Capricorn dates are from Monday, December 21, 2026, to Tuesday, January 19, 2027, and Tuesday, December 21, 2027, to Wednesday, January 19, 2028, Eastern Time. Each season begins at the December solstice and ends when the Sun enters Aquarius.
The Capricorn zodiac sign covers the tenth 30 degrees of the ecliptic, from 270° to 300° of celestial longitude. It always begins at the December solstice, the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
Capricorn season runs across New Year’s Day, so the calendar year 2027 contains parts of two Capricorn seasons.
The next Capricorn season begins at 3:50 p.m. EST on Monday, December 21, 2026, and ends at 2:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, January 20, 2027.
The season after that begins at 9:42 p.m. EST on Tuesday, December 21, 2027. Capricorn is also the shortest sign of the tropical zodiac, at about 29 days and 10.5 hours, because Earth reaches perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, during Capricorn season.
This page gives the exact start and end times of both seasons in every US time zone and the dates for every season from 2024–25 to 2030–31. It also compares the Western sign with Vedic Makara and with the Capricornus constellation.
Table of Contents
When is Capricorn season?
Capricorn season 2026–27 runs from Monday, December 21, 2026, at 20:50 UTC to Wednesday, January 20, 2027, at 07:30 UTC, a span of 29 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes.
Capricorn season 2027–28 runs from Wednesday, December 22, 2027, at 02:42 UTC to Thursday, January 20, 2028, at 13:21 UTC, a span of 29 days, 10 hours and 39 minutes.
Capricorn 2026–27 by time zone
The table below converts the 2026–27 season to US and international time zones.
| Time zone | Capricorn begins (December solstice 2026) | Capricorn ends (Sun enters Aquarius, 2027) |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | Monday, December 21, 8:50 p.m. | Wednesday, January 20, 7:30 a.m. |
| US Eastern | Monday, December 21, 3:50 p.m. EST | Wednesday, January 20, 2:30 a.m. EST |
| US Central | Monday, December 21, 2:50 p.m. CST | Wednesday, January 20, 1:30 a.m. CST |
| US Mountain | Monday, December 21, 1:50 p.m. MST | Wednesday, January 20, 12:30 a.m. MST |
| US Pacific | Monday, December 21, 12:50 p.m. PST | Tuesday, January 19, 11:30 p.m. PST |
| Alaska | Monday, December 21, 11:50 a.m. AKST | Tuesday, January 19, 10:30 p.m. AKST |
| Hawaii | Monday, December 21, 10:50 a.m. HST | Tuesday, January 19, 9:30 p.m. HST |
| London | Monday, December 21, 8:50 p.m. GMT | Wednesday, January 20, 7:30 a.m. GMT |
| India | Tuesday, December 22, 2:20 a.m. IST | Wednesday, January 20, 1:00 p.m. IST |
| Sydney | Tuesday, December 22, 7:50 a.m. AEDT | Wednesday, January 20, 6:30 p.m. AEDT |
In Eastern, Central, and Mountain Time, the last full calendar day of Capricorn 2026–27 is Tuesday, January 19, 2027.
In Pacific Time, Alaska and Hawaii, Aquarius begins on the evening of January 19, so the last full day of Capricorn there is Monday, January 18.
Capricorn 2027–28 by time zone
The table below converts the 2027–28 season to the same time zones.
| Time zone | Capricorn begins (December solstice 2027) | Capricorn ends (Sun enters Aquarius, 2028) |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | Wednesday, December 22, 2:42 a.m. | Thursday, January 20, 1:21 p.m. |
| US Eastern | Tuesday, December 21, 9:42 p.m. EST | Thursday, January 20, 8:21 a.m. EST |
| US Central | Tuesday, December 21, 8:42 p.m. CST | Thursday, January 20, 7:21 a.m. CST |
| US Mountain | Tuesday, December 21, 7:42 p.m. MST | Thursday, January 20, 6:21 a.m. MST |
| US Pacific | Tuesday, December 21, 6:42 p.m. PST | Thursday, January 20, 5:21 a.m. PST |
| Alaska | Tuesday, December 21, 5:42 p.m. AKST | Thursday, January 20, 4:21 a.m. AKST |
| Hawaii | Tuesday, December 21, 4:42 p.m. HST | Thursday, January 20, 3:21 a.m. HST |
| London | Wednesday, December 22, 2:42 a.m. GMT | Thursday, January 20, 1:21 p.m. GMT |
| India | Wednesday, December 22, 8:12 a.m. IST | Thursday, January 20, 6:51 p.m. IST |
| Sydney | Wednesday, December 22, 1:42 p.m. AEDT | Friday, January 21, 12:21 a.m. AEDT |
In every US time zone, the 2027–28 season begins on the evening of Tuesday, December 21, 2027, and its last full calendar day is Wednesday, January 19, 2028.
