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Air · Fixed

Aquarius

The Water-Bearer, the 11th sign of the zodiac year, usually printed as 20 January – 18 February.

A hand-coloured star card of Aquarius: a bearded man in a crimson wrap tipping a golden urn, a stream of water pouring from it across the stars below.
Aquarius, Piscis Australis and Ballon Aerostatique · Sidney Hall · Urania's Mirror; or, A View of the Heavens, London, 1825
Element
Airintellect, communication and sociability, in the tradition
Modality
Fixedthe signs that hold the middle of a season, traditionally read as sustainers
Traditional ruler
SaturnAssigned before the outer planets were found
Modern ruler
UranusAssigned after this planet's telescopic discovery, centuries after the traditional scheme was fixed.

When the sun actually crosses

The moment the sun enters Aquarius and the moment it leaves for Pisces, each year from 2015 to 2026, in UTC to the minute.

19 Jan 00:0019 Jan 06:0019 Jan 12:0019 Jan 18:0020 Jan 00:0020 Jan 06:0020 Jan 12:0020 Jan 18:0020132017202120252010202619 Jan 00:0019 Jan 06:0019 Jan 12:0019 Jan 18:0020 Jan 00:0020 Jan 06:0020 Jan 12:0020 Jan 18:00201320172021202520102026
Where the sun crossed into Aquarius, 2010–2026, in UTC. The marked years are the ones where a 29 February has fallen in between and pulled it back by most of a day.
YearSun enters AquariusSun leaves for Pisces
201520 January, 09:43 UTC18 February, 23:50 UTC
201620 January, 15:27 UTC19 February, 05:34 UTC
201719 January, 21:24 UTC18 February, 11:32 UTC
201820 January, 03:09 UTC18 February, 17:18 UTC
201920 January, 08:59 UTC18 February, 23:04 UTC
202020 January, 14:55 UTC19 February, 04:57 UTC
202119 January, 20:40 UTC18 February, 10:44 UTC
202220 January, 02:39 UTC18 February, 16:43 UTC
202320 January, 08:29 UTC18 February, 22:34 UTC
202420 January, 14:07 UTC19 February, 04:13 UTC
202519 January, 20:00 UTC18 February, 10:07 UTC
202620 January, 01:45 UTC18 February, 15:52 UTC

VSOP87, checked against published equinox and solstice times.

Which dates can be Aquarius

Since 1920 the sun has entered Aquarius on 19 January, 20 January or 21 January, and left it for Pisces on 18 February or 19 February (UTC). On those dates the sign depends on the year, and in a crossing year on the hour; each date's page gives every year.

In the tradition

In Western astrological tradition, Aquarius is classed as a fixed air sign. Fixed signs are the signs that hold the middle of a season, traditionally read as sustainers, and air signs are traditionally associated with intellect, communication and sociability. Its ruling planet in that tradition is Saturn; present-day astrology assigns Uranus instead.

These are associations reported from tradition, not claims about anyone born under the sign.

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