Decan 1 · 1–10°
Sub-ruler: Uranus
Double Uranus — the most original, contrary and detached.
Roughly the first ten days of the sign.
January 20 – February 18 · Air · Fixed · ruled by Uranus (traditionally Saturn)
♒ Aquarius
Independence, principle and distance from the herd.
DatesJanuary 20 – February 18
SymbolWater Bearer ♒
ElementAir
ModalityFixed
Ruling planetUranus (traditionally Saturn)
House11
PolarityPositive
Lucky numbers4, 7
Lucky daySaturday
ColourElectric blue
BirthstoneAmethyst, garnet
Best matches
Gemini, Libra, Aries
Hardest matches
Pisces, Cancer, Virgo
Rules the bodyAnkles and circulation
Calculated, not approximated
Exact Aquarius dates for 2026
Sun enters Aquarius
20 January, 01:43 UTC
Sun leaves Aquarius
18 February, 15:47 UTC
Length this year
29.6 days
Every other site prints "January 20 – February 18" with a note that dates "may vary by a day". They vary because the Sun crosses the boundary at a specific moment, and that moment shifts each year — but it is not unknowable.
The figures above are computed: the Sun enters Aquarius when its ecliptic longitude reaches 300°, and that crossing is found to the minute. If you were born near a boundary, this is the answer you actually needed.
Rarely covered
The three Aquarius decans
Each sign divides into three ten-degree segments, and each has its own sub-ruler. Two people can both be Aquarius and read as noticeably different because they fall in different decans — roughly, early, middle or late in the sign.
Decan 2 · 11–20°
Sub-ruler: Mercury
Communicative and analytical. The one who explains the idea.
Roughly the middle ten days of the sign.
Decan 3 · 21–30°
Sub-ruler: Venus
Warmer and more sociable. Humanitarian rather than theoretical.
Roughly the last ten days of the sign.
Aquarius personality
Original
Detached
Principled
Contrary
Humanitarian
Strengths
Thinks for itself and cares about fairness at a scale beyond its own circle.
Weaknesses
Intellectualises feeling, and mistakes emotional distance for objectivity.
Aquarius is the one fixed air sign — and that pairing is the whole explanation. The element sets temperament: air signs process by thinking and talking. The modality decides what happens when circumstances change: fixed signs resist it and hold their position.
There are exactly twelve combinations of four elements and three modalities, and each is occupied by one sign. That is why no two signs are interchangeable, and why Aquarius cannot be swapped for the other air signs without changing the meaning.
The Aquarius man and woman
Aquarius man
Friendly and hard to reach. Intellectualises feeling and needs a great deal of autonomy.
Aquarius woman
Original, principled and unwilling to be categorised. Friendship first, always.
Worth saying plainly: nothing in astrology assigns different meanings to a sign by gender. These descriptions reflect how the traits are conventionally written about, not a separate system — and plenty of people will recognise themselves in the other one.
Aquarius in each area of life
In love and relationships
Values friendship inside a relationship above romance. Needs autonomy preserved.
As a friend
The one with the unusual idea and the wide circle. Present but rarely close.
At work
Strong on innovation and systems thinking. Resists hierarchy on principle.
Career that suits
Technology, science, activism, research — anywhere convention needs breaking.
With money
Erratic. Cares more about the principle than the balance.
As a child
Independent and questioning. Responds to reasons and refuses arbitrary authority.
As a parent
Progressive and open-minded. Can be emotionally distant while being entirely present.
Health and the body
Ankles and circulation — Aquarius rules them, and the sign is linked to nervous energy.
Aquarius compatibility with every sign
Ranked by the angle between the two signs on the wheel — the same geometry astrology uses for aspects. Signs 120° apart share an element and form a trine; 90° apart is a square. Nothing here is a matter of opinion.
| With | Aspect | Angle | Score | Element |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ♊ Gemini | Trine | 120° | 88% | Air |
| ♎ Libra | Trine | 120° | 88% | Air |
| ♈ Aries | Sextile | 60° | 82% | Fire |
| ♐ Sagittarius | Sextile | 60° | 82% | Fire |
| ♒ Aquarius | Conjunction | 0° | 78% | Air |
| ♌ Leo | Opposition | 180° | 75% | Fire |
| ♉ Taurus | Square | 90° | 62% | Earth |
| ♏ Scorpio | Square | 90° | 62% | Water |
| ♑ Capricorn | Semi-sextile | 30° | 58% | Earth |
| ♓ Pisces | Semi-sextile | 30° | 58% | Water |
| ♋ Cancer | Quincunx | 150° | 55% | Water |
| ♍ Virgo | Quincunx | 150° | 55% | Earth |
Famous Aquariuss
Oprah Winfrey, Harry Styles, Charles Darwin, Virginia Woolf
Lists like this are the weakest evidence in astrology and the most quoted. With roughly a twelfth of all people in any sign, every sign has impressive members — picking four of them proves nothing. Read it as trivia, not as support.
Common questions about Aquarius
What are the exact Aquarius dates?
January 20 – February 18 as usually published. In 2026 specifically the Sun enters on 20 January am31 01:43 UTC and leaves on 18 February pm28 15:47 UTC.
Who is Aquarius most compatible with?
By aspect, Gemini, Libra, Aries. Those sit at the easiest angles on the wheel — but sun signs are one factor of many, and a difficult angle describes friction rather than failure.
What is a Aquarius decan?
A ten-degree third of the sign with its own sub-ruler: Uranus, Mercury, Venus. It is why two people of the same sign born three weeks apart can read quite differently.
What body part does Aquarius rule?
Ankles and circulation — Aquarius rules them, and the sign is linked to nervous energy.
Is the Aquarius man different from the woman?
Not in the system itself — astrology assigns no gendered meaning to a sign. The separate descriptions above reflect convention in how signs are written about, nothing more.