Decan 1 · 0°–10°
Sub-ruler: Mars
Double Mars — the most forceful version. Impatient, competitive, first out of the gate.
2026: Mar 20 – Mar 30 · Chaldean order: Mars
March 21 – April 19 · Fire · Cardinal · ruled by Mars
Aries
Aries covers March 21 – April 19 and is the 1st sign of the zodiac: fire, cardinal, ruled by Mars. Its keynote is initiative, appetite and the willingness to go first. In 2026 the Sun spends 30.45 days in it — the 6th longest of the twelve, because the signs are not equal in length.
- Sun enters 2027
- Mar 20 8:25 PM UTC
- Sun leaves
- Apr 20 7:18 AM UTC
- Season length
- 30.5 days 30 d 10 h 53 min
- US births
- 8.14% 8th most common of 12
Times: NASA JPL DE440. Births: US Social Security Administration, 2000–2014.
Exact times
Aries season 2027: the exact start in your city
The Sun enters Aries at 8:25 PM UTC on March 20, 2027 — 5:25 PM in Santiago, 4:25 PM in New York, 8:25 PM in London and 5:25 AM on March 21 in Tokyo — and leaves it for Taurus at 7:18 AM UTC on April 20, after 30 d 10 h 53 min.
| City | Sun enters Aries | Sun moves on to Taurus |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | Sat, Mar 20 | Tue, Apr 20 |
| Honolulu United States | 10:25 AM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−10 | 9:18 PM Mon, Apr 19 · UTC−10 |
| Anchorage United States | 12:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−8 | 11:18 PM Mon, Apr 19 · UTC−8 |
| Los Angeles United States | 1:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−7 | 12:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−7 |
| Phoenix United States | 1:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−7 | 12:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−7 |
| Denver United States | 2:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−6 | 1:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−6 |
| Chicago United States | 3:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−5 | 2:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−5 |
| Mexico City Mexico | 2:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−6 | 1:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−6 |
| New York United States | 4:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−4 | 3:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−4 |
| Toronto Canada | 4:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−4 | 3:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−4 |
| Bogotá Colombia | 3:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−5 | 2:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−5 |
| Lima Peru | 3:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−5 | 2:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−5 |
| Caracas Venezuela | 4:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−4 | 3:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−4 |
| Santiago Chile | 5:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−3 | 3:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−4 |
| Buenos Aires Argentina | 5:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−3 | 4:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−3 |
| São Paulo Brazil | 5:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC−3 | 4:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−3 |
| Reykjavík Iceland | 8:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC | 7:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC |
| London United Kingdom | 8:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC | 8:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+1 |
| Lagos Nigeria | 9:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC+1 | 8:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+1 |
| Paris France | 9:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC+1 | 9:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+2 |
| Berlin Germany | 9:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC+1 | 9:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+2 |
| Johannesburg South Africa | 10:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC+2 | 9:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+2 |
| Cairo Egypt | 10:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC+2 | 9:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+2 |
| Athens Greece | 10:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC+2 | 10:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+3 |
| Istanbul Turkey | 11:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC+3 | 10:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+3 |
| Moscow Russia | 11:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC+3 | 10:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+3 |
| Nairobi Kenya | 11:25 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC+3 | 10:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+3 |
| Tehran Iran | 11:55 PM Sat, Mar 20 · UTC+3:30 | 10:48 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+3:30 |
| Dubai United Arab Emirates | 12:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+4 | 11:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+4 |
| Karachi Pakistan | 1:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+5 | 12:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+5 |
| New Delhi India | 1:55 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+5:30 | 12:48 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+5:30 |
| Kathmandu Nepal | 2:10 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+5:45 | 1:03 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+5:45 |
| Dhaka Bangladesh | 2:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+6 | 1:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+6 |
| Bangkok Thailand | 3:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+7 | 2:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+7 |
| Jakarta Indonesia | 3:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+7 | 2:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+7 |
| Singapore | 4:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+8 | 3:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+8 |
| Beijing China | 4:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+8 | 3:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+8 |
| Manila Philippines | 4:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+8 | 3:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+8 |
| Perth Australia | 4:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+8 | 3:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+8 |
| Seoul South Korea | 5:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+9 | 4:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+9 |
| Tokyo Japan | 5:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+9 | 4:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+9 |
| Adelaide Australia | 6:55 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+10:30 | 4:48 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+9:30 |
| Brisbane Australia | 6:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+10 | 5:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+10 |
| Sydney Australia | 7:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+11 | 5:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+10 |
| Auckland New Zealand | 9:25 AM Sun, Mar 21 · UTC+13 | 7:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+12 |
Sun’s ingress from the NASA JPL DE440 ephemeris; Swiss Ephemeris agrees within 5 seconds. Local times: IANA time zones, to the minute.
