Decan 1 · 0°–10°
Sub-ruler: Venus
Double Venus — the most sensual and comfort-seeking version.
2026: Apr 20 – Apr 30 · Chaldean order: Mercury
April 20 – May 20 · Earth · Fixed · ruled by Venus
Taurus
Taurus covers April 20 – May 20 and is the 2nd sign of the zodiac: earth, fixed, ruled by Venus. Its keynote is steadiness, comfort and a long attention span. In 2026 the Sun spends 30.96 days in it — the 4th longest of the twelve, because the signs are not equal in length.
- Sun enters 2027
- Apr 20 7:18 AM UTC
- Sun leaves
- May 21 6:18 AM UTC
- Season length
- 31.0 days 30 d 23 h 0 min
- US births
- 8.29% 6th most common of 12
Times: NASA JPL DE440. Births: US Social Security Administration, 2000–2014.
The Taurus man The Taurus woman
Exact times
Taurus season 2027: the exact start in your city
The Sun enters Taurus at 7:18 AM UTC on April 20, 2027 — 3:18 AM in Santiago, 3:18 AM in New York, 8:18 AM in London and 4:18 PM in Tokyo — and leaves it for Gemini at 6:18 AM UTC on May 21, after 30 d 23 h 0 min.
| City | Sun enters Taurus | Sun moves on to Gemini |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | Tue, Apr 20 | Fri, May 21 |
| Honolulu United States | 9:18 PM Mon, Apr 19 · UTC−10 | 8:18 PM Thu, May 20 · UTC−10 |
| Anchorage United States | 11:18 PM Mon, Apr 19 · UTC−8 | 10:18 PM Thu, May 20 · UTC−8 |
| Los Angeles United States | 12:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−7 | 11:18 PM Thu, May 20 · UTC−7 |
| Phoenix United States | 12:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−7 | 11:18 PM Thu, May 20 · UTC−7 |
| Denver United States | 1:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−6 | 12:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC−6 |
| Chicago United States | 2:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−5 | 1:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC−5 |
| Mexico City Mexico | 1:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−6 | 12:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC−6 |
| New York United States | 3:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−4 | 2:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC−4 |
| Toronto Canada | 3:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−4 | 2:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC−4 |
| Bogotá Colombia | 2:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−5 | 1:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC−5 |
| Lima Peru | 2:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−5 | 1:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC−5 |
| Caracas Venezuela | 3:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−4 | 2:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC−4 |
| Santiago Chile | 3:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−4 | 2:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC−4 |
| Buenos Aires Argentina | 4:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−3 | 3:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC−3 |
| São Paulo Brazil | 4:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC−3 | 3:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC−3 |
| Reykjavík Iceland | 7:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC | 6:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC |
| London United Kingdom | 8:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+1 | 7:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+1 |
| Lagos Nigeria | 8:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+1 | 7:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+1 |
| Paris France | 9:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+2 | 8:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+2 |
| Berlin Germany | 9:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+2 | 8:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+2 |
| Johannesburg South Africa | 9:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+2 | 8:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+2 |
| Cairo Egypt | 9:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+2 | 9:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+3 |
| Athens Greece | 10:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+3 | 9:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+3 |
| Istanbul Turkey | 10:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+3 | 9:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+3 |
| Moscow Russia | 10:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+3 | 9:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+3 |
| Nairobi Kenya | 10:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+3 | 9:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+3 |
| Tehran Iran | 10:48 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+3:30 | 9:48 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+3:30 |
| Dubai United Arab Emirates | 11:18 AM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+4 | 10:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+4 |
| Karachi Pakistan | 12:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+5 | 11:18 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+5 |
| New Delhi India | 12:48 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+5:30 | 11:48 AM Fri, May 21 · UTC+5:30 |
| Kathmandu Nepal | 1:03 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+5:45 | 12:03 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+5:45 |
| Dhaka Bangladesh | 1:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+6 | 12:18 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+6 |
| Bangkok Thailand | 2:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+7 | 1:18 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+7 |
| Jakarta Indonesia | 2:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+7 | 1:18 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+7 |
| Singapore | 3:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+8 | 2:18 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+8 |
| Beijing China | 3:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+8 | 2:18 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+8 |
| Manila Philippines | 3:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+8 | 2:18 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+8 |
| Perth Australia | 3:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+8 | 2:18 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+8 |
| Seoul South Korea | 4:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+9 | 3:18 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+9 |
| Tokyo Japan | 4:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+9 | 3:18 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+9 |
| Adelaide Australia | 4:48 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+9:30 | 3:48 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+9:30 |
| Brisbane Australia | 5:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+10 | 4:18 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+10 |
| Sydney Australia | 5:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+10 | 4:18 PM Fri, May 21 · UTC+10 |
| Auckland New Zealand | 7:18 PM Tue, Apr 20 · UTC+12 | 6:18 PM Fri, May 21 · 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.
