Sun Signs
Sun Signs: What Yours Says About Your Identity and Drive
Your Sun sign describes what you're reaching for: identity, drive, and how you grow. Here's what each of the twelve says, and when to double-check yours.
⟶Sun Sign, Decan and Cusp Checker
If your birthday falls on the edge of two signs, the date alone can't say which one is yours. This cusp calculator settles it, gives the exact moment the Sun changed signs that year, and shows your Sun's degree and decan.
Why cusp days need a calculation
The Sun changes signs about once a month, usually between the 19th and 23rd, and the exact moment shifts from year to year. A date range in a horoscope column can't settle it, but the Sun's actual position can. Add a time and place if you were born on a changeover day, and the answer is definite.
Degree and decan
Each sign spans 30 degrees, and the Sun's degree shows how far into the sign you were born. A Sun at 0 degrees has only just entered the sign, and one at 29 degrees has nearly all of it behind. A decan is a ten-degree third of the sign. The first is the sign in its purest form, the second adds the flavor of the next sign of the same element, and the third adds the last one. A Taurus in the second decan carries some Virgo.
Questions
What if I don't know my birth time?
The time and place are optional. The checker only needs them if the Sun changed signs on your birthday, and then it shows both signs and asks.
Why doesn't my sign match the dates in a horoscope chart?
The Sun changes signs on slightly different dates and at different times each year. The checker uses its real position instead of a fixed date range.
Am I a cusp sign?
You have one Sun sign. If you were born within a day or so of a change, people say you carry some of the neighboring sign, and your degree shows how close you were.
How do I read my decan?
The sign comes first, and the decan is a secondary shading from the signs of the same element. The degree is worth checking too, because the decans only roughly follow the first, middle and last ten days of a sign's season.
Keep reading
Decans
Decans and Degrees: What the Numbers Next to Your Placements Mean
The small number beside each placement is its degree, and it tells you the decan: one of three ten-degree stretches that adds a flavor to your sign.
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Birth Chart Basics
Did Your Zodiac Sign Change? Sidereal Astrology, Ophiuchus, and the 13th Sign
Your zodiac sign didn't change. Signs are equal slices tied to the seasons, not the stars. Here's what precession, sidereal charts and Ophiuchus mean.
⟶Planet positions from Astronomy Engine. Birthplaces from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).