There are 12 zodiac signs, from Aries to Pisces, each covering about a month of the year. Your Sun sign depends on where the Sun was on the day you were born. Because those dates shift slightly every year, the sign finder below calculates the Sun's real position for your birth, which matters most if you were born near the start or end of a sign.
Exact zodiac sign finder
Enter your date of birth, and your birth time if you know it. We calculate the Sun's position for that moment, tell you your sign and its tarot card, and flag cusp birthdays.
The 12 zodiac signs at a glance
| Sign | Usual dates | Element | Modality | Ruler | Tarot card | Horoscope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | March 21 – April 19 | Fire | Cardinal | Mars | The Emperor | Today |
| Taurus | April 20 – May 20 | Earth | Fixed | Venus | The Hierophant | Today |
| Gemini | May 21 – June 20 | Air | Mutable | Mercury | The Lovers | Today |
| Cancer | June 21 – July 22 | Water | Cardinal | the Moon | The Chariot | Today |
| Leo | July 23 – August 22 | Fire | Fixed | the Sun | Strength | Today |
| Virgo | August 23 – September 22 | Earth | Mutable | Mercury | The Hermit | Today |
| Libra | September 23 – October 22 | Air | Cardinal | Venus | Justice | Today |
| Scorpio | October 23 – November 21 | Water | Fixed | Mars (modern: Pluto) | Death | Today |
| Sagittarius | November 22 – December 21 | Fire | Mutable | Jupiter | Temperance | Today |
| Capricorn | December 22 – January 19 | Earth | Cardinal | Saturn | The Devil | Today |
| Aquarius | January 20 – February 18 | Air | Fixed | Saturn (modern: Uranus) | The Star | Today |
| Pisces | February 19 – March 20 | Water | Mutable | Jupiter (modern: Neptune) | The Moon | Today |
The four elements
- Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius): passion, courage and energy.
- Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn): practicality, patience and the material world.
- Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius): ideas, communication and connection.
- Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces): emotion, intuition and empathy.
Cardinal, fixed and mutable signs
- Cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn): starts things and takes the lead.
- Fixed (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius): sustains, commits and resists change.
- Mutable (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces): adapts, adjusts and goes with change.
Why sign dates are not the same every year
A calendar year is not exactly as long as the Sun's yearly path, so the moment the Sun enters each sign drifts by several hours from one year to the next, with leap years pulling it back. That is why one website says Virgo starts on August 22 and another on August 23. If you were born on one of those edge days, your birth year, time and time zone decide your sign, and the finder above works it out for you. It uses Jean Meeus's standard solar formula, accurate to about a quarter of an hour.
Zodiac signs and tarot
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn linked each sign with a Major Arcana card, a system most modern tarot readers still use. You can read your sign's card alongside your monthly tarot horoscope, or find your personal cards with the tarot birth card calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 12 zodiac signs in order?
Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. The cycle starts at the March equinox, when the Sun enters Aries.
Why do zodiac sign dates differ between websites?
Because the Sun enters each sign at a slightly different moment every year, often on a different calendar day depending on the year and your time zone. Tables can only give typical dates; the sign finder on this page calculates the real position of the Sun for your birth.
What does it mean to be born on the cusp?
It means you were born on a day when the Sun changed signs. Your exact birth time and time zone decide which sign you are; there is no in-between sign in traditional astrology.
What are the four elements of the zodiac?
Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) and Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces).
Which tarot card matches my zodiac sign?
In the Golden Dawn tradition each sign has a Major Arcana card, from The Emperor for Aries to The Moon for Pisces. The table on this page lists all twelve.
Sources and further reading
- Zodiac · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Astrology · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms (2nd ed., 1998), chapter 25: the solar position formula used by the sign finder
- How our readings work: randomness, use of AI and limits · The Mystica
Written by The Mystica Editorial Team under our editorial standards. Last reviewed: October 25, 2026. Astrology is a traditional belief system; personality descriptions are offered for reflection and entertainment, not as scientific findings.