Leo Zodiac Sign: Dates, Traits and Personality

The Leo zodiac sign covers birthdays from July 23 to August 22, with each edge able to slip by several hours from one year to the next. Leo is the fifth sign, a fixed fire sign, and the only one ruled by the Sun itself. It falls in the heart of summer, the hottest stretch of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The zodiac guide shows where the lion sits among all twelve signs, and this page gives its dates, the exact 2026 changeover, and the traits tradition assigns it.

Fact	Leo
Usual dates	July 23 to August 22
Sun enters Leo, 2026	July 22, 3:13 p.m. ET
Sun leaves Leo, 2026	August 22, 10:19 p.m. ET
Element	Fire
Modality	Fixed
Ruler	The Sun
Opposite sign	Aquarius
Symbol	The lion

When Leo starts and ends in 2026

In 2026 both Leo boundaries fell earlier than the table suggests, at least on Eastern time. The Sun entered Leo on July 22 at 3:13 p.m. EDT, so on July 22 a birth from 3:13 p.m. on is Leo, and an earlier one is still Cancer.

At the other end, the Sun crossed into Virgo on August 22 at 10:19 p.m. EDT, already 02:19 UTC on August 23. On the East Coast, then, the last hour and forty-one minutes of August 22 belonged to Virgo. In Los Angeles the same instant read 7:19 p.m. PDT. Every time quoted here is Eastern, taken from the Sun positions the NovaOracles astronomy engine computes. Because the exact moment shifts every year, anyone born near July 22 or August 22 can check their own date with the zodiac sign dates tool.

Element, modality and the Sun as ruler

Leo is the second of the three fire signs, between Aries and Sagittarius. Fire in astrology stands for warmth, enthusiasm and the urge to act. The fixed modality turns that fire into a steady flame: where cardinal Aries sparks and mutable Sagittarius roams, Leo keeps burning in one place.

The ruler is the Sun. Astronomers call it a star, while astrology counts it among the planets, and in a chart it stands for vitality and the self you show the world. Leo is the only sign it rules. The opposite sign is Aquarius: Leo speaks for the individual heart, Aquarius for the group and the common cause. The symbol is the lion, often tied to the Nemean lion of Greek myth, and the glyph ♌ traces a curling line that some read as a mane or a tail.

Leo traits and personality

The traits tradition assigns to Leo start with warmth. The lion is described as generous, expressive and loyal, with a gift for making others feel seen and a natural ease on a stage, whether that stage is a theater or a dinner table. Leo likes to create, to play and to celebrate, and tends to bring the energy up in a room.

The shadow comes from the same place. Pride is the classic Leo weak spot: a need for recognition that can turn into sulking when praise does not arrive, and a fixed-sign stubbornness that makes backing down hard. Tradition also mentions a taste for drama that can wear on quieter people. See what rings true and leave the rest. The Sun in Leo is set by when you were born, so no list of traits can make you more or less of a Leo.

Leo in love and compatibility

In love, Leo is said to be romantic in the grand style: gifts, gestures, full attention. Loyalty is strong, and so is the wish to be admired by the person the lion loves. A partner who notices and says so keeps Leo warm; one who is stingy with appreciation leaves it cold.

Tradition pairs Leo most easily with the other fire signs. Aries and Leo share courage and heat, and Leo and Sagittarius share a love of fun and adventure. The opposite-sign pairing, Leo and Aquarius, is magnetic and full of lessons about self and group. The wider picture is in the roundup of the most compatible zodiac signs, and the compatibility calculator compares two full charts.

Leo at work

Leo does best in work where a person is visible. Tradition names the performing arts, leadership roles, teaching, events and creative direction, all places where warmth and presence count. A Leo manager is often generous with credit and protective of the team. Work that is invisible, or a boss who never gives feedback, is where the lion's motivation drops.

Why a Leo Sun tells only part of it

The Sun matters a great deal in Leo, since it is the sign's own ruler, yet it remains one layer of a chart. The Moon sign shows what you need to feel safe, and the rising sign shows how others first see you. A Leo with a Virgo rising might seem modest and careful before the warmth shows. The big three tool sets out all three, and the rising sign calculator finds your ascendant from your birth time.

Leo sits between Cancer and Virgo on the zodiac wheel.