Sagittarius: Arrow, Horizon, Truth

Already Planning the Next Trip

Sagittarius is already planning the trip, even if the last one just ended. This is the sign that will tell you an uncomfortable truth at dinner, book a flight to somewhere it has never been on a Tuesday, and somehow make both feel like a gift. It means well. It also has no filter.

Jupiter rules Sagittarius, the biggest planet for the biggest personality. Everything about this sign runs large: the opinions, the ambitions, the stories, the travel itinerary.

Usual dates

November 22 – December 21 (full days)

Sun next enters

November 22, 2026 at 07:23 UTC

Sun leaves

December 21, 2026 at 20:50 UTC

Symbol

The Archer

Element · modality

Fire · Mutable

Polarity

Diurnal (masculine)

Ruler

Jupiter

Exaltation

None of the seven classical planets

Detriment

Mercury

Fall

None of the seven classical planets

Triplicity rulers

Sun by day, Jupiter by night, Saturn participating

Opposite sign

Gemini

Body (melothesia)

Hips, thighs and liver

Season

Closes autumn

Half Animal, Half Philosopher

The Archer is a centaur, and the symbol is precise. The lower half is instinct and movement: the love of open space, physical adventure, sport and horses. The upper half is the mind, aiming an arrow at a target it can barely see. Sagittarius lives in both at once, which is why it can be both the most philosophical and the most physically restless person in the room.

As a mutable fire sign, Sagittarius adapts by finding enthusiasm for whatever comes next, a different kind of flexibility from Gemini's social agility. It closes the autumn and prepares for the turn of the year, and it tends to treat every ending as the start of a better story.

The Sun Enters Sagittarius: Year-by-Year Times

Sagittarius begins when the Sun reaches 240° of ecliptic longitude. In UTC that has usually fallen on November 22 in recent decades, and on November 21 in roughly a quarter of years.

If you were born between November 21 and 23, compare your birth time with the moment listed for your year.

Across 1930–2040, the earliest start was November 21, 2040 at 17:06 UTC and the latest was November 23, 1931 at 06:25 UTC.

Jupiter's Long Term and the Three Decans of Sagittarius

Jupiter's opening term runs a full 12 degrees, tied with Venus in Pisces for the longest term in the Egyptian scheme, so Jupiter colors the whole first decan and the start of the second. Mars holds the last four degrees.

The Chaldean faces are Mercury, the Moon and Saturn. The modern scheme uses the fire rulers instead, Jupiter, Mars and the Sun, so the two systems do not agree on any Sagittarius decan.

Jupiter's Domain: Belief, Learning and Distance

Jupiter is the planet of meaning, and its day house covers the things people use to make sense of life: philosophy, religion, higher education, law, publishing and travel to places that change your perspective. Sagittarians are drawn to all of them, and many end up teaching, writing, preaching or guiding in some form.

Mercury, the planet of details and facts, is in detriment here. Sagittarius cares more about what something means than about getting every particular right, and its stories improve with each telling. It is the generalist and the visionary, best paired with someone who will check the footnotes.

The Galactic Center and the Constellations of Sagittarius Season

Tropical Sagittarius season crosses four constellations. The Sun spends a day or two in Libra, about six days in Scorpius, roughly nineteen in Ophiuchus, and reaches the stars of the Archer only in the last few days before the solstice.

Two famous points now sit in tropical Sagittarius: Antares, the red heart of the Scorpion, near 10°, and the galactic center, the core of the Milky Way, near 27°. Sidereal Sagittarius begins in mid-December.

The next tropical Sagittarius season runs Nov 22, 2026 to Dec 21, 2026. Over those days the Sun stands in front of Libra (Nov 22–Nov 23), Scorpius (Nov 24–Nov 29), Ophiuchus (Nov 30–Dec 18) and Sagittarius (Dec 19–Dec 21). Sidereal Sagittarius begins Dec 16.

Sagittarius and the Company It Keeps

Sagittarius is easiest with the other fire signs and with the air signs that keep it talking. Its squares are the other mutable signs; its quincunxes are the two signs most attached to home.

Sun signs are a first read. For two real people, compare whole charts with the synastry calculator.

The Problem With Telling the Truth

The honesty is simultaneously Sagittarius' best and most exhausting quality. It will say the thing everyone else is thinking but will not say, at the worst possible moment, and genuinely not understand why you are upset. The arrow has to land somewhere; the mature Sagittarius learns to aim before it fires, not after.

In love, Sagittarius needs a companion more than a keeper. It is warm, funny and generous, and it bolts at the first sign of a cage. The relationships that last give it room to roam and a reason to come back, and it is surprisingly loyal to the people who do.

Pluto, Neptune, Uranus: Sagittarius' Busy Late Twentieth Century

Three outer planets crossed Sagittarius in quick succession. Neptune spent 1970 to 1984 here, Uranus 1981 to 1988, and Pluto 1995 to 2008. Astrologers link the Pluto years with the spread of the internet, globalization and a boom in international travel.

Saturn was last in Sagittarius from December 2014 to December 2017 and Jupiter from November 2018 to December 2019. Jupiter returns from October 2030 to November 2031, Saturn from 2044 to 2047, and Uranus from 2065 to 2072.

Visits run from first entry to final exit, including retrograde dips back into the previous sign.

Sagittarius FAQ