Birthday signs · Sagittarius season
What zodiac sign is December 17?
In tropical zodiac terms, December 17 is found in Sagittarius. Among the 101 years from 1930 through 2030, the Sun stood in Sagittarius at noon UTC on December 17, at 24.59° to 26.08° Sagittarius. December 17 marks day 25 or 26 of the Sagittarius season, located in the late part, with element fire.
Calculated across 1930–2030 · checked .
December 17 is Sagittarius
| Sagittarius at noon UTC | 101 of 101 years, 1930–2030 |
|---|---|
| Nearest change of sign | at least 3 days away |
| Birth time needed for the sign | no |
December 17 at a glance
| Sign | ♐︎ Sagittarius, the Archer |
|---|---|
| Element and mode | fire, mutable |
| Polarity | positive (masculine) |
| Ruler | Jupiter (traditional) |
| Sun on this date | 24.6° to 26.1° Sagittarius at noon UTC, 1930–2030 |
| Day of the season | day 25 or 26 of Sagittarius season |
| Decan | third (20°–30°), face of Saturn |
| Sidereal sign (Lahiri) | Sagittarius |
| Day number | 8 (modern numerology) |
Rulers: Ptolemy; modern list.6
The decan: late Sagittarius
| Noon Sun | 24.59° to 26.08° Sagittarius |
|---|---|
| Decan | third (20°–30°) |
| Face ruler, Chaldean order | Saturn |
Faces after Lilly, in Chaldean order.3
December 17 by the numbers
| Day number | 8 (1 + 7 = 8) |
|---|---|
| Month-day number | 11 (3 + 8 = 11, kept as a master number) |
| System | modern numerology, digit sums |
Digit sums as numerology guides give them.4
Where the date falls in the season
| Day of Sagittarius season | 25 or 26 |
|---|---|
| Sagittarius season opened | November 22 (48 years) or November 23 (53) |
| Sagittarius season closed | December 20 (5 years) or December 21 (82) or December 22 (14) |
| Element and mode | fire, mutable |
| Traditional ruler | Jupiter |
Seasons by the noon-UTC rule; rulers after Ptolemy.2
Born at this point in Sagittarius season
Born on December 17, this person arrived late in Sagittarius, when the season's appetite for open roads begins to meet a wish to finish what was started. Their enthusiasm for the next idea still runs fast. Over time they have learned that a plan needs someone to carry it home, so they are the one who books the flights and then checks the budget at midnight. Friends see the adventurer first and the steady organizer second.
Interpretation, not prediction.
The sidereal sign
| Sidereal sign, Lahiri ayanamsa | Sagittarius, all 101 years |
|---|---|
| Noon Sun, sidereal Sagittarius | 1.1°–2.4° |
| Convention | Indian (Vedic) astrology |
Ayanamsa convention.5
Born on December 17
- Humphry Davy (1778–1829), British chemist
- Joseph Henry (1797–1878), American scientist and the 1st Secretary of the Smithsonian
- Willard Libby (1908–1980), American physical chemist
- Pope Francis (1936–2025), 266th pope of the Catholic Church from 2013 to 2025
- Muhammadu Buhari (1942–2025), former President of Nigeria from 1983 to 1985 and 2015 to 2025
- Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (1948), Turkish politician
- Milla Jovovich (1975), American actress
- Manny Pacquiao (1978), Filipino boxer, basketball player, singer, actor, politician and philanthropist
Birth dates checked on Wikidata.7
December 17 in history
Observed on this date:
- Accession Day (Bahrain)
- International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
- Kurdish Flag Day (Global Kurdish population)
- National Day (Bhutan)
- Pan American Aviation Day (United States)
- Wright Brothers Day, a United States federal observance by Presidential proclamation
Events on December 17:
- 497 BCE: The first Saturnalia festival is celebrated in ancient Rome.
- 1790: The Aztec calendar stone is discovered at El Zócalo, Mexico City.
- 1933: The first NFL Championship Game is played at Wrigley Field in Chicago between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears. The Bears win 23–21.
- 1957: The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- 2005: Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicates the throne as King of Bhutan.
How the answer was worked out
Using Astronomy Engine, the Sun's tropical longitude on December 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 December 17?
When the Sun at noon UTC is counted, December 17 is Sagittarius in all 101 sampled years from 1930 to 2030.
Is December 17 on a zodiac cusp?
No. The noon Sun was in Sagittarius on every December 17 from 1930 to 2030, and December 17 sits at least 3 days from the nearest change of sign.
What decan is December 17?
The third decan of Sagittarius (20°–30°) is where December 17 sits in every sampled year, so its Chaldean face ruler is Saturn.
What is the birthday number for December 17?
By adding digits, modern numerology arrives at day number 8 and month-day number 11 for December 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 .
- Sagittarius (astrology) — Wikipedia. Verified .
- Wikipedia: December 17 — Wikipedia (Wikimedia On this day feed); birth dates checked on Wikidata. Verified .