18 pages · printable
The 2027 Sky Calendar — free PDF
Every retrograde, eclipse, new and full moon of 2027 to the minute, already converted to your city. A month to a page, ready to print.
DatesMarch 21 – April 19
SymbolRam
ElementFire
ModalityCardinal
Ruling planetMars
House1
PolarityPositive
Lucky numbers1, 9
Lucky dayTuesday
ColorRed
BirthstoneDiamond, bloodstone
Best matches
Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini
Hardest matches
Pisces, Virgo, Scorpio
Rules the bodyHead and face
Calculated, not approximated
Exact Aries dates for 2026
Sun enters Aries
March 20, 2:46 PM UTC
Sun leaves Aries
April 20, 1:39 AM UTC
Length this year
30.5 days
The usual "March 21 – April 19" is an average. The Sun enters Aries at 0° of ecliptic longitude, and the exact minute of that crossing — given above for the coming season — moves a little every year, which is what a boundary birthday needs.
Aries season started as late as Mar 21, 7:14 PM UTC in 1903 and will start as early as Mar 19, 10:34 PM UTC in 2048; in 2026 it is Mar 20, 2:46 PM UTC. A common year moves the ingress about 5 h 50 min later and a leap day pulls it back about 18 h 13 min, so it saw-tooths between March 19 and 21. The season itself has run from 30 d 10 h 39 min to 30 d 11 h 50 min — a spread of 71 minutes over 151 years.
Calculated from the Sun's actual motion
The zodiac signs are not equal
Aries lasts
30.45 days
Rank by length
6 of 12
Share of all births
8.14%
If signs were even
30.44 days · 8.33%
Aries runs 30.45 days in 2026 — in the middle of the range, between the long summer signs and the short winter ones. Only just longer is Virgo at 30.91 days; just behind is Libra at 30.4.
With US births also peaking between July and September, Aries took 8.14% of them in 2000–2014. All twelve lengths, and why they differ, are on the zodiac dates page.
Aries: 8.14% of the 62.2 million births, with each birth assigned by the Sun’s ingress time — the 8th most common of twelve. Leo leads with 8.96% and Capricorn trails with 7.63%. An even split would give 8.33%.
Rarely covered
The three Aries decans
Ten degrees each. Modern astrologers give them to the three fire signs' rulers — Mars, the Sun and Jupiter; the older Chaldean order, used on our birth date pages, gives Mars, the Sun and Venus.
Decan 2 · 10°–20°
Sub-ruler: Sun
Warmer and more theatrical. Wants recognition as well as victory.
2026: Mar 30 – Apr 9 · Chaldean order: Sun
Decan 3 · 20°–30°
Sub-ruler: Jupiter
Broader and more philosophical. Channels the drive into causes and travel.
2026: Apr 9 – Apr 20 · Chaldean order: Venus
Aries personality
Direct
Competitive
Impatient
Courageous
Blunt
Strengths
Starts things other people are still discussing. Recovers from setbacks faster than almost any other sign.
Weaknesses
Bores quickly, interrupts constantly, and treats patience as a personal insult.
Aries is the one cardinal fire sign — and that pairing is the whole explanation. The element sets temperament: fire signs act first and consider afterward. The modality decides what happens when circumstances change: cardinal signs start the change themselves.
No other sign is cardinal fire, so Aries cannot stand in for the other fire signs — which share the temperament and divide the work between them differently.
Primary source
Why Mars rules Aries, in Ptolemy’s words
“Mars is dry in nature, and beneath the sphere of Jupiter: he takes the next two signs, of a nature similar to his own, viz. Aries and Scorpio, whose relative distances from the houses of the luminaries are injurious and discordant.”
Claudius Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos, book I, chapter XX, translated by J. M. Ashmand from the Greek paraphrase of Proclus (London, 1822) — read the original text.
Ptolemy wrote in Alexandria, and his reasoning is from the northern hemisphere, where Cancer and Leo are the summer signs. He knew seven planets, and this scheme of rulers is still the one astrologers use.
Primary source
What William Lilly wrote about Aries in 1647
“[Aries] is a Masculine, Diurnall Signe, movable, Cardinall, Equinoctiall; in nature fiery, hot and dry, cholericke, bestial, luxurious, intemperate and violent: the diurnall house of [Mars], of the Fiery Triplicity, and of the East.”