DatesApril 20 – May 20
SymbolBull
ElementEarth
ModalityFixed
Ruling planetVenus
House2
PolarityNegative
Lucky numbers2, 6
Lucky dayFriday
ColorGreen
BirthstoneEmerald, sapphire
Best matches
Virgo, Capricorn, Cancer
Hardest matches
Gemini, Libra, Sagittarius
Rules the bodyNeck and throat
Calculated, not approximated
Exact Taurus dates for 2026
Sun enters Taurus
April 20, 1:39 AM UTC
Sun leaves Taurus
May 21, 12:37 AM UTC
Length this year
31 days
The usual "April 20 – May 20" is an average. The Sun enters Taurus at 30° 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.
Taurus season started as late as Apr 21, 6:58 AM UTC in 1903 and will start as early as Apr 19, 9:18 AM UTC in 2048; in 2026 it is Apr 20, 1:39 AM UTC. A common year moves the ingress about 5 h 49 min later and a leap day pulls it back about 18 h 12 min, so it saw-tooths between April 19 and 21. The season itself has run from 30 d 22 h 48 min to 30 d 23 h 51 min — a spread of 63 minutes over 151 years.
Calculated from the Sun's actual motion
The zodiac signs are not equal
Taurus lasts
30.96 days
Rank by length
4 of 12
Share of all births
8.29%
If signs were even
30.44 days · 8.33%
Taurus runs 30.96 days in 2026 — one of the long signs the Sun crosses in the months around aphelion, when Earth moves slowest. Only just longer is Leo at 31.3 days; just behind is Virgo at 30.91.
With US births also peaking between July and September, Taurus took 8.29% of them in 2000–2014. All twelve lengths, and why they differ, are on the zodiac dates page.
Taurus: 8.29% of the 62.2 million births, with each birth assigned by the Sun’s ingress time — the 6th 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 Taurus decans
Ten degrees each. Modern astrologers give them to the three earth signs' rulers — Venus, Mercury and Saturn; the older Chaldean order, used on our birth date pages, gives Mercury, the Moon and Saturn.
Decan 2 · 10°–20°
Sub-ruler: Mercury
More practical and communicative. Better with detail and money.
2026: Apr 30 – May 10 · Chaldean order: Moon
Decan 3 · 20°–30°
Sub-ruler: Saturn
Harder-working and more disciplined, with a serious streak.
2026: May 10 – May 21 · Chaldean order: Saturn
Taurus personality
Patient
Stubborn
Sensual
Reliable
Possessive
Strengths
Outlasts everyone. Builds slowly and does not abandon what is half-finished.
Weaknesses
Confuses immovability with principle, and resists change long after it has stopped being optional.
Taurus is the one fixed earth sign — and that pairing is the whole explanation. The element sets temperament: earth signs test everything against what can be touched. The modality decides what happens when circumstances change: fixed signs resist it and hold their position.
No other sign is fixed earth, so Taurus cannot stand in for the other earth signs — which share the temperament and divide the work between them differently.
