Decan 1 · 1–10°
Sub-ruler: Venus
Double Venus — the most charming and the most indecisive.
Roughly the first ten days of the sign.
September 23 – October 22 · Air · Cardinal · ruled by Venus
Libra
Libra covers September 23 – October 22 and is the 7th sign of the zodiac: air, cardinal, ruled by Venus. Its keynote is balance, fairness and acute awareness of other people. In 2026 the Sun spends 30.4 days in it — the 7th longest of the twelve, because the signs are not equal in length.
DatesSeptember 23 – October 22
SymbolScales
ElementAir
ModalityCardinal
Ruling planetVenus
House7
PolarityPositive
Lucky numbers6, 9
Lucky dayFriday
ColourPink, pale blue
BirthstoneOpal, peridot
Best matches
Gemini, Aquarius, Leo
Hardest matches
Scorpio, Taurus, Pisces
Rules the bodyKidneys and lower back
Calculated, not approximated
Exact Libra dates for 2026
Sun enters Libra
23 September, 00:16 UTC
Sun leaves Libra
23 October, 09:47 UTC
Length this year
30.4 days
Every other site prints "September 23 – October 22" 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 Libra when its ecliptic longitude reaches 180°, and that crossing is found to the minute. If you were born near a boundary, this is the answer you actually needed.
Calculated from the Sun's actual motion
The zodiac signs are not equal
Libra lasts
30.4 days
Rank by length
7 of 12
Share of all births
8.62%
If signs were even
30.44 days · 8.33%
Everyone assumes the twelve signs are equal months. They are not. Libra runs 30.4 days in 2026, against 29.20 for the shortest and 31.45 for the longest — a spread of well over two days.
The cause is Kepler's second law. Earth's orbit is an ellipse, and the planet moves slowest at aphelion in early July — so the Sun takes longer to cross the summer signs than the winter ones. Cancer, Gemini and Leo are the long ones; Capricorn, Sagittarius and Aquarius the short.
All twelve, measured
| Sign | Days in 2026 | Rank | Share of births |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | 31.45 | 1 | 8.86% |
| Gemini | 31.33 | 2 | 8.56% |
| Leo | 31.3 | 3 | 9.05% |
| Taurus | 30.96 | 4 | 8.24% |
| Virgo | 30.91 | 5 | 8.86% |
| Aries | 30.45 | 6 | 8.18% |
| Libra | 30.4 | 7 | 8.62% |
| Pisces | 29.95 | 8 | 7.91% |
| Scorpio | 29.9 | 9 | 8.05% |
| Aquarius | 29.59 | 10 | 7.75% |
| Sagittarius | 29.56 | 11 | 8% |
| Capricorn | 29.2 | 12 | 7.91% |
Birth shares combine two separate effects: the uneven length of the signs, and the fact that births themselves are seasonal — the northern hemisphere peaks in July to September. Both push in the same direction, which is why Leo and Virgo come out ahead of Aquarius and Pisces by more than a percentage point.
Rarely covered
The three Libra decans
Each sign divides into three ten-degree segments, and each has its own sub-ruler. Two people can both be Libra 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: Uranus
Independent and unconventional. Fairness becomes principle.
Roughly the middle ten days of the sign.
Decan 3 · 21–30°
Sub-ruler: Mercury
Analytical and articulate. Argues the case rather than smoothing it.
Roughly the last ten days of the sign.
Libra personality
Diplomatic
Indecisive
Charming
Fair-minded
Conflict-averse
Strengths
Sees every side of a dispute and can make opposing parties feel heard.
Weaknesses
Avoids decisions to avoid disappointing anyone, which disappoints everyone eventually.
Libra is the one cardinal 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: cardinal signs start the change themselves.
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 Libra cannot be swapped for the other air signs without changing the meaning.
The Libra man and woman
Libra man
Charming and conflict-averse. Agrees more readily than he means to.
Libra woman
Graceful and socially fluent, with more steel under it than people expect.
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.
Libra in each area of life
In love and relationships
Partnership-oriented to the core. Uncomfortable alone, sometimes to its own cost.
As a friend
Fair, generous with time, and terrible at choosing a restaurant.
At work
Strong in negotiation, mediation and anything aesthetic. Weak on unilateral calls.
Career that suits
Law, diplomacy, design, HR, mediation — anywhere balance is the job.
With money
Spends on beauty and company. Budgets in theory.
As a child
Sociable and eager to please. Struggles with conflict at home more than most.
As a parent
Fair-minded and warm. Can avoid necessary discipline to keep the peace.
Health and the body
Kidneys and lower back — Libra rules them, hence the association with balance.
Libra 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 |
| Aquarius | Trine | 120° | 88% | Air |
| Leo | Sextile | 60° | 82% | Fire |
| Sagittarius | Sextile | 60° | 82% | Fire |
| Libra | Conjunction | 0° | 78% | Air |
| Aries | Opposition | 180° | 75% | Fire |
| Cancer | Square | 90° | 62% | Water |
| Capricorn | Square | 90° | 62% | Earth |
| Virgo | Semi-sextile | 30° | 58% | Earth |
| Scorpio | Semi-sextile | 30° | 58% | Water |
| Taurus | Quincunx | 150° | 55% | Earth |
| Pisces | Quincunx | 150° | 55% | Water |
Famous Libras
Kim Kardashian, Will Smith, Serena Williams, Oscar Wilde
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 Libra
What are the exact Libra dates?
September 23 – October 22 as usually published. In 2026 specifically the Sun enters on 23 September am30 00:16 UTC and leaves on 23 October am31 09:47 UTC.
Who is Libra most compatible with?
By aspect, Gemini, Aquarius, Leo. 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 Libra decan?
A ten-degree third of the sign with its own sub-ruler: Venus, Uranus, Mercury. It is why two people of the same sign born three weeks apart can read quite differently.
What body part does Libra rule?
Kidneys and lower back — Libra rules them, hence the association with balance.
Is the Libra 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.