn

22 Dec to 19 Jan

Earth · Saturn

Determined

Aquarius

20 Jan to 18 Feb

Air · Saturn

Original

Pisces

19 Feb to 20 Mar

Water · Jupiter

Dreamy

Born on the cusp of two signs? Check your birth chart to be sure. Deep guides to each sign are on their way.

The heart of your chart

Your Big Three: Sun, Moon and Rising

Sun

Your core self and the energy that drives you. The sign you give when someone asks your star sign.

Moon

Your inner, emotional world, and what you need to feel safe and at home in yourself.

Rising

How you meet the world, your outward style and first impression, set by the exact minute of your birth.

Find your big three

Temperament

The Four Elements

Fire

Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Bold, warm and driven.

Earth

Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Grounded, steady and practical.

Air

Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Curious, social and ideas-led.

Water

Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Feeling, intuitive and deep.

Signs are also sorted by three modalities: cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) begin things, fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) sustain them, and mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) adapt. Your element and modality together are a quick shorthand for how your sign moves through the world.

Go deeper

Crystals and Cards for Your Sign

Crystals for every sign

A stone matched to all twelve signs, by element and ruling planet.

Star sign crystals

A single signature stone for each sign, to begin with.

Your tarot birth card

A Major Arcana archetype drawn from your birth date.

A gentle note

Is Astrology Real?

Astrology is a language of symbols and meaning rather than a science of cause and effect. The signs cannot predict or decide your life. What a birth chart can do is hold up a mirror, offering words for patterns you already feel and a gentle prompt to reflect. Read it that way, and take what resonates while you leave the rest.

Map your own chart

Questions

Zodiac and Astrology FAQ

What are the 12 zodiac signs?

There are twelve zodiac signs, one for each stretch of the year: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Each belongs to one of four elements and is ruled by a planet, and together they make up the wheel of the zodiac.

How do I find my zodiac sign?

Your zodiac sign, or sun sign, is set by your date of birth. Find your birthday in the dates above. If you were born on the cusp between two signs, run your details through our free birth chart calculator to be certain, since the dates shift by a day from year to year.

What is the difference between my sun, moon and rising signs?

Your sun sign is your core self and the one most people know. Your moon sign is your inner, emotional world. Your rising sign, or ascendant, is how you meet the world and is set by the exact time and place of your birth. Together they are called your big three.

What are the zodiac elements?

The signs are grouped into four elements that describe their temperament: fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) and water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces). They are also sorted by three modalities, cardinal, fixed and mutable, which describe how each sign moves through the world.

Which zodiac signs are most compatible?

Astrology often pairs signs of the same or complementary elements, so fire and air signs tend to spark, while earth and water signs tend to soothe. Real compatibility, though, is about far more than two sun signs: it is read from both whole birth charts. Your sun sign is only the beginning of the story.

Are zodiac signs and star signs the same thing?

Yes. Your star sign and your zodiac sign both mean your sun sign, the part of the zodiac the Sun was passing through when you were born. It is the same placement, just two names for it.

Explore more: The Library, Crystals, Moon Phases and Tarot.