December 22 zodiac sign
The December 22 Sun stands right on the boundary, at the last degree of Sagittarius or the very first of Capricorn, where Saturn rules both the sign and its first decan.
Sun signSagittarius or Capricorn
- Sun at 0°–2° Capricorn
- 1st decan · Saturn
- Cusp birthday
December 22 in profile
A December 22 birthday is either Capricorn or Sagittarius depending on the year and time of birth; there is no in-between sign, and the table on this page shows which. In most cases the Sun has just entered Capricorn at 0°, the first degree, where the sign is raw, emphatic and doubly ruled by Saturn through its own first decan. On the other side lies the anaretic 29° of Sagittarius. What the two share is seriousness about doing things properly.
Their taste is classic and built to last. A dark wool coat, a good watch, shoes resoled rather than replaced. The Sagittarian version adds one bold souvenir piece; the Capricorn version prefers quiet quality throughout. Either way they distrust trends and spend more on fewer things. Their style reads as composed, even at twenty. Friends borrow their blazers and rarely return them.
Home is a project they take seriously. Furniture is chosen slowly, repairs done before they become emergencies, and family traditions kept with care. They often become the relative who hosts the big meal and remembers who sits where. The spare key is always in a sensible place, and the boiler is serviced on schedule. Letting others contribute, even imperfectly, makes the household feel shared rather than managed.
Sagittarius or Capricorn?
The Sun moves from Sagittarius into Capricorn around December 22, and the exact moment shifts from year to year. Between 1930 and 2040 it happened during the UTC day of December 22 in 61 years out of 111, at a median of 06:36 UTC (06:08 UTC in births from 1980 to 2010). In 50 years it was already Capricorn all day. So a December 22 birthday is Sagittarius or Capricorn depending on the year and the time, never a blend of the two.
The Sun on December 22, year by year (UTC)
- 1970Capricorn from 06:36
- 1971Capricorn from 12:23
- 1972Capricorn all day
- 1973Capricorn from 00:08
- 1974Capricorn from 05:56
- 1975Capricorn from 11:45
- 1976Capricorn all day
- 1977Capricorn all day
- 1978Capricorn from 05:20
- 1979Capricorn from 11:10
- 1980Capricorn all day
- 1981Capricorn all day
- 1982Capricorn from 04:38
- 1983Capricorn from 10:30
- 1984Capricorn all day
- 1985Capricorn all day
- 1986Capricorn from 04:01
- 1987Capricorn from 09:46
- 1988Capricorn all day
- 1989Capricorn all day
- 1990Capricorn from 03:07
- 1991Capricorn from 08:54
- 1992Capricorn all day
- 1993Capricorn all day
- 1994Capricorn from 02:22
- 1995Capricorn from 08:17
- 1996Capricorn all day
- 1997Capricorn all day
- 1998Capricorn from 01:57
- 1999Capricorn from 07:44
- 2000Capricorn all day
- 2001Capricorn all day
- 2002Capricorn from 01:15
- 2003Capricorn from 07:04
- 2004Capricorn all day
- 2005Capricorn all day
- 2006Capricorn from 00:22
- 2007Capricorn from 06:08
- 2008Capricorn all day
- 2009Capricorn all day
- 2010Capricorn all day
- 2011Capricorn from 05:30
- 2012Capricorn all day
- 2013Capricorn all day
- 2014Capricorn all day
- 2015Capricorn from 04:48
- 2016Capricorn all day
- 2017Capricorn all day
- 2018Capricorn all day
- 2019Capricorn from 04:19
- 2020Capricorn all day
- 2021Capricorn all day
- 2022Capricorn all day
- 2023Capricorn from 03:28
- 2024Capricorn all day
- 2025Capricorn all day
- 2026Capricorn all day
- 2027Capricorn from 02:42
- 2028Capricorn all day
- 2029Capricorn all day
- 2030Capricorn all day
Calculated by Lunonis from the same ephemeris code as our charts (astronomy-engine, checked against Swiss Ephemeris): geocentric, tropical zodiac, true equinox of date. Times are UTC: add or subtract your time zone’s offset, which can move the change to the day before or after.
Your Moon sign depends on the year
The Sun is in the same place on December 22 every year; the Moon is not. It changes sign every two and a half days, so people who share this birthday can have any of the twelve Moon signs. Here is where it was on December 22 in recent years, from 00:00 to 23:59 UTC (an arrow means it changed sign during the day).
- 2017Aquarius
- 2018Gemini → Cancer
- 2019Scorpio
- 2020Aries
- 2021Leo
- 2022Sagittarius
- 2023Aries → Taurus
- 2024Virgo → Libra
- 2025Capricorn → Aquarius
- 2026Gemini
Compatible signs for a Capricorn
Sun-sign compatibility starts from the element. Capricorn gets on most easily with its own element and with the two sextile signs, and feels the strongest pull from its opposite. The full charts decide how a real pairing feels.
A gift for a December 22 birthday
A well-made wooden box for keepsakes or a heavy linen tablecloth, a quality object for the home that gets better with every year of use.
Asked about December 22
What zodiac sign is December 22?
December 22 can be Sagittarius or Capricorn. The Sun changed from Sagittarius to Capricorn during this date in 61 of the 111 years from 1930 to 2040, so the answer depends on the birth year, time and place. The year-by-year list above shows when; a birth chart gives the exact answer.
Is December 22 a cusp birthday?
Yes. December 22 is one of the days the Sun leaves Sagittarius for Capricorn. People call it the Sagittarius–Capricorn cusp, but there is no blended sign: someone born before the change is Sagittarius, after it Capricorn.
What decan is December 22?
December 22 falls in the 1st decan of Capricorn. In the triplicity system we use, that decan belongs to Capricorn and its ruler Saturn, which colours the Capricorn Sun with a little of Capricorn.
Your birthday is only the Sun
A December 22 birthday tells you where the Sun was. The Moon, the Rising sign and eight more planets each sit somewhere of their own, and they depend on the year, the hour and the place. The free calculator shows all of them.