Capricorn · Dec 21 to Jan 20, 2026
Capricorn dates 2026: the solstice sign, and the shortest season
Capricorn starts at the December solstice and is the shortest sign season of the year. Exact times for the Capricorn season that opens 2026, the one that starts in December 2026, and 2027.
Alexander Jamieson, A Celestial Atlas, 1822 · US Naval Observatory Library
At a glance
Capricorn 2026 runs from December 21 at 20:50 UTC to January 20 at 07:30 UTC: 29.4 days.
- Capricorn begins
- Dec 21, 2026, 20:50 UTCDec 21, 3:50 PM New York · Dec 21, 12:50 PM LA
- Capricorn ends
- Jan 20, 2027, 07:30 UTCJan 20, 2:30 AM New York · Jan 20, 6:30 PM Sydney
- Capricorn 2027
- Dec 22 to Jan 20starts 02:42 UTC, 5 h 52 min later in the day
- Most common Capricorn start
- December 2241 times since 1950
Born near Dec 21 or Jan 20?Sagittarius hands over at 20:50 UTC UTC, Aquarius takes over at 07:30 UTC UTC.
Capricorn 2026
Dec 21 to Jan 20: Capricorn in 2026
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- Born on December 21 or 22? Use the checker: this cusp is close to a coin flip.
Capricorn is the only sign that is split across two calendar years every time. The season that greets January 2026 began at Dec 21, 2025, 15:03 UTC and ended at Jan 20, 2026, 01:45 UTC. The next one starts at the December solstice, Dec 21, 2026, 20:50 UTC, and runs until Jan 20, 2027, 07:30 UTC.
It is the shortest sign of the year, just 29.4 days. Earth reaches its closest point to the Sun in early January and moves fastest then, so the Sun rushes through Capricorn. The longest nights of the northern year, and the shortest sign. That is a nice bit of symmetry with Cancer, the longest.
The sky behind it
Decans: 10° on Dec 31, 2026, 16:27 UTC, 20° on Jan 10, 2027, 11:52 UTC.
Sagittarius side
Born around December 21? The Sagittarius-Capricorn line
December 21 and 22 split Capricorn starts almost evenly. From 1950 to 2030 the Sun entered Capricorn on December 22 in 41 years, December 21 in 40 years (UTC dates). In 2026 the solstice is Dec 21, 3:50 PM in New York and Dec 21, 12:50 PM in Los Angeles, so December 21 is Capricorn from the afternoon on in North America. In India it is Dec 22, 2:20 AM and in Sydney Dec 22, 7:50 AM, both on December 22.
Moons in Capricorn
Moons and planets, Dec 21 2026 to Jan 20 2028
Capricorn season is short but full. Mars, which tradition counts as exalted in Capricorn, is in the sign as 2026 begins and again as 2027 ends. Mercury and Venus each pass through in both winters.
The Full Moon of the December 2026 Capricorn season falls in Cancer on Dec 24, 2026 at 2°14′ Cancer, Christmas Eve in UTC. The New Moon in Capricorn follows on Jan 7, 2027 at 17°18′ Capricorn, a week into 2027. In the 2027 season, the Full Moon on Jan 12, 2028 at 21°28′ Cancer is a partial lunar eclipse.
Visitors to Capricorn:
- Mercury: Jan 1, 2026 to Jan 20, 2026
- Mercury: Dec 25, 2026 to Jan 13, 2027
- Mercury: Dec 18, 2027 to Jan 6, 2028
- Venus: before 2026 (since Dec 24, 2025) to Jan 17, 2026
- Venus: Feb 3, 2027 to Mar 1, 2027
- Venus: Nov 25, 2027 to Dec 19, 2027
- Mars: before 2026 (since Dec 15, 2025) to Jan 23, 2026
- Mars: Nov 25, 2027 to Jan 3, 2028
The sky behind it
Full Moon Dec 24, 2026 at 2°14′ Cancer; New Moon Jan 7, 2027 at 17°18′ Capricorn.
| Season | Lunation | When | Moon's position | Eclipse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 season | Full Moon | Dec 24, 2026, 01:28 UTC | 2°14′ Cancer | - |
| 2026 season | New Moon | Jan 7, 2027, 20:24 UTC | 17°18′ Capricorn | - |
| 2027 season | New Moon | Dec 27, 2027, 20:12 UTC | 5°50′ Capricorn | - |
| 2027 season | Full Moon | Jan 12, 2028, 04:03 UTC | 21°28′ Cancer | partial lunar eclipse |
Aquarius side
Born around January 20? Where Capricorn ends
The Capricorn season that starts in December 2026 ends at Jan 20, 2027, 07:30 UTC. That is Jan 20, 2:30 AM in New York but Jan 19, 11:30 PM in Los Angeles, so a January 19, 2027 baby born late that night in California is already an Aquarius. In Sydney the change lands at Jan 20, 6:30 PM.
