What zodiac sign is October?

The October sky

October is the eighth month by its Latin name and the tenth in the calendar we use. Northern daylight is still falling by two to three minutes a day, and tradition reads the two signs of the month against that dimming: Libra as the last of the balanced season, Scorpio as depth and what is kept out of sight.

Scorpio carries two rulers: Mars in the traditional scheme and Pluto in the modern one, and which one a reader uses changes the reading. Libra is ruled by Venus, shared with Taurus, so October opens in a Venus sign and closes in a Mars-Pluto one.

Born in October: what each sign means

The October birthstone is Opal (also Tourmaline); see October birthstones.

The October cusp, and what it means for your birthday

The printed table cannot show how far the change spreads: the dates after the 23rd matter in some years and zones.

Across 2000 to 2050 (51 years) the Sun entered Scorpio on these UTC dates: October 23 in 41, October 22 in 10. Counting clocks from UTC-12 to UTC+14 over 1800 to 2099, the change can reach any date from October 21 to 25.

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.

October 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.

• October 1 to 2: Libra, decan 1, ruled by Libra
• October 3 to 12: Libra, decan 2, ruled by Aquarius
• October 13 to 22: Libra, decan 3, ruled by Gemini
• October 23 to 31: Scorpio, decan 1, ruled by Scorpio

October zodiac signs by date

Every October 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 October dates: October 8.