Is January 20 Capricorn or Aquarius?
In Los Angeles, Aquarius begins on January 19 in 29 of the 100 years from 1930 to 2029, while in Sydney it never does. New York has its switch on the 20th in 77 of those years, on the 19th in 20 and on the 21st in 3. So the 20th is usually the changeover day, and a birthday on it can belong to either sign. Anyone born before the exact minute is a Capricorn, and anyone born after it is an Aquarius.
Time zones can split even the United States across two dates. In 2027 the Sun enters Aquarius at 7:30 AM UTC, which is 2:30 AM on January 20 in New York and 11:30 PM on the 19th in Los Angeles. Two babies born that same minute, one in each city, would have different birthdays and the same sign. The year chart under this section gives the first Aquarius day for 1930 to 2029 on your own clock. Pick your birth year there for the exact minute.
The day Aquarius began, 1930 to 2029
Dates in Universal Time (UTC)
- Jan 19, 7 years
- Jan 20, 83 years
- Jan 21, 10 years
Capricorn from New Year’s Day to January 19
Almost all January Capricorns are born in the last two of the sign’s three decans, under Mars and then under the Sun. The Golden Dawn gave the Mars decan, January 1 to about 10, to the Three of Pentacles. The Sun decan, from about January 10 to 19, belongs to the Four of Pentacles, titled Lord of Earthly Power. December Capricorns start out under Jupiter and the Two of Pentacles instead.
Capricorn is cardinal earth with Saturn as its ruler, and astrologers read it as patient, practical and focused on results. In that reading, Mars in the first January decan adds drive and a liking for hands-on work. The Sun in the second adds a wish to be seen as solid and a need to guard what has been built. The Four of Pentacles pictures that need as a crowned man holding his coins close before a city. Read kindly, the card is about security. Read as a warning, it is about a grip grown too tight.
The Devil is the major arcana card of the Sea-Goat. For a mid-January birthday it echoes the Four’s question of what you hold and what holds you. For love and friendship, see how Capricorn gets along with the other signs.
Aquarius starts under Venus and the Five of Swords
Aquarius opens with its Venus decan, which runs from about January 20 to 29. The Golden Dawn gave this decan the Five of Swords and the stark title Lord of Defeat. Most people born on January 30 or 31 land in the next decan, ruled by Mercury and tied to the Six of Swords, Lord of Earned Success. An early birth on January 30 can still fall in the Venus decan.
The Water Bearer is fixed air, ruled by Saturn in the old system and by Uranus in the modern one. Tradition reads the sign as independent, loyal to ideas and friends, and slow to change its mind once decided. Astrologers say Venus in the first decan turns Aquarius toward people and makes its friendships matter more. The Five of Swords shows a man gathering swords while two others walk away, a win that costs more than it pays. For a Venus-decan Aquarius, the card asks which arguments are worth winning.
The Six of Swords gives the last two days of January a quieter picture, a boat carried toward calmer water. The Star, the major arcana card of the sign, adds hope after a hard stretch. To see where this sign finds easy company, read Aquarius compatibility with every sign.
Saturn’s two houses and the New Year card
Saturn is the traditional ruler of both Capricorn and Aquarius, so in classical astrology all of January sits under one planet. The old scheme gave Leo to the Sun and Cancer to the Moon. Saturn, the slowest of the planets known in ancient times, took the two signs opposite them. Capricorn shows the earthy side of Saturn, with its rules, patience and long plans. Aquarius shows the airy side, with principles held for the sake of the group.
On US clocks New Year’s Day has fallen wholly in the second Capricorn decan every year since 1989, the decan the Golden Dawn gave to Mars and the Three of Pentacles. In Sydney and Auckland the Sun usually reaches it during January 1 itself. The card’s title, Lord of Material Works, suits a season of resolutions. Its picture shows a craftsman on a bench under a stone arch, turning to a monk and a hooded figure who hold a drawing. Read through this card, a goal set on January 1 works best as a plan, a skill and someone else’s honest eye on the work.
Famous January birthdays
- Elvis PresleyJan 8, 1935, CapricornSinger, the King of Rock and Roll
- Martin Luther King Jr.Jan 15, 1929, CapricornCivil rights leader and Baptist minister
- Wolfgang Amadeus MozartJan 27, 1756, AquariusComposer, The Magic Flute
- Jackie RobinsonJan 31, 1919, AquariusBaseball player, broke the MLB color line
Questions people ask
What zodiac sign is January 19?
January 19 is Capricorn in most years, but not in all of them. Across 1930 to 2029 the Sun reaches Aquarius on the 19th in 29 years on Los Angeles time, 20 years on New York time and 7 years in UTC. In those years the birth time decides the sign.
What is the birthstone for January?
Garnet is the January birthstone on the American Gem Society list, and it covers every January birthday, Capricorn and Aquarius alike. Birthstones follow the calendar month rather than the zodiac. The Old Farmer’s Almanac gives January two birth flowers, the carnation and the snowdrop.
What element are the January zodiac signs?
Capricorn is an earth sign and Aquarius is an air sign. Capricorn is also cardinal, the sign the Sun enters at the December solstice, while Aquarius is fixed, the middle sign of its season. Tradition reads earth as practical and steady, and air as quick with ideas and at home in groups.
Is Aquarius ruled by Saturn or Uranus?
Aquarius has both rulers, depending on the system you follow. Traditional astrology gives it Saturn, the same planet that rules Capricorn. After William Herschel spotted Uranus on March 13, 1781, modern astrologers came to treat Uranus as the sign’s ruler. Many now name both, with Saturn as the classical one.