Capricorn dates that differ by location
Several Capricorn boundaries fall near midnight in some time zones, so the same birth date can belong to different signs. These are the boundaries that matter for US births:
- Monday, December 21, 2026: a birth before 3:50 p.m. EST (12:50 p.m. PST) is a Sagittarius; a birth at or after that moment is a Capricorn.
- Tuesday, January 19, 2027: in Pacific Time, a birth at or after 11:30 p.m. PST is an Aquarius; in Eastern Time, all of January 19 is Capricorn.
- Wednesday, January 20, 2027: in Eastern Time, a birth before 2:30 a.m. EST is a Capricorn.
- Tuesday, December 21, 2027: a birth before 9:42 p.m. EST (6:42 p.m. PST) is a Sagittarius; a birth at or after that moment is a Capricorn.
- Thursday, January 20, 2028: a birth before 8:21 a.m. EST (5:21 a.m. PST) is a Capricorn; a birth at or after that moment is an Aquarius.
Capricorn dates by season, 2024–25 to 2030–31
Capricorn always starts at the December solstice, and both boundaries shift by roughly six hours each year. The table below lists each season, drawn from these sources:
- Start times: December solstice times from Wikipedia’s solstice table and Datescal’s Winter Solstice page, which cites the U.S. Naval Observatory. The two agree to within 1 minute.
- End times: Cafe Astrology’s Aquarius ingress pages for 2025, 2026 and 2027, which Moontracks matches to within 1 minute, and Moontracks alone for 2028. End dates for 2029 to 2031 come from Augurine’s ingress calendars for 2029, 2030 and 2031, which list dates without times.
| Season | Capricorn begins at the December solstice (Eastern Time) | Capricorn ends (Sun enters Aquarius, Eastern Time) | Length of Capricorn season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Saturday, December 21, 2024, 4:20 a.m. EST | Sunday, January 19, 2025, 3:00 p.m. EST | 29 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes |
| 2025–26 | Sunday, December 21, 2025, 10:03 a.m. EST | Monday, January 19, 2026, 8:45 p.m. EST | 29 days, 10 hours, 42 minutes |
| 2026–27 | Monday, December 21, 2026, 3:50 p.m. EST | Wednesday, January 20, 2027, 2:30 a.m. EST | 29 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes |
| 2027–28 | Tuesday, December 21, 2027, 9:42 p.m. EST | Thursday, January 20, 2028, 8:21 a.m. EST | 29 days, 10 hours, 39 minutes |
| 2028–29 | Thursday, December 21, 2028, 3:19 a.m. EST | Friday, January 19, 2029 (UTC date) | Not yet confirmed to the minute |
| 2029–30 | Friday, December 21, 2029, 9:14 a.m. EST | Sunday, January 20, 2030 (UTC date) | Not yet confirmed to the minute |
| 2030–31 | Saturday, December 21, 2030, 3:09 p.m. EST | Monday, January 20, 2031 (UTC date) | Not yet confirmed to the minute |
Why Capricorn is the shortest zodiac sign
Capricorn is the shortest tropical sign because it contains perihelion, the point in early January when Earth is closest to the Sun and moves fastest in its orbit.
Every sign spans exactly 30 degrees, but the Sun’s apparent motion along the ecliptic is fastest during Capricorn season.
Every season, Capricorn lasts about 29 days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes. That is almost exactly two days less than Cancer, the longest sign, which contains aphelion six months later.
The Zodiac Signs and Dates hub compares the lengths of all 12 signs.
