Gemini Zodiac Sign: Dates, Traits and Personality

The Gemini zodiac sign runs from May 21 to June 20 in most tables, and in any given year the real boundaries can fall a day earlier or later. Gemini is the third sign, a mutable air sign ruled by Mercury, and it closes out spring in the weeks before the June solstice. The zodiac guide puts it in context with the other eleven signs. This page covers the twins on their own: dates, the exact 2026 timing, element and ruler, and what tradition says about the Gemini character.

Fact	Gemini
Usual dates	May 21 to June 20
Sun enters Gemini, 2026	May 20, 8:37 p.m. ET
Sun leaves Gemini, 2026	June 21, 4:24 a.m. ET
Element	Air
Modality	Mutable
Ruler	Mercury
Opposite sign	Sagittarius
Symbol	The twins

Gemini dates in 2026, to the minute

Both edges of Gemini moved off the printed table in 2026, and in opposite directions. The Sun entered Gemini on May 20 at 8:37 p.m. EDT, which was 00:37 UTC on May 21. A birth on May 20 after 8:37 p.m. Eastern is therefore Gemini, a day before the table starts the sign.

At the far end, the Sun reached Cancer at the June solstice, June 21 at 4:24 a.m. EDT. Anyone born on June 21, 2026, before 4:24 a.m. Eastern is still a Gemini, although the table ends the sign on June 20. Both moments were computed by the NovaOracles astronomy engine and converted to Eastern time. In a different year the moments shift by hours, so an edge birthday is worth checking with the zodiac sign dates tool, which looks up the Sun for that exact date.

Air, mutable, ruled by Mercury

Gemini is the first of the air signs, followed by Libra and Aquarius. Air is the element tradition links to thought, speech and connection between people. The modality is mutable, the quality of signs that end a season and prepare for the next one, and mutable signs are read as flexible and quick to change course.

Mercury, the fastest planet and the messenger of the old gods, rules Gemini. It also rules Virgo, where tradition gives it a careful, practical voice; in Gemini the same planet is lighter and more playful, drawn to news, jokes and ideas. The opposite sign is Sagittarius. Gemini gathers facts close at hand, Sagittarius reaches for the big picture far away, and between them they cover the whole range of learning. The symbol is a pair of twins, often linked to Castor and Pollux of Greek myth, and the glyph ♊ looks like two upright pillars joined at top and bottom.

Gemini traits and the shadow side

Tradition sees Gemini as the sign of curiosity. The twins want to know how things work, who said what, and what happens next. Conversation is a pleasure and a skill, humor comes quickly, and the mind can hold several threads at once. In a group, the Gemini is usually the one with a fresh story or a link to pass around.

The shadow is the flip side of that speed. Attention can scatter, plans can change before they are finished, and a love of variety can look like inconsistency to people who want a clear answer. Tradition also mentions nervous energy and a habit of talking a feeling through instead of sitting with it. Take the portrait as a mirror. You are a Gemini because of when you were born, whether or not every line of it describes you.

Gemini in love and compatibility

In love, Gemini is said to fall for a mind first. A good partner keeps the conversation going, gives the twins room to roam and does not mistake a flirt with ideas for a lack of feeling. Routine is the hardest test.

Tradition reads the other air signs as easy company: Gemini and Libra share a social ease, and Gemini and Aquarius share a taste for ideas. The opposite sign sets up the most interesting tension, and Gemini and Sagittarius is the classic pairing of two restless minds. Fire signs in general tend to spark with Gemini. For an actual couple, the compatibility calculator compares both full charts.

Gemini at work

At work, the twins shine wherever words and variety meet. Tradition names writing, teaching, journalism, sales and any job with lots of short tasks and people to talk to. A Gemini usually learns fast, adapt to new tools and connect people who would not otherwise meet. Long, repetitive projects with no fresh input are the weak spot, and a Gemini often works best when the day has enough change built in.

The rest of your chart

A Gemini Sun is one layer. The Sun sign describes a core drive, while the Moon sign shows emotional needs and the rising sign shows how you meet the world. A Gemini with a Capricorn Moon, for instance, can be chatty on the surface and quite reserved underneath. The big three tool gathers all three, and the rising sign calculator needs your birth time to find the ascendant.

The sign before Gemini is Taurus, and the one after it is Cancer.