Zodiac | Symbols, Dates, Facts, & Signs - Britannica

Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos zodiac

• Introduction & Top Questions
• Signs and dates
• Astrology
• History
• The Chinese zodiac

References & Edit History Related Topics Images, Videos & Interactives Quizzes Constellations of the Zodiac and Their Signs Quiz Brightest Star in the Solar System All About Astronomy Zodiac Sign Quiz Contents Philosophy & Religion Religious Beliefs print Print Please select which sections you would like to print:

• Table Of Contents

CITE verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/zodiac Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

• Theoi - Understanding Zodiac Signs Constellations
• The Planets - Zodiac Constellations Facts
• COSMOS - The SAO Encyclopedia of Astronomy - Zodiac
• BBC News - Have the Zodiac and star signs changed?
• University of Missouri - Special Collections and Archives - The Art of Cartography: Cartes-�-figures - The Four Seasons and Zodiac Signs
• Space.com - What's your zodiac sign? (It may not be what you think it is)
• Journal of Foreign Language Education and Technology - Astrology and Zodiac Signs
• IndiaNetzone - Zodiacs

Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

• zodiac - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• zodiac - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

zodiac astronomy and astrology Ask Anything Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything Top Questions

How does astrology relate to the zodiac?

In astrology the outcome of an event, such as someone’s birth, is believed to be affected by the zodiacal positions of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets at that time.

Why don’t the zodiac sign dates match the actual constellations?

Because of the precession of the equinoxes (a wobble of Earth’s axis over a period of 26,000 years), the constellations have shifted eastward, causing the zodiac sign dates to no longer correspond to the actual constellation the Sun is in.

What is the Chinese zodiac system based on?

The Chinese zodiac system is based on a cycle of animals, each representing one year in a repeating cycle of 12 years, based on a myth of a great race between all the animals and the order in which they finished.

zodiac, a belt of 12 constellations around the sky through which the Sun, the Moon, and the naked-eye planets move as seen from Earth. In astrology the outcome of an event (most notably, someone’s birth) is affected by the zodiacal positions of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets when that event happened. Beyond their astrological importance, zodiac signs play a central role in modern popular culture, with millions of people consulting their daily horoscopes.

Signs and dates

The list below gives the constellations of the zodiac, with the dates of the Sun’s passage through them in the era when their boundaries were fixed. The history of the symbols is unknown; they first appeared in Greek manuscripts of the late Middle Ages.

♈ Aries (Ram): March 21–April 19

♉ Taurus (Bull): April 20–May 20

♊ Gemini (Twins): May 21–June 21

♋ Cancer (Crab): June 22–July 22

♌ Leo (Lion): July 23–August 22

♍ Virgo (Virgin): August 23–September 22

♎ Libra (Balance): September 23–October 23

♏ Scorpius (Scorpion): October 24–November 21

♐ Sagittarius (Archer): November 22–December 21

♑ Capricornus (Goat): December 22–January 19

♒ Aquarius (Water Bearer): January 20–February 18

♓ Pisces (Fish): February 19–March 20

Astrology

Astrology is not supported by science. No correlation has been found between birth dates and personality or intelligence. Nevertheless, the belief that one’s personality is determined by the zodiac sign that the Sun was in at one’s birth is widespread, and astrology has enjoyed a resurgence in the 2020s, especially among millennials and Generation Z. In a 2022 poll 27 percent of Americans said they believed in astrology, and the percentage was even higher—37 percent—among those under age 30.

In astrology the 12 zodiacal signs are divided into four groups based on the traditional elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Within each group each sign falls under one of three modalities: cardinal, related to beginnings; fixed, related to sustaining; and mutable, related to changing. The following table lists the signs of the zodiac, their dates, elements, and modalities, and some personality traits traditionally associated with that sign.

sign	date	element	modality	traits
Aries	March 21–April 19	fire	cardinal	energetic, courageous, impulsive
Taurus	April 20–May 20	earth	fixed	reliable, practical, stubborn
Gemini	May 21–June 21	air	mutable	curious, quick-witted, inconsistent
Cancer	June 22–July 22	water	cardinal	loyal, protective, moody
Leo	July 23–August 22	fire	fixed	creative, generous, domineering
Virgo	August 23–September 22	earth	mutable	analytical, hardworking, critical
Libra	September 23–October 23	air	cardinal	diplomatic, cooperative, indecisive
Scorpio	October 24–November 21	water	fixed	passionate, resourceful, jealous
Sagittarius	November 22–December 21	fire	mutable	adventurous, honest, tactless
Capricorn	December 22–January 19	earth	cardinal	disciplined, responsible, unforgiving
Aquarius	January 20–February 18	air	fixed	independent, intellectual, detached
Pisces	February 19–March 20	water	mutable	artistic, compassionate, escapist

History

The zodiac was divided into 12 astrological signs, each occupying 1/12 (or 30°) of its great circle, by the Babylonians about 500 bce. Many of the Babylonian signs (for example, the Twins [Gemini], the Crab [Cancer], and the Balance [Libra]) are still used today. Since most of the constellations through which the ecliptic passes represent animals, the ancient Greeks called its zone zōdiakos kyklos, “circle of animals,” or ta zōdia, “the little animals.”

Because of the precession of the equinoxes (a wobble of Earth’s axis over a roughly 26,000-year period), the constellations have shifted eastward so that the dates of the zodiac signs no longer correspond to the astronomical constellations in which the Sun actually appears. For example, the astrological dates for Aries are March 21 to April 19, but the Sun is actually in Aries from April 19 to May 14. The constellations are irregular in size and shape, and therefore the Sun does not spend exactly one month in each constellation; the Sun spends only November 23–30 in Scorpius. The Sun even passes through one constellation (Ophiuchus, from November 30 to December 18) that is not a member of the zodiac.

Related Topics: astrology Chinese zodiac Zodiac Sign Calculator ecliptic triplicity (Show more) See all related content

The Chinese zodiac

The Chinese zodiac system similarly involves a cycle of animals; however, each of the Chinese zodiac’s symbolic animals represents one year in a repeating cycle of 12 years, and the list and order of the animals is based on a foundational myth of a great race between all the animals rather than on the constellations. The Chinese divided the ecliptic into 28 divisions, or lunar mansions, that followed the movement of the Moon. The ecliptic was also divided into four quarters, each containing seven lunar mansions. Each quarter is associated with an animal, a direction, and a season: the blue dragon of the east (spring), the red bird of the south (summer), the white tiger of the west (autumn), and the black tortoise of the north (winter).

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Rick Livingston.