Sagittarius Zodiac Sign: Dates, Traits and Personality

The Sagittarius zodiac sign belongs to birthdays from November 22 to December 21, although the edges can move by several hours depending on the year. It is the ninth sign, a mutable fire sign ruled by Jupiter, and its season carries late fall toward the December solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. For the full wheel of twelve, see the zodiac guide. This page is about the archer.

Fact	Sagittarius
Usual dates	November 22 to December 21
Sun enters Sagittarius, 2026	November 22, 2:23 a.m. ET
Sun leaves Sagittarius, 2026	December 21, 3:50 p.m. ET
Element	Fire
Modality	Mutable
Ruler	Jupiter
Opposite sign	Gemini
Symbol	The archer

Sagittarius dates in 2026

The 2026 Sagittarius season begins in the middle of the night. The Sun leaves Scorpio and enters Sagittarius on November 22 at 2:23 a.m. EST, 07:23 UTC. Because that is so early, almost all of November 22 is Sagittarius on Eastern time, but a birth between midnight and 2:23 a.m. is still Scorpio.

The season ends at the December solstice, December 21 at 3:50 p.m. EST, when the Sun crosses into Capricorn. Most tables give all of December 21 to Sagittarius; in 2026, a birth on the East Coast after 3:50 p.m. that day is Capricorn instead. Both times are Eastern standard time, since daylight saving ends on November 1, and both come from the NovaOracles astronomy engine. Anyone born close to one of these edges in a different year can confirm their sign with the zodiac sign dates tool.

Fire, mutable, ruled by Jupiter

Sagittarius is the last of the three fire signs, after Aries and Leo. In the tradition fire means spirit, courage and enthusiasm. The modality is mutable, the quality of signs at the end of a season, and mutable fire is read as fire that travels: a flame that jumps from idea to idea and place to place.

Jupiter is the ruler, the largest planet in the solar system and, for traditional astrologers, the planet of growth, generosity and meaning. The classical tradition also gave Jupiter to Pisces, but in Sagittarius its outgoing side comes forward. The opposite sign is Gemini: Gemini collects facts from close by, Sagittarius looks for the big truth that ties them together. The archer is the symbol, usually drawn as a centaur with a bow, half human and half horse. The glyph ♐ is simply the archer's arrow pointing up and away.

Sagittarius traits and personality

The personality tradition gives Sagittarius is open and hopeful. The archer is described as adventurous and good-humored, eager to learn, to travel and to argue about big questions late into the night. Honesty is a point of pride, and Sagittarius says what it thinks without much packaging. Freedom matters a great deal, both for itself and for others.

The shadow side mirrors those gifts. Honesty can land as bluntness, and optimism can lead to promising more than can be delivered. Restlessness makes routine hard, and commitment can feel like a cage when it arrives too early. Tradition also warns of preaching, the urge to share one's newest philosophy with everyone. You can take what fits and leave what does not. Your sign is fixed by the Sun's position at birth, not by how adventurous you feel.

Sagittarius in love and compatibility

Tradition reads Sagittarius in love as warm, playful and in need of room. The archer wants a partner who is also a companion on the road, someone to laugh with and to explore alongside. Jealousy and tight schedules are what push it away.

The easiest pairings, by tradition, are its fellow fire signs. Aries and Sagittarius share energy and a love of action, and Leo and Sagittarius share warmth and fun. The opposite pairing, Gemini and Sagittarius, is two curious minds pulling in different directions. Air signs in general tend to feed the archer's fire. For two actual charts, the compatibility calculator looks at much more than the Sun.

Sagittarius at work

At work, Sagittarius does best with a big picture and room to move. Tradition names teaching, publishing, travel, law, philosophy and anything international. A Sagittarius colleague often brings enthusiasm and a sense of purpose to a team, and is good at selling an idea. Tight micromanagement, fine print and repetitive tasks are where the archer grows bored.

The archer is one part of your chart

A Sagittarius Sun describes one layer of who you are. The Moon sign shows the needs underneath, and the rising sign, which depends on your exact birth time and place, shows the style others meet first. A Sagittarius with a Capricorn rising may look reserved and serious until the humor shows. The big three tool puts the three layers together, and the rising sign calculator works out your ascendant.

Before Sagittarius on the zodiac comes Scorpio; after it comes Capricorn.