Capricorn Zodiac Sign: Dates, Traits and Ruling Planet
- Usual dates
- December 22 to January 19
- Element
- Earth
- Mode
- Cardinal
- Ruling planet
- Saturn
Dates and the edge days
Capricorn dates are December 22 to January 19. December 22 and January 19 are the edge days: the year and the birth time can put the Sun on either side of the change. The calculator checks that moment instead of trusting the printed range.
Element, mode, and ruler
Capricorn is an earth sign, and it is cardinal. Capricorn is cardinal earth and begins around the December solstice. It is the sign that opens northern winter, so the old texts treat it as a start made in the coldest part of the year. Patient, ambitious, serious about the long game.
Saturn is the traditional ruler: the slow planet the classical list associated with time, limits, and work that takes years. Modern books sometimes mention other bodies. The ruler named here is Saturn. Capricorn is drawn as a goat with a fish tail, a picture of climbing and of an older, stranger origin. The textbook meaning is patience, duty, and respect for a structure that was built before you arrived. Earth signs are the practical group. The climbing goat is a metaphor for the Sun's place in late December and January, not a score for ambition.
Moon in Capricorn
The Moon in Capricorn is described as feelings kept under control, with comfort coming from a plan that is already working. The tradition says this Moon would rather be useful than soothed. A changeover day still needs the birth time before the sign is settled.
Capricorn rising
Capricorn rising is the old first impression of a reserved, capable manner. It is an ascendant of about two hours. The date range of the Sun sign does not tell you the rising sign.
Sign and constellation
The constellation Capricornus is faint. Its old figure is a goat with a fish tail. The sign begins around the December solstice.
Calculators
For the Sun sign, use the zodiac calculator. The Moon, Rising, Mercury, Venus, and Mars calculators answer a different question, and the Capricorn horoscope is a separate daily note on the same sign.
Zodiac sign calculator · Moon · Rising · Capricorn horoscope
Dates usually counted as Capricorn
December 22 · December 23 · December 24 · December 25 · December 26 · December 27 · December 28 · December 29 · December 30 · December 31 · January 1 · January 2 · January 3 · January 4 · January 5 · January 6 · January 7 · January 8 · January 9 · January 10 · January 11 · January 12 · January 13 · January 14 · January 15 · January 16 · January 17 · January 18 · January 19
Questions
What are Capricorn dates?
Capricorn dates are December 22 to January 19 in the usual tropical calendar. Those two edges are changeover days: the year and the birth time can put the Sun in Capricorn or in the neighboring sign. Each date page below uses noon UTC, the same engine as the zodiac calculator, so you can see whether that birthday stays in Capricorn.
What month is Capricorn?
Capricorn season sits in December and January. It does not fill either month on its own. December 22 is the usual start, and January 19 is the usual last day, with a clock time that shifts a little each year. Use the date list on this page, or the December and January birthday hubs.
When does Capricorn season start?
Capricorn season usually starts on December 22. That is the calendar day when the Sun is treated as entering Capricorn, but the exact minute depends on the year. The zodiac calculator uses the same tropical longitude as these pages. If the birthday is December 22 or January 19, check the year rather than the printed range.