Birthday signs · Sagittarius season
What zodiac sign is December 21?
The noon UTC Sun places December 21 in Sagittarius during 96 of the 101 years from 1930 to 2030, and in Capricorn during 5. The noon Sun was found to range from 28.66° Sagittarius to 0.16° Capricorn on December 21. Which sign applies to December 21 rests on the birth year and time.
Calculated across 1930–2030 · checked .
December 21: Sagittarius or Capricorn
| Sagittarius at noon UTC | 96 of 101 years |
|---|---|
| Capricorn at noon UTC | 5 of 101 years |
| Capricorn years include | 2012, 2016 and 2020 |
| Settled by | birth year and time |
December 21 at a glance
| Sign | ♐︎ Sagittarius (96 years) or ♑︎ Capricorn (5) |
|---|---|
| Element and mode | fire, mutable |
| Polarity | positive (masculine) |
| Ruler | Jupiter (traditional) |
| Sun on this date | 28.7° Sagittarius to 0.2° Capricorn at noon UTC, 1930–2030 |
| Day of the season | Sagittarius day 29 or 30; Capricorn day 1 |
| Decan | third (20°–30°), face of Saturn |
| Sidereal sign (Lahiri) | Sagittarius |
| Day number | 3 (modern numerology) |
Rulers: Ptolemy; modern list.6
The decan: late Sagittarius
| Noon Sun | 28.66° Sagittarius to 0.16° Capricorn |
|---|---|
| Decan | third (20°–30°) |
| Face ruler, Chaldean order | Saturn |
| Capricorn years | 0.03°–0.16° Capricorn |
Faces after Lilly, in Chaldean order.3
December 21 by the numbers
| Day number | 3 (2 + 1 = 3) |
|---|---|
| Month-day number | 6 (3 + 3) |
| System | modern numerology, digit sums |
Digit sums as numerology guides give them.4
Where the date falls in the season
| Day of Sagittarius season | 29 or 30 (in its Sagittarius years) |
|---|---|
| Day of Capricorn season | 1 (in its Capricorn years) |
| Sagittarius season opened | November 22 (43 years) or November 23 (53) |
| Sagittarius season closed | December 21 (82 years) 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 late in Sagittarius, this person grew up with one foot out the door and one hand on the map. Friends called it restlessness. In practice it looked like finishing a long trip and then wanting to plan the next one before unpacking. The last days of a season ask for a clear look back, and that look can feel like both relief and a small loss. Learning to stay long enough to see what a trip actually gave them is the work of the year.
Interpretation, not prediction.
The sidereal sign
| Sidereal sign, Lahiri ayanamsa | Sagittarius, all 101 years |
|---|---|
| Noon Sun, sidereal Sagittarius | 5.1°–6.5° |
| Convention | Indian (Vedic) astrology |
Ayanamsa convention.5
Born on December 21
- Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881), British statesman
- Heinrich Böll (1917–1985), German writer
- Jane Fonda (1937), American actress and activist
- Frank Zappa (1940–1993), American musician
- Hu Jintao (1942), former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
- Samuel L. Jackson (1948), American actor
- Thomas Sankara (1949–1987), President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987
- Emmanuel Macron (1977), President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017
Birth dates checked on Wikidata.7
December 21 in history
Observed on this date:
- Armed Forces Day (Philippines)
- Forefathers' Day (Plymouth, Massachusetts)
- São Tomé Day (São Tomé and Príncipe)
Events on December 21:
- 69: The Roman Senate declares Vespasian emperor of Rome, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors.
- 1844: The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers commences business at its cooperative in Rochdale, England, starting the Cooperative movement.
- 1919: American anarchist Emma Goldman is deported to Russia.
- 1991: Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The leaders of 11 now effectively autonomous Soviet republics sign the Alma-Ata Protocol establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States in place of the collapsing Soviet Union.
- 2022: A Vega C rocket carrying two Pléiades Neo satellites fails after liftoff.
How the answer was worked out
Each year's sign was read from the Sun's tropical longitude on December 21, calculated at noon UTC for each year from 1930 through 2030 by Astronomy Engine.1 How the Machine works
Questions people also ask
What zodiac sign is December 21?
December 21 at noon UTC carries the sign Sagittarius in most sampled years, specifically 96 of 101, and the sign Capricorn in the other 5.
Is December 21 on a zodiac cusp?
Yes. The Sun in some years moved from Sagittarius into Capricorn during December 21, which is why the noon UTC sample divides into Sagittarius in 96 years and Capricorn in 5, the birth year and time settling the sign that applies.
What decan is December 21?
December 21 remains in the third decan of Sagittarius (20°–30°) throughout every sampled year, so the face ruler under the Chaldean order is Saturn.
What is the birthday number for December 21?
In modern numerology, the figures for December 21 are a day number of 3 and a month-day number of 6, found by adding digits.
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 21 — Wikipedia (Wikimedia On this day feed); birth dates checked on Wikidata. Verified .