Dates of the zodiac signs
Sun sign dates shift by a day depending on the year and the source, but the usual ranges are: Aries 21 March to 19 April, Taurus 20 April to 20 May, Gemini 21 May to 20 June, Cancer 21 June to 22 July, Leo 23 July to 22 August, Virgo 23 August to 22 September, Libra 23 September to 22 October, Scorpio 23 October to 21 November, Sagittarius 22 November to 21 December, Capricorn 22 December to 19 January, Aquarius 20 January to 18 February and Pisces 19 February to 20 March.
Fire, earth, air and water
Astrologers group the signs into four elements. Fire signs ♈ ♌ ♐ are seen as bold and energetic, earth signs ♉ ♍ ♑ as grounded and practical, air signs ♊ ♎ ♒ as social and curious, and water signs ♋ ♏ ♓ as emotional and intuitive. Pairing a sign with its element emoji, 🔥 🌍 🌬️ or 💧, is a neat way to decorate a bio or caption.
The thirteenth sign: Ophiuchus
Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer, is a real constellation that the sun passes through in late November and early December, yet it is not part of the twelve-sign zodiac used in Western astrology. The ⛎ emoji has been part of Unicode since 2010 and is popular with people who enjoy pointing out that the modern sky does not quite match the traditional horoscope.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 12 zodiac sign emojis?
They are ♈ Aries, ♉ Taurus, ♊ Gemini, ♋ Cancer, ♌ Leo, ♍ Virgo, ♎ Libra, ♏ Scorpio, ♐ Sagittarius, ♑ Capricorn, ♒ Aquarius and ♓ Pisces. Each shows the traditional astrological glyph, usually drawn on a colored tile.
Is there an emoji for each zodiac symbol?
Mostly, yes. Aries has 🐏 ram, Taurus 🐂 ox, Cancer 🦀 crab, Leo 🦁 lion, Scorpio 🦂 scorpion, Capricorn 🐐 goat and Pisces 🐟 fish. Libra uses ⚖️ balance scale, Sagittarius 🏹 bow and arrow and Aquarius 🏺 amphora as the water jar.
Does ⛎ mean there is a 13th sign?
Not in Western astrology, which still uses twelve signs. Ophiuchus is an astronomical constellation the sun crosses each year, and some people like to claim it as their sign just for fun. The ⛎ emoji lets them do exactly that.