How to check whether a birthday is Capricorn
Use this method for a birth date of December 21 or 22, or January 19, 20, or 21:
- Find the Capricorn start or end time for that season in the tables above and convert it to UTC.
- Convert the birth time to UTC, using standard time for any US birth in this period.
- A birth at or after the start time and before the end time is Capricorn.
Holidays and observances during Capricorn season 2026–27
Capricorn season 2026–27 contains three federal holidays, more than any other sign. The January 2027 dates come from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
| Date | Observance | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, December 21, 2026 | December solstice, 3:50 p.m. EST | First day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and first day of Capricorn |
| Friday, December 25, 2026 | Christmas Day | Federal holiday |
| Friday, January 1, 2027 | New Year’s Day | Federal holiday |
| Thursday, January 14, 2027 | Makara Sankranti, 10:44 a.m. EST | Sun enters sidereal Capricorn in the Hindu calendar |
| Monday, January 18, 2027 | Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Federal holiday, third Monday in January |
The solstice is covered in full on Winter Solstice 2026 and 2027. Capricorn birthdays span two birthstone months, December and January; the January stone is covered in January Birthstone.
What is the Capricorn zodiac sign?
The Capricorn zodiac sign is the segment of the ecliptic from 270° to 300° of celestial longitude, the tenth of 12 equal sectors measured from the March equinox.
Its starting point, 270°, is the December solstice, where the Sun reaches its farthest point south of the celestial equator.
Western astrology assigns Capricorn the attributes below, according to the reference entry on Wikipedia.
| Attribute | Capricorn |
|---|---|
| Position | 10th of 12 signs; ecliptic longitude 270°–300° |
| Symbol | ♑ the sea-goat |
| Element | Earth, shared with Taurus and Virgo |
| Modality | Cardinal, shared with Aries, Cancer and Libra |
| Ruling planet | Saturn |
| Exaltation | Mars |
| Detriment | Moon |
| Fall | Jupiter |
| Opposite sign | Cancer |
| Sanskrit name | Makara |
The name comes from the Ancient Greek Aigókerōs, “horned goat.” The sea-goat, half goat and half fish, goes back to Babylonian astronomy, which called the constellation the Goat-Fish and linked it with the god Ea. Greek tradition connected it with Amalthea, the goat who nursed the infant Zeus, or with Pan.
In astrological tradition, Capricorn is associated with discipline, ambition, and patience. These are astrological attributions, not findings of psychological research.
Capricorn in Vedic astrology: Makara
Vedic (Jyotish) astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, so its Capricorn, called Makara, starts about 24 days after the Western sign. In 2027, the Sun enters sidereal Capricorn on Thursday, January 14, at 10:44 a.m. EST (9:14 p.m. IST), according to the Sankranti table published by Drik Panchang.
AAPS gives 9:10 p.m. IST for the same event. The 4-minute gap comes from different ayanamsa values; the ayanamsa is the offset each system uses between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs.
This moment is Makara Sankranti, one of the most widely observed festivals in the Hindu calendar. According to Wikipedia, it is celebrated on January 13, 14, or 15, depending on the year.
Sidereal Capricorn ends at Kumbha Sankranti, when the Sun enters sidereal Aquarius on Friday, February 12, 2027, at 11:43 p.m. EST (10:13 a.m. IST on Saturday, February 13), according to Drik Panchang. The next Makar Sankranti falls on Saturday, January 15, 2028, according to Hindusphere.
As a result, a person born in Eastern Time between Monday, December 21, 2026, and the morning of Thursday, January 14, 2027, is a Capricorn in Western astrology and a Sagittarius (Dhanu) in Vedic astrology.
Only births from 10:44 a.m. EST on January 14 to 2:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, January 20, 2027, are Capricorn in both systems.
The Capricornus constellation
The constellation behind the sign is called Capricornus. It ranks 40th of the 88 constellations by area, covering 414 square degrees, according to Wikipedia’s constellation entry.
By the areas Wikipedia lists, that makes it the smallest of the 12 zodiac constellations. It is also faint, with only one star brighter than magnitude 3. These are its best-known features:
- Deneb Algedi (Delta Capricorni): the brightest star, magnitude 2.9, about 39 light-years away.
