Capricorn Zodiac Sign: Dates, Traits and Personality

The Capricorn zodiac sign covers birthdays from December 22 to January 19, which makes it the one sign split across two calendar years. Its edges, like every sign's, move by a few hours from year to year. Capricorn is the tenth sign, a cardinal earth sign ruled by Saturn, and it begins at the December solstice, the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The zodiac guide shows how it fits with the other eleven, and this page looks at the sea-goat in detail.

Fact	Capricorn
Usual dates	December 22 to January 19
Sun leaves Capricorn, 2026	January 19, 8:45 p.m. ET
Sun enters Capricorn, 2026	December 21, 3:50 p.m. ET
Element	Earth
Modality	Cardinal
Ruler	Saturn
Opposite sign	Cancer
Symbol	The sea-goat

Capricorn dates across the turn of the year

Because Capricorn straddles New Year, the calendar year 2026 contains two Capricorn edges: the end of one season in January and the start of the next in December.

In January 2026 the Sun left Capricorn on the 19th at 8:45 p.m. EST, already 01:45 UTC on January 20. Most tables still count January 19 as Capricorn, and on Eastern time that holds until 8:45 p.m.; a birth later that evening is Aquarius. The new season starts at the December solstice. The Sun enters Capricorn on December 21, 2026, at 3:50 p.m. EST, so an East Coast birth on December 21 from 3:50 p.m. on is Capricorn, a day before the usual table begins the sign. That season then runs on into January 2027. The NovaOracles astronomy engine computes both moments, shown here in Eastern time. For any other year, the zodiac sign dates tool settles an edge birthday.

Earth, cardinal, ruled by Saturn

Capricorn is the third earth sign, after Taurus and Virgo. Earth stands for the practical, the solid and the long-lasting. The modality is cardinal, the quality of beginnings, and in Capricorn that initiative takes the form of plans and structures. Taurus enjoys the earth and Virgo tends it, while Capricorn builds on it.

Saturn rules Capricorn. It was the most distant planet known to ancient astronomers and the slowest of them, taking about twenty-nine and a half years to circle the zodiac, and tradition linked it with time, limits and the rewards of patience. Saturn was also Aquarius's classical ruler. Capricorn's opposite sign is Cancer: Cancer guards the home and the private world, Capricorn the public role and reputation, and together they span family and career. The symbol is the sea-goat, a goat with the tail of a fish, a creature that can climb mountains and swim the depths. The glyph ♑ traces the goat's horn curling into the fish's tail.

Capricorn traits: discipline and its weight

Tradition sees Capricorn as the sign of steady effort. The sea-goat is described as responsible, patient and quietly ambitious, content to climb one step at a time toward a goal that may take years. Capricorn is usually reliable, good with rules and structure, and more humorous than first impressions suggest, with a dry wit that surfaces among friends. An old saying holds that Capricorn grows lighter with age.

The weight of all that discipline can press down. Tradition names rigidity, pessimism and a habit of putting work ahead of rest and relationships as the Capricorn shadow. Feelings may be kept under control so tightly that others read the sign as cold. A fear of failing can make it hard to try something new. See which of these you recognize. Your sign follows from your birth date and time, however well or badly the portrait fits.

Capricorn in love and compatibility

In love, tradition reads Capricorn as serious and committed. The sea-goat does not rush, tests trust carefully and shows affection through loyalty and practical support more than through words. Once in, Capricorn is built for the long term.

The earth signs are read as the easiest company. Taurus and Capricorn share patience and a love of security, and Virgo and Capricorn share a strong work ethic. Cancer and Capricorn is the opposite-sign pairing, home and ambition learning from each other. For two real people, the compatibility calculator compares both full charts.

Capricorn at work

Work is where tradition most often places Capricorn. The sign is linked with management, administration, engineering, government, architecture and any profession with a clear ladder to climb. A Capricorn colleague meets deadlines and takes responsibility when things go wrong. Chaos and leaders without a plan frustrate the sea-goat most.

Capricorn is one layer of your chart

Your Sun sign in Capricorn is one layer of a birth chart. The Moon sign speaks to your emotional life and the rising sign to the impression you make, which depends on your exact birth time and place. A Capricorn with a Pisces Moon may be tender and dreamy in private while looking composed in public. The big three tool shows all three, and the rising sign calculator finds the ascendant.

Capricorn follows Sagittarius and is followed by Aquarius.