Birthday signs · Capricorn season
What zodiac sign is January 17?
In tropical zodiac terms, January 17 is found in Capricorn. Among the 101 years from 1930 through 2030, the Sun stood in Capricorn at noon UTC on January 17, at 26.18° to 27.67° Capricorn. January 17 marks day 26 to 28 of the Capricorn season, located in the late part, with element earth.
Calculated across 1930–2030 · checked .
January 17 is Capricorn
| Capricorn at noon UTC | 101 of 101 years, 1930–2030 |
|---|---|
| Nearest change of sign | at least 2 days away |
| Birth time needed for the sign | no |
January 17 at a glance
| Sign | ♑︎ Capricorn, the Goat |
|---|---|
| Element and mode | earth, cardinal |
| Polarity | negative (feminine) |
| Ruler | Saturn (traditional) |
| Sun on this date | 26.2° to 27.7° Capricorn at noon UTC, 1930–2030 |
| Day of the season | day 26 to 28 of Capricorn season |
| Decan | third (20°–30°), face of the Sun |
| Sidereal sign (Lahiri) | Capricorn |
| Day number | 8 (modern numerology) |
Rulers: Ptolemy; modern list.6
The decan: late Capricorn
| Noon Sun | 26.18° to 27.67° Capricorn |
|---|---|
| Decan | third (20°–30°) |
| Face ruler, Chaldean order | the Sun |
Faces after Lilly, in Chaldean order.3
January 17 by the numbers
| Day number | 8 (1 + 7 = 8) |
|---|---|
| Month-day number | 9 (1 + 8) |
| System | modern numerology, digit sums |
Digit sums as numerology guides give them.4
Where the date falls in the season
| Day of Capricorn season | 26 to 28 |
|---|---|
| Capricorn season opened | December 21 (5 years) or December 22 (82) or December 23 (14) |
| Capricorn season closed | January 19 (48 years) or January 20 (53) |
| Element and mode | earth, cardinal |
| Traditional ruler | Saturn |
Seasons by the noon-UTC rule; rulers after Ptolemy.2
Born at this point in Capricorn season
A person born on January 17 comes in near the end of the Capricorn season, when the cold work of building is nearly complete and the next season is already close. Their patience is real, and so is their habit of finishing what they start. Friends sometimes read that steadiness as stubbornness. At this point in the season, staying loyal to a plan can feel like keeping a promise, even after the reasons for it have changed.
Interpretation, not prediction.
The sidereal sign
| Sidereal sign, Lahiri ayanamsa | Capricorn, all 101 years |
|---|---|
| Noon Sun, sidereal Capricorn | 2.6°–4° |
| Convention | Indian (Vedic) astrology |
Ayanamsa convention.5
Born on January 17
- Pope Pius V (1504–1572), 16th‑century Italian pope and Catholic saint, leading Counter‑Reformation reformer
- Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600–1681), Spanish dramatist
- Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), American polymath and statesman
- Anne Brontë (1820–1849), British novelist and poet
- David Lloyd George (1863–1945), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922
- Muhammad Ali (1942–2016), American boxer
- Jim Carrey (1962), Canadian-American actor and comedian
- Michelle Obama (1964), lawyer and former First Lady of the United States
Birth dates checked on Wikidata.7
January 17 in history
Observed on this date:
- National Day (Menorca, Spain)
- The opening ceremony of Patras Carnival, celebrated until Clean Monday. (Patras, Greece)
Events on January 17:
- 1524: Giovanni da Verrazzano sets sail westward from Madeira to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean.
- 1903: El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico becomes part of the United States National Forest System as the Luquillo Forest Reserve.
- 1998: Clinton–Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky affair on his Drudge Report website.
- 2017: The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is announced to be suspended.
How the answer was worked out
Using Astronomy Engine, the Sun's tropical longitude on January 17 was calculated at noon UTC for each year between 1930 and 2030, and the sign of each year was read from it.1 How the Machine works
Questions people also ask
What zodiac sign is January 17?
When the Sun at noon UTC is counted, January 17 is Capricorn in all 101 sampled years from 1930 to 2030.
Is January 17 on a zodiac cusp?
No. The noon Sun was in Capricorn on every January 17 from 1930 to 2030, and January 17 sits at least 2 days from the nearest change of sign.
What decan is January 17?
The third decan of Capricorn (20°–30°) is where January 17 sits in every sampled year, so its Chaldean face ruler is the Sun.
What is the birthday number for January 17?
By adding digits, modern numerology arrives at day number 8 and month-day number 9 for January 17.
Sources
- Astronomy Engine JavaScript reference — Don Cross, Astronomy Engine. Verified .
- Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos, Book I — LacusCurtius, University of Chicago. Verified .
- Decan (astrology): the faces of the planets (after Lilly) — Wikipedia. Verified .
- Life Path Number — Numerology.com (practitioner site). Verified .
- Ayanamsa (Lahiri and other sidereal conventions) — Wikipedia. Verified .
- Capricorn (astrology) — Wikipedia. Verified .
- Wikipedia: January 17 — Wikipedia (Wikimedia On this day feed); birth dates checked on Wikidata. Verified .