Sign seasons · Cancer 2027
Cancer season 2027 starts on the June solstice
The Sun reaches 0 degrees Cancer at the exact instant of the June solstice: the longest day in the north and the shortest in the south. Exact times and the season's full sky.
Alexander Jamieson, A Celestial Atlas, 1822 · US Naval Observatory Library
At a glance
June 21, 2027 to July 23, 2027, 31.45 days of the crab before Leo takes over.
- Starts
- Mon Jun 21, 2027, 10:11 AM EDTJun 21, 2027 · 14:11 UTC · June solstice
- Ends
- Thu Jul 22, 2027, 9:05 PM EDTJul 23, 2027 · 01:05 UTC
- Length
- 31 days31.45 days exactly
- Lunations
- new Jul 4 and full Jul 18penumbral lunar eclipse
Find your Cancer houseHost something small: a picnic, a dinner, a movie night at yours.
Water · Cardinal · ruled by the Moon
The longest day, and then the turn inward
Try this today
- Host something small: a picnic, a dinner, a movie night at yours.
- Call a family member, chosen or blood, just to talk.
- Make your bedroom ten percent cosier.
The start of Cancer season is the June solstice, by definition. In the tropical zodiac, 0 degrees Cancer is the point where the Sun is farthest north. So the first minute of the season is the longest day of the year north of the equator and the shortest south of it.
There is something lovely about the sign of home and family starting at the height of summer. The light is at its peak, and from here it slowly begins to fade. Astrologers describe Cancer, the cardinal water sign ruled by the Moon, as protective, nostalgic, caring and very loyal to its people.
The crab carries its home on its back, and its shell is hard so its insides can stay soft. That is the whole sign in one picture. In 2027 Mercury turns direct early in the season and a penumbral lunar eclipse falls at the full moon in July.
The sky behind it
The Sun enters Cancer at Jun 21, 2027 · 14:11 UTC, the June solstice. At that instant the Moon is waning gibbous in Capricorn (94% lit) and the Sun's declination is 23.44°.
The dates
When does Cancer season start and end in 2027?
The Sun crosses 0° Cancer at Jun 21, 2027 · 14:11 UTC (the June solstice) and 0° Leo at Jul 23, 2027 · 01:05 UTC, 24 hours longer than an average sign.
The date itself splits: New York reads Jun 21 while Sydney has reached Jun 22. Your zone is in the clock below.
Decans: Venus rules the first ten degrees from Jun 21, Mercury takes over on Jul 2, Moon on Jul 12. The Sun is at 15°, dead centre, on Jul 7, 2027.
The mood
Cardinal water: feelings that start things
Try this today
- Find the Cancer house in your birth chart: astrologers read it as where you look for safety.
- Track your mood once a day for one lunar cycle.
- Cook a recipe that tastes like childhood.
Water signs feel first. Cardinal signs begin seasons. Cancer starts summer in the north with an emotional push: care for people, make a home, protect what matters.
The Moon rules Cancer, so the season is a good time to pay attention to your moods and your rhythms, especially sleep and food. Astrologers often suggest tracking how you feel across a full lunar cycle, which fits neatly inside this season.
The tricky side is retreating into the shell when things get hard, or holding onto the past a little too tightly. A good Cancer season question is: what is home for me right now, and does my life actually make room for it?
The sky this season
Cancer season 2027 has an eclipse: penumbral lunar eclipse on Jul 18
Moons. New moon on Jul 4, 2027 at 11°57′ Cancer. Full moon on Jul 18, 2027 at 25°49′ Capricorn, a penumbral lunar eclipse. Intention-setters will want Jul 4.
Stations. Mercury turns direct on Jul 4, 2027 at 27°28′ Gemini. Neptune turns retrograde on Jul 9, 2027 at 6°40′ Aries.
Sign changes. Mercury enters Gemini on Jun 26, 2027 while retrograde. Venus enters Cancer on Jul 3, 2027. Mercury enters Cancer on Jul 12, 2027. Mars enters Libra on Jul 15, 2027.
Company. Mercury and Venus share Cancer with the Sun.
The sky behind it
Eclipse type: NASA GSFC catalogue.
