What zodiac sign is December?

The December sky

Capricorn begins at the December solstice, the shortest day of the northern year, when the Sun reaches its southernmost point. The Tropic of Capricorn marks that limit. From here the northern days lengthen again, which is the reason this sign has always been read as the one that turns something around.

The change falls on December 21 or 22 depending on the year, so December 21 is a genuinely open birthday.

Born in December: what each sign means

The December birthstone is Turquoise (also Tanzanite, Zircon, Blue Topaz); see December birthstones.

The December cusp, and what it means for your birthday

The December cusp starts a day earlier than the table admits. In 2024, 2025 and 2026 the Sun had entered Capricorn on December 21 itself, so a December 21 birth is Capricorn in the late hours of most recent years even though the table says Sagittarius.

Across 2000 to 2050 (51 years) the Sun entered Capricorn on these UTC dates: December 21 in 39, December 22 in 12. Counting clocks from UTC-12 to UTC+14 over 1800 to 2099, the change can reach any date from December 20 to 23.

Born near that moment? The sun sign calculator takes your year, time and time zone. For the Moon and rising sign too, use the birth chart calculator.

December decans: the ten-day stretches

Each sign is cut into three decans of about ten days, ruled in turn by the sign itself and the next two signs of its element. Sources differ by a day on where a decan starts; these follow the sign dates on this page.

• December 1: Sagittarius, decan 1, ruled by Sagittarius
• December 2 to 11: Sagittarius, decan 2, ruled by Aries
• December 12 to 21: Sagittarius, decan 3, ruled by Leo
• December 22 to 31: Capricorn, decan 1, ruled by Capricorn

December zodiac signs by date

Every December birthday, day by day. Rows marked cusp are dates a sign change can reach in some year or time zone; the note says which two signs are in play.

Full guides for the most-searched December dates: December 21, December 22.