Primary source
Why Venus rules Taurus, in Ptolemy’s words
“Venus, possessing a favourable temperament, and placed beneath the sphere of Mars, takes the next two signs, Taurus and Libra. These are of a fruitful nature, and preserve harmony by the sextile distance; and this planet is never more than two signs distant from the Sun.”
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 Taurus in 1647
“[Taurus] is an Earthly, Cold, Dry, Melancholy, Feminine, Nocturnal, Fixed, Domestical or Bestial Signe, of the Earthly Triplicity, and South, the Night-house of Venus.”
“It presents one of a short, but of a full, strong and wel-set stature, a broad Forehead, great Eyes, big Face; large, strong Shoulders; great, mouth and thick Lips; grosse Hands; black rugged Haire.”
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 Taurus man and woman
Taurus man
Slow to commit and immovable afterward. Shows affection by providing rather than declaring.
Taurus woman
Sensual and grounded, with a long fuse and no reverse gear once it burns through.
Astrology gives Taurus no gendered meaning; the two sketches follow how the sign is usually written about.
Taurus in each area of life
In love and relationships
Slow to commit, hard to shift once committed. Shows affection through provision rather than declaration.
As a friend
The friend of twenty years. Rarely initiates contact, never disappears.
At work
Excellent at consolidation and anything requiring persistence. Poor at improvising under sudden change.
Career that suits
Suited to anything requiring persistence and a good eye — finance, food, design, land, craft.
With money
The best saver in the zodiac, with an expensive weakness for quality.
As a child
Placid and stubborn. Responds to routine, resists being hurried, and does not respond to raised voices.
As a parent
Steady and physically affectionate. Provides a home that feels safe; can resist a child's need to change.
Health and the body
Neck and throat — Taurus rules them, and tension settles in the shoulders and voice.
Taurus compatibility with every sign
Ranked by the angle from Taurus on the wheel; how the angle is read is explained on the compatibility hub.
| With | Aspect | Angle | Score | Element |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgo | Trine | 120° | 88% | Earth |
| Capricorn | Trine | 120° | 88% | Earth |
| Cancer | Sextile | 60° | 82% | Water |
| Pisces | Sextile | 60° | 82% | Water |
| Taurus | Conjunction | 0° | 78% | Earth |
| Scorpio | Opposition | 180° | 75% | Water |
| Leo | Square | 90° | 62% | Fire |
| Aquarius | Square | 90° | 62% | Air |
| Aries | Semi-sextile | 30° | 58% | Fire |
| Gemini | Semi-sextile | 30° | 58% | Air |
| Libra | Quincunx | 150° | 55% | Air |
| Sagittarius | Quincunx | 150° | 55% | Fire |
Famous Taureans
Adele, David Beckham, Queen Elizabeth II, Karl Marx
Taurus accounts for 8.29% of US births, so a list of famous Taureans is trivia rather than evidence.
Common questions about Taurus
What are the exact Taurus dates?
April 20 – May 20 as usually published. In 2026 the Sun enters Taurus on April 20 at 1:39 AM UTC and leaves on May 21 at 12:36 AM UTC.
Who is Taurus most compatible with?
By aspect, Virgo, Capricorn and Cancer — they sit at the easiest angles from Taurus.
What is a Taurus decan?
A ten-degree third of the sign with its own sub-ruler: Venus, Mercury and Saturn in the modern scheme, Mercury, the Moon and Saturn in the older Chaldean order.
What body part does Taurus rule?
Neck and throat — Taurus rules them, and tension settles in the shoulders and voice.
Is the Taurus man different from the woman?
Not in the chart: the Sun in Taurus works the same for everyone. The difference is in how it is written about — the Taurus man is usually read through Mars, which spends 7.6% of days in Taurus, and the Taurus woman through Venus, at 7.7%.
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. “Taurus (April 20 – May 20): Traits and Compatibility.” Accessed October 27, 2026. https://astrohot.com/zodiac-signs/taurus/
For Wikipedia
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