Zodiac sign

Capricorn

Direct answer

Capricorn is the tenth zodiac sign: cardinal earth, ruled by Saturn, associated with structure, responsibility, ambition, maturity, discipline, endurance, and public consequence.

Zodiac SignsThe Great Almanac DictionaryUpdated 2026-09-26

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At a glance

In astrology: Capricorn is cardinal earth, ruled by Saturn, opposite Cancer, and begins winter in the tropical zodiac.
Found in: Zodiac Signs
Related: Zodiac, Sun Sign, Moon Sign, Rising Sign

Deeper Almanac guide: Capricorn zodiac guide. This dictionary entry is a concise definition page; the linked guide remains the long-form topic page.

The zodiac constellation figures ranged along an engraved ecliptic — Zodiac field guide · visual guide **Capricorn**
Capricorn is cardinal earth, ruled by Saturn.
The sign glyph and elemental field orient the archetype without reducing it to a stereotype.

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What sets Capricorn apart

Capricorn is the sign of the winter solstice: the Sun stands at its southernmost point as it enters, and the line named the Tropic of Capricorn takes its name from that turning. It is cardinal earth, the earth sign that begins rather than holds or adapts. Mars is exalted here at 28 degrees in the later tradition, and Ptolemy gives the reason that the Sun's fire reaches its greatest intensity in the south. Jupiter falls here, and the Moon is in detriment, opposite her own Cancer.

Sun enters: about 21 or 22 December, the winter solstice
Exaltation: Mars, at 28 degrees in the later tradition
Fall and detriment: Jupiter falls here; the Moon is in detriment
Tropic: the Tropic of Capricorn, where the Sun stands overhead at the solstice
Gate of the gods: Porphyry and Macrobius, opposite the gate of men in Cancer

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Capricorn in the traditional textbooks

Capricorn is the sign where the Sun turns at the winter solstice, and Ptolemy calls it tropical. Saturn rules it, opposite the Moon's Cancer, and Ptolemy gives Saturn the sign because it is cold and wintry. Abu Ma'shar makes Mars exalted at 28 degrees and Jupiter fallen at 15. In Dorotheus it is one of the sterile signs, and in Abu Ma'shar's table it takes the knees.

Ruler: Saturn. Ptolemy gives it to Saturn because it is cold and wintry, opposite the houses of the luminaries. Its detriment is the Moon, the ruler of Cancer, the opposite sign.
Exaltation in this sign: Mars at 28 degrees. Fall in this sign: Jupiter at 15 degrees.
Triplicity (earth): Venus by day, Moon by night, Mars as partner (Dorotheus).
Nature (Abu Ma'shar): cold, dry, melancholic; taste acidic; feminine, nocturnal; winter, convertible.
Ptolemy's class: tropical. On the body, it tends to shrink the body.
Body (Abu Ma'shar): knees.
Wind (Firmicus): the south wind.
Lands (Abu Ma'shar): Ethiopia, the Indus banks, Makran, Sind, Oman, Bahrain.

The bounds and decans of Capricorn

The widest bound is Venus's, at 8 degrees, and the narrowest bounds are Saturn's and Mars's, at 4 degrees each. Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn, holds the bound at 23 to 26 degrees.

Here are the Egyptian bounds of Capricorn, counted from 0 degrees of the sign:

Mercury: 1 to 7 degrees (7 wide)
Jupiter: 8 to 14 degrees (7 wide)
Venus: 15 to 22 degrees (8 wide)
Saturn: 23 to 26 degrees (4 wide)
Mars: 27 to 30 degrees (4 wide)

Laid over the three decans of Firmicus Maternus and al-Qabisi, they fall like this:

The first decan, degrees 1 to 10, belongs to Jupiter. The bounds inside it: Mercury 1 to 7, Jupiter 8 to 10.
The second decan, degrees 11 to 20, belongs to Mars. The bounds inside it: Jupiter 11 to 14, Venus 15 to 20.
The third decan, degrees 21 to 30, belongs to the Sun. The bounds inside it: Venus 21 to 22, Saturn 23 to 26, Mars 27 to 30.

The stars of Capricorn, and what the sources say it symbolizes

Hill reads the cornucopia in Masonic arms as the Sun in Capricorn. He and the other sun-myth writers read 25 December, about three days after the winter solstice, as the birth of the sun, which is the standard Christmas argument. They argue the link to the Christian dating and do not establish it.

Ptolemy gave the stars of Capricorn these planetary natures, in the first book of the Tetrabiblos:

the horns, Venus and part Mars
the mouth, Saturn and part Venus
the feet and belly, Mars and Mercury
the tail, Saturn and Jupiter

The story behind Capricorn

Capricorn carries sea-goat symbolism and has long been linked with ascent, winter, and endurance.

The spiritual meaning of Capricorn

Engraved emblem of Capricorn — Capricorn

Spiritually, Capricorn asks what must be built slowly enough to last.

Why Capricorn matters

Capricorn matters because it shows where a chart must build with time, accept limits, earn authority, and make ideals durable.

How to read Capricorn

Astrologers reach for Capricorn when interpreting career, responsibility, boundaries, hierarchy, long-term planning, reputation, and the house where life asks for maturity.

Capricorn in practice: an example

Capricorn on the fifth house may take creativity seriously and prefer mastery over casual play.

Where readings of Capricorn go wrong

It is a mistake to reduce Capricorn to cold ambition. Capricorn often carries duty because something real depends on it.

Sources and editorial method

This entry summarizes the tradition in the Almanac's own words; where no source is listed, it is an editorial summary rather than a primary text, and symbolic readings are named as the tradition's, not as fact.

Source: The Great Almanac Dictionary
Category: Zodiac Signs
Aliases: Capricorn sign, Capricorn zodiac sign
Last updated: 2026-09-26

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ZodiacThe Zodiac is the twelve-sign wheel used as astrology's core sign language. Sun SignSun Sign is the birth sign of the Sun and the most familiar doorway into astrology. Moon