If your birthday is in December before 22 December, your star sign is Sagittarius. From 22 December onwards it is Capricorn. The changeover can move by a day in some years, so for a birthday right on 22 December it's worth checking the year.
December zodiac sign dates
- Sagittarius: 22 November to 21 December
- Capricorn: 22 December to 19 January
Where the Sun really is in December
The Sun is in Ophiuchus until about 17 December and in Sagittarius after that. Most Sagittarius birthdays fall with the Sun in Ophiuchus, the thirteenth constellation astrology leaves out.
The December gap between sign and constellation comes from the slow wobble of the Earth's axis. The zodiac signs and constellations guide explains why Sagittarius and Capricorn have drifted, and Ophiuchus is the one the signs leave out.
What is in the December evening sky
December evenings have Taurus and the Pleiades high in the south-east, Orion rising, and the Geminid meteors at their peak around 13 to 14 December.
Sagittarius and Capricorn in the sky
The brightest point of Sagittarius is Kaus Australis, and of Capricornus, Deneb Algedi. Both are drawn in the series of twelve Sagittarius constellation print and Capricorn constellation print, in near-black, gold and warm ivory.
Sagittarius and Capricorn belong to different elements: the zodiac elements guide sorts all twelve signs into fire, earth, air and water.
For a December birthday, a personalised star map charts the stars over the place someone was born, on the night itself, and the preview is free.