Aquarius 2027: Jan 20, 2028, 13:22 UTC. Capricorn 2027: 29.4 days.
Cusp checker
Am I a Capricorn? Check your birthday
Born January 19 or 20? Check that edge too, especially if you were born in the Americas in the evening.
Capricorn, your clock
- Sagittarius → CapricornSat, Dec 21, 2024, 4:20 AM
- Capricorn → AquariusSun, Jan 19, 2025, 3:00 PM
- Sagittarius → CapricornSun, Dec 21, 2025, 10:03 AM
- Capricorn → AquariusMon, Jan 19, 2026, 8:44 PMa different date than in UTC (01/20)
- Sagittarius → CapricornMon, Dec 21, 2026, 3:50 PM
- Capricorn → AquariusWed, Jan 20, 2027, 2:29 AM
- Sagittarius → CapricornTue, Dec 21, 2027, 9:42 PMa different date than in UTC (12/22)
- Capricorn → AquariusThu, Jan 20, 2028, 8:21 AM
- Sagittarius → CapricornThu, Dec 21, 2028, 3:19 AM
More to read
Shorter reads. Each opens in place.
December or January
Capricorn birthdays by month
Late December and most of January. Birthdays from about December 22 to January 19 are Capricorn. In 2026 that is December 21 to January 20; year by year switches live on December and January.
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Capricorn in brief
Capricorn, briefly
In the classical scheme Capricorn is an earth sign, cardinal and ruled by Saturn. Ptolemy lists it as Mars's exaltation. The sea-goat figure is one of the oldest zodiac images, inherited from Babylonian star lore.
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Capricorn start times
| Year | UTC | New York | Sydney |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Dec 21, 10:02 | Dec 21, 5:02 AM | Dec 21, 9:02 PM |
| 2021 | Dec 21, 15:59 | Dec 21, 10:59 AM | Dec 22, 2:59 AM |
| 2022 | Dec 21, 21:48 | Dec 21, 4:48 PM | Dec 22, 8:48 AM |
| 2023 | Dec 22, 03:27 | Dec 21, 10:27 PM | Dec 22, 2:27 PM |
| 2024 | Dec 21, 09:21 | Dec 21, 4:21 AM | Dec 21, 8:21 PM |
| 2025 | Dec 21, 15:03 | Dec 21, 10:03 AM | Dec 22, 2:03 AM |
| 2026 | Dec 21, 20:50 | Dec 21, 3:50 PM | Dec 22, 7:50 AM |
| 2027 | Dec 22, 02:42 | Dec 21, 9:42 PM | Dec 22, 1:42 PM |
| 2028 | Dec 21, 08:20 | Dec 21, 3:20 AM | Dec 21, 7:20 PM |
| 2029 | Dec 21, 14:14 | Dec 21, 9:14 AM | Dec 22, 1:14 AM |
| 2030 | Dec 21, 20:10 | Dec 21, 3:10 PM | Dec 22, 7:10 AM |
All times are UTC. In the Americas the local date can be a day earlier; in Asia and Australia a day later.
Quick answers
What are the Capricorn dates for 2026?
Dec 21, 2026, 20:50 UTC to Jan 20, 2027, 07:30 UTC, or Dec 21, 3:50 PM to Jan 20, 2:30 AM on New York clocks.
Is December 21 Sagittarius or Capricorn?
Either, depending on the year and the hour. Between 1950 and 2030 Capricorn began on December 22 in 41 years, December 21 in 40 years (UTC). In 2026 the solstice is at Dec 21, 2026, 20:50 UTC, so December 21, 2026 is Capricorn from Dec 21, 3:50 PM in New York.
What are the Capricorn dates for 2027?
The Capricorn season that starts in 2027 runs from Dec 22, 2027, 02:42 UTC to Jan 20, 2028, 13:22 UTC, 29.4 days.
