- Dates
- 20 January to 18 February
- Symbol
- ♒ the Water-bearer
- Element
- Air
- Modality
- Fixed
- Ruler
- Saturn (and, in modern astrology, Uranus)
What the Aquarius sign means
Aquarius, the Water-bearer, is the eleventh sign of the zodiac and the archetype of the reformer: air by element, fixed by mode, and ruled by Saturn (and, in modern astrology, Uranus). In astrology, someone is "a Aquarius" when the Sun was in Aquarius at their birth, roughly 20 January to 18 February. Those cusp dates shift by a day some years, so if you were born near the edge, only your actual chart settles it.
The Aquarius temperament
Air signs run on perspective, language, and the room to think a thing through. As a fixed sign, it sustains: it holds its ground and sees things through. Put together, Aquarius tends towards stepping back to the principle, independent and a little contrarian, and like every sign it holds both a gift and its shadow. Vela reads none of this as a verdict on who you are, only as a lens for noticing.
If Aquarius is your Sun sign, where do you recognise the reformer in yourself, and where is it a costume you have outgrown?
Read Aquarius in depth
Your sign is one of three placements that matter most. Read Aquarius as a Sun sign, your Aquarius Moon, and your Aquarius rising, see the personal planets in Aquarius (Venus, Mars), read today's Aquarius horoscope, or explore Aquarius compatibility.
Frequently asked
What are the Aquarius dates?
The Sun is in Aquarius from about 20 January to 18 February each year. The cusp dates move by a day some years, so if you were born near the edge, casting your chart is the only way to be sure.
What element and ruler is Aquarius?
Aquarius is air by element and fixed by mode, ruled by Saturn.
Is astrology a prediction?
Not in Vela's hands. Your sign is a lens for reflection, a way of noticing patterns in yourself, never a forecast of what you must do or become.