The Twelve Zodiac Signs, Their Dates and Their Symbols
Each sign with its dates, symbol, ruling planet and element, the Latin names setters use, and the thirteenth constellation that is not a sign.
Whatever you make of astrology, the zodiac is quiz and crossword furniture. The names are Latin, they are short, and each has a symbol, an element and a ruling planet attached.
The twelve
| Sign | Symbol | Dates | Element | Ruler |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | The Ram | 21 Mar – 19 Apr | Fire | Mars |
| Taurus | The Bull | 20 Apr – 20 May | Earth | Venus |
| Gemini | The Twins | 21 May – 20 Jun | Air | Mercury |
| Cancer | The Crab | 21 Jun – 22 Jul | Water | The Moon |
| Leo | The Lion | 23 Jul – 22 Aug | Fire | The Sun |
| Virgo | The Maiden | 23 Aug – 22 Sep | Earth | Mercury |
| Libra | The Scales | 23 Sep – 22 Oct | Air | Venus |
| Scorpio | The Scorpion | 23 Oct – 21 Nov | Water | Pluto / Mars |
| Sagittarius | The Archer | 22 Nov – 21 Dec | Fire | Jupiter |
| Capricorn | The Goat | 22 Dec – 19 Jan | Earth | Saturn |
| Aquarius | The Water Bearer | 20 Jan – 18 Feb | Air | Uranus / Saturn |
| Pisces | The Fish | 19 Feb – 20 Mar | Water | Neptune / Jupiter |
Things worth knowing
- Only one sign has no animal or human figure. Libra, the scales. Every other sign is a creature or a person.
- Four elements, three signs each. Fire: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. Earth: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. Air: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius. Water: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces.
- Aquarius is an air sign, despite carrying water. This catches people out constantly.
- Two signs are half-and-half. Sagittarius is a centaur, Capricorn traditionally a goat with a fish’s tail.
- The dates shift slightly year to year, because the sun does not cross the boundaries at the same clock time each year.
The thirteenth constellation
Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer, sits on the ecliptic between Scorpio and Sagittarius, so the sun passes through it every year. It has never been one of the twelve signs, because the zodiac divides the sky into twelve equal thirty-degree slices rather than following constellation boundaries. Every few years a news story announces that star signs have "changed". They have not.
For crossword solvers
3: Leo. 5: Aries, Libra, Virgo. 6: Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Pisces. 7: Scorpio. 8: Aquarius. 9: Capricorn. 11: Sagittarius. "The Ram", "the bull", "the scales" and "the archer" in a clue are nearly always pointing at these.