- Algedi (Alpha Capricorni): a wide pair of stars, 109 and 690 light-years away, each of which is itself a binary.
- M30: a globular cluster about 30,000 light-years away.
- Neptune’s discovery: Johann Galle found Neptune on September 23, 1846, near Deneb Algedi, although the spot lies inside modern Aquarius.
The Sun passes in front of the Capricornus constellation from about January 19 to February 16, for 28 days, based on EarthSky’s table of constellation entry dates. For almost all of Western Capricorn season, the Sun is in front of the Sagittarius constellation instead.
Why the Tropic of Capricorn has its name
The Tropic of Capricorn is the southernmost latitude where the Sun can stand directly overhead at noon. It takes its name from the era when the Sun stood among the stars of Capricornus at the December solstice. Precession has since moved the solstice point into Sagittarius, but the latitude kept its name, according to Wikipedia.
What Capricorn is not
Three different things share the name Capricorn, and their dates do not match. The table below compares them for the 2026–27 season.
| Feature | Capricorn zodiac sign (tropical) | Makara (sidereal Capricorn) | Capricornus constellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Used by | Western astrology | Vedic astrology, Hindu calendars | Astronomy |
| Defined by | 270° to 300° from the March equinox | Fixed stars, with an ayanamsa | IAU constellation boundaries |
| Length | About 29 days, 10.5 hours | About 29 days, 13 hours | About 28 days |
| Start (Eastern Time) | Monday, December 21, 2026 | Thursday, January 14, 2027 | About January 19, 2027 |
| End (Eastern Time) | Wednesday, January 20, 2027 | Friday, February 12, 2027 | About February 16, 2027 |
Capricorn is also not a winter sign everywhere. In the Southern Hemisphere, the December solstice is the start of summer, so Capricorn season there covers the longest days of the year.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Capricorn dates?
The next Capricorn dates are Monday, December 21, 2026, to Tuesday, January 19, 2027, in US Eastern Time. Capricorn begins at the December solstice, 3:50 p.m. EST on December 21, 2026, and ends at 2:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, January 20, 2027. The next season begins at 9:42 p.m. EST on Tuesday, December 21, 2027.
Is December 21 Sagittarius or Capricorn?
December 21 is split between Sagittarius and Capricorn in both 2026 and 2027. In 2026, Capricorn begins at 3:50 p.m. EST on Monday, December 21; in 2027, it begins at 9:42 p.m. EST on Tuesday, December 21. Births before those times are Sagittarius, and births at or after them are Capricorn. In London, the 2027 solstice falls on December 22.
Is January 20 Capricorn or Aquarius?
January 20 is mostly Aquarius in 2027. The Sun enters Aquarius at 2:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, January 20, 2027, so only an Eastern Time birth before that time is a Capricorn. In Pacific Time, Aquarius begins at 11:30 p.m. PST on January 19. In 2028, Aquarius begins later, at 8:21 a.m. EST on January 20.
Why is Capricorn the shortest zodiac sign?
Capricorn is the shortest zodiac sign because Earth reaches perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, in early January, during Capricorn season. Earth moves fastest in its orbit at perihelion, so the Sun crosses Capricorn’s 30 degrees in about 29 days and 10 hours 40 minutes. Cancer, which contains aphelion, lasts almost two days longer.
What is the Capricorn symbol?
The Capricorn symbol is the sea-goat, written with the glyph ♑, a looped form usually read as a goat’s horn joined to a fish’s tail. The figure goes back to the Babylonian Goat-Fish linked with the god Ea. Capricorn is an earth sign with cardinal modality, and its ruling planet is Saturn, according to standard Western astrological references.
When is Makar Sankranti in 2027?
Makar Sankranti 2027 falls on Thursday, January 14, 2027, at 9:14 p.m. IST, which is 10:44 a.m. EST, according to Drik Panchang. It marks the Sun’s entry into sidereal Capricorn in the Hindu calendar. AAPS lists the same event at 9:10 p.m. IST. Sidereal Capricorn lasts until Kumbha Sankranti on Saturday, February 13, 2027, IST.
