Is May 21 Taurus or Gemini?
Gemini’s start date has crept earlier since the 1930s, from the 21st or 22nd then to the 20th or 21st now. In Universal Time the switch came on May 22 in 1931 and 1935 and on the 21st every year from 1936 to 1971. In New York the switch falls on the 21st in 61 of the 100 years from 1930 to 2029 and on the 20th in the other 39. A May 21 birth is fully Gemini in those 39 years. In the other 61, a birth before the exact moment is a Taurus.
Time zones move the edge too. In 2026 the Sun reached Gemini at 12:37 AM UTC on May 21, which was 8:37 PM on the 20th in New York. A Los Angeles baby born at 6 PM that day is a Gemini, yet in London all of the 20th was Taurus. The year grid under this section puts all 100 years on your own clock, down to the minute.
The day Gemini began, 1930 to 2029
Dates in Universal Time (UTC)
- May 20, 23 years
- May 21, 75 years
- May 22, 2 years
Taurus in May: the Moon and Saturn decans
A May Taurus nearly always belongs to the second or third decan of the sign, because the first one ends around April 30. In Australia and New Zealand it often runs into the 1st. Taurus is the fixed earth sign, ruled by Venus, and its major arcana card is The Hierophant. Each of these decans has its own planet and card.
The Six of Pentacles decan runs from about the 1st to the 10th. The Golden Dawn gave it to the Moon in Taurus and called it Lord of Material Success. The card shows a merchant holding a set of scales while he drops coins into the hands of one of two kneeling beggars. Tradition reads an early-May birthday as care added to the sign’s steadiness, where fair exchange counts for more than the size of the pile.
Saturn takes over from about the 11th to the 20th, and its card is the Seven of Pentacles, the Lord of Success Unfulfilled. A farmer leans on his hoe and looks at six coins growing on a bush, with a seventh at his feet. Tradition gives mid-May birthdays Saturn’s long view, a readiness to tend something for years before it pays. The compatibility guide shows how Taurus pairs with each sign.
A first-decan Gemini under the Eight of Swords
Almost every May Gemini is a first-decan Gemini, since the second decan begins on the 31st or June 1. The sign is mutable air, ruled by Mercury, and The Lovers is its major arcana card. It gets only the last 10 to 12 days of May, depending on the year.
The Eight of Swords covers those days, with Jupiter in Gemini and the Golden Dawn title Lord of Shortened Force. Jupiter wants the big picture, and traditional astrology calls it weak in this quick, detailed sign. On the card a woman stands bound and blindfolded among eight swords, yet her feet are not tied and the way ahead is open.
Late-May birthdays bring a fast mind that can talk itself into a corner, as tradition reads this decan. The card also holds the way out, because a trap built from thoughts can be thought through. Questions, conversation and one small step tend to loosen the ropes. Astrologers credit Mercury, the ruler, with a gift for words and trade. Read how Gemini gets on with other signs to see where that talk lands best.
Castor and Pollux, the twins behind Gemini
Castor and Pollux, the two brightest stars in the constellation Gemini, are the twins the sign is named for. Greek myth called them the Dioscuri, sons of Leda. Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and Pollux was the son of Zeus. When Castor was killed, Pollux gave him half of his immortality, and the brothers took turns between Olympus and Hades. Sailors prayed to the pair and saw them in St. Elmo’s fire.
Pollux is the brighter star, an orange giant about 34 light-years away, while Castor is a system of six stars about 49 light-years off. The sign keeps the pairing in its symbols. Mercury, messenger of the gods, rules it, and tarot gives it The Lovers, a card about a pair and a choice. The stars themselves now lag behind the sign. The Sun stands in front of the constellation from about June 21 to July 20, a full month after the sign begins.
Famous May birthdays
- Audrey HepburnMay 4, 1929, TaurusActress and humanitarian, Breakfast at Tiffany’s
- Florence NightingaleMay 12, 1820, TaurusNurse, founder of modern nursing
- Sally RideMay 26, 1951, GeminiAstronaut, first American woman in space
- John F. KennedyMay 29, 1917, Gemini35th president of the United States
Questions people ask
What zodiac sign is May 20?
May 20 is Taurus for most people born that day. It turns Gemini only after the switch moment, in a year when the Sun changed signs on the 20th. In Chicago that happens in 43 of the 100 years from 1930 to 2029. In Los Angeles it happens in 52, so West Coast May 20 birthdays split more often.
What element is someone born in May?
Someone born in May belongs to earth for most of the month and to air at the very end. Taurus, from May 1 to about the 20th, is fixed earth ruled by Venus. Gemini, from about the 21st, is mutable air ruled by Mercury. The exact moment the Sun changed signs in your birth year decides which one is yours.
What is the birthstone for May?
Emerald is the May birthstone on the American Gem Society list. The birth flowers are lily of the valley and hawthorn, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Birthstones go by calendar month rather than by sign, so a Taurus and a Gemini born this month share the same green stone.
Is May 1 the middle of spring?
May 1 is close to the middle of spring but not exact. The true midpoint between the March equinox and the June solstice comes around the 5th, when the Sun reaches 15 degrees of Taurus. May Day and the Gaelic festival of Beltane fall on May 1, the traditional date for that turning point. In Australia and New Zealand the same point marks the middle of autumn.