The the crab in the stars
Hera's crab and the beehive in its shell
The crab of Cancer has a small part in a big story. While Heracles fought the many-headed Hydra in the swamps of Lerna, Hera, who hated him, sent a giant crab to pinch his feet. He crushed it without much thought. Hera rewarded its loyalty with a place among the stars, which may be why the constellation is so modest: none of its stars is brighter than fourth magnitude.
In the middle sits Praesepe, the Beehive, a cluster of several hundred stars about 600 light years away. Under a dark sky it shows as a soft patch, and old weather lore said rain was coming when it vanished behind thin cloud. Two stars beside it are the Asses, Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis, donkeys feeding at the manger that Praesepe's Latin name describes.
Like the Tropic of Capricorn, the Tropic of Cancer was named when the Sun stood among these stars at the June solstice. This season begins on that solstice, the longest day in the north and the shortest in the south, and runs into the high summer festivals of July.
Make it yours
A solstice ritual for home
Try this today
- Open windows, clear one surface, add one living thing.
- Text one person on your home list before sunset.
Midsummer has a long history of celebration in Europe, from bonfires to flower crowns, and the June solstice is marked in many cultures. You can keep yours very simple.
On the solstice evening, open the windows and let the house air out. Clear one surface you use every day. Put something living on it, flowers, herbs, a plant. Then make a list of the people who make you feel at home. Message one of them before the light goes.
If you read the note you wrote in Capricorn season, the opposite point of the year, this is a good day to check in on it.
the crab, in your zone
Count the 31 days of Cancer where you are
2 moons and 2 stations between Jun 21 and Jul 23. Watch the bar fill, or check a birthday.
Reading your clock…
Is my birthday in Cancer season?
Yes. June 28, 2027 is inside Cancer season.
More to read
Shorter reads. Each opens in place.
After dark
What to look at while Cancer hides
The crab is behind the Sun, and the Beehive is unobservable until it reappears before dawn in August. Short northern nights have Sagittarius and Capricorn on the meridian at midnight, with the Teapot low in the south and the Milky Way rising out of its spout. In the long southern winter nights the same region passes almost straight overhead, one of the finest views in the whole sky.
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Below the equator
Early winter, not early summer
In the southern hemisphere Cancer season starts on the shortest day, the June solstice. It is midwinter, and the sign's love of home, food and family fits the long nights perfectly.
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Sign vs stars
Gemini holds the Sun longest
By the IAU boundaries the Sun passes in front of Taurus (Jun 21 to Jun 22), Gemini (Jun 22 to Jul 21) and Cancer (Jul 21 to Jul 23) this season. Why signs and stars differ.
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The light
-28 minutes of New York daylight
New York: 15h 06m (Jun 21) to 14h 38m (Jul 22). London: 16h 38m to 15h 52m. Sydney: 9h 54m to 10h 15m, +21 min.
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Cancer season 2027, computed
| City | The Sun enters Cancer |
|---|---|
| UTC | Jun 21, 2027, 14:11 UTC |
| New York | Mon Jun 21, 2027, 10:11 AM EDT |
| Los Angeles | Mon Jun 21, 2027, 7:11 AM PDT |
| Toronto | Mon Jun 21, 2027, 10:11 AM EDT |
| London | Mon Jun 21, 2027, 3:11 PM BST |
| Sydney | Tue Jun 22, 2027, 12:11 AM AEST |
| Planet | Position | Motion |
|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 2°40′ Cancer | Retrograde |
| Venus | 15°57′ Gemini | Direct |
| Mars | 17°08′ Virgo | Direct |
| Jupiter | 23°30′ Leo | Direct |
| Saturn | 25°53′ Aries | Direct |
| Uranus | 7°13′ Gemini | Direct |
| Neptune | 6°34′ Aries | Direct |
| Pluto | 6°46′ Aquarius | Retrograde |
All times are UTC. In the Americas the local date can be a day earlier; in Asia and Australia a day later.
Quick answers
Does Cancer season start on the summer solstice?
Yes, by definition. The Sun enters Cancer at the moment of the June solstice, so both happen at the same instant. The exact time is in the at a glance box above.
What is Cancer season good for?
Astrologers link Cancer, the cardinal water sign ruled by the Moon, with home, family, food, memory and emotional care. Many people use the season to rest, nest and spend time with the people closest to them.