“A dry Body, not exceeding in height, leane or spare, but lusty Bones, and the party in his Limmes strong; the Visage long; black Eye-browes, a long Neck, thick Shoulders, the Complexion dusky browne or swartish.”
William Lilly, Christian Astrology (London, 1647), book I, chapter XVI — read the original text.
Christian Astrology was the first astrology textbook of its kind printed in English rather than Latin. Lilly used these descriptions mainly for the sign rising at a birth or at the moment a question was asked; reading character from the Sun’s sign alone was popularized by newspaper horoscopes in the 1930s. Spelling and punctuation are as printed, with the long s and u/v modernized; signs and planets printed as symbols are given in square brackets.
The Aries man and woman
Aries man
Direct to the point of bluntness. Pursues openly, loses interest in games, and would rather be told no than left guessing.
Aries woman
Independent and unwilling to be handled. Initiates rather than waits, and reads excessive caution in a partner as a lack of interest.
Astrology gives Aries no gendered meaning; the two sketches follow how the sign is usually written about.
Aries in each area of life
In love and relationships
Pursues openly and dislikes ambiguity. Wants a partner who can hold their own ground rather than yield.
As a friend
The one who turns up when something needs doing. Loyal, blunt, and forgets arguments faster than you do.
At work
Best at launching. Loses interest in maintenance, so pairs well with a sign that finishes things.
Career that suits
Best where speed matters and someone has to decide — founding, sales, emergency work, anything with a clock on it.
With money
Earns readily and spends impulsively. Budgeting is the lifelong weak point.
As a child
Physical, competitive and loud. Needs somewhere to burn energy or the energy turns into conflict.
As a parent
Encouraging and hands-on, occasionally pushing a child toward the parent's own ambition rather than the child's.
Health and the body
Head and face — Aries rules the top of the body, and headaches are the traditional weak spot.
Aries compatibility with every sign
Ranked by the angle from Aries on the wheel; how the angle is read is explained on the compatibility hub.
| With | Aspect | Angle | Score | Element |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leo | Trine | 120° | 88% | Fire |
| Sagittarius | Trine | 120° | 88% | Fire |
| Gemini | Sextile | 60° | 82% | Air |
| Aquarius | Sextile | 60° | 82% | Air |
| Aries | Conjunction | 0° | 78% | Fire |
| Libra | Opposition | 180° | 75% | Air |
| Cancer | Square | 90° | 62% | Water |
| Capricorn | Square | 90° | 62% | Earth |
| Taurus | Semi-sextile | 30° | 58% | Earth |
| Pisces | Semi-sextile | 30° | 58% | Water |
| Virgo | Quincunx | 150° | 55% | Earth |
| Scorpio | Quincunx | 150° | 55% | Water |
Famous Aries
Lady Gaga, Robert Downey Jr, Maya Angelou, Vincent van Gogh
Aries accounts for 8.14% of US births, so a list of famous Aries is trivia rather than evidence.
Common questions about Aries
What are the exact Aries dates?
March 21 – April 19 as usually published. In 2026 the Sun enters Aries on March 20 at 2:45 PM UTC and leaves on April 20 at 1:39 AM UTC.
Who is Aries most compatible with?
By aspect, Leo, Sagittarius and Gemini — they sit at the easiest angles from Aries.
What is an Aries decan?
A ten-degree third of the sign with its own sub-ruler: Mars, the Sun and Jupiter in the modern scheme, Mars, the Sun and Venus in the older Chaldean order.
What body part does Aries rule?
Head and face — Aries rules the top of the body, and headaches are the traditional weak spot.
Is the Aries man different from the woman?
Not in the chart: the Sun in Aries works the same for everyone. The difference is in how it is written about — the Aries man is usually read through Mars, which spends 7.1% of days in Aries, and the Aries woman through Venus, at 9.2%.
Sources
- Claudius Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos, book I, chapter XX, translated by J. M. Ashmand from the Greek paraphrase of Proclus (London, 1822)
- William Lilly, Christian Astrology (London, 1647), book I, chapter XVI
Statements of fact on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. How we choose and check sources: editorial policy.
Cite this page
AstroHot. “Aries (March 21 – April 19): Traits and Compatibility.” Accessed October 27, 2026. https://astrohot.com/zodiac-signs/aries/
For Wikipedia
{{cite web |title=Aries (March 21 – April 19): Traits and Compatibility |url=https://astrohot.com/zodiac-signs/aries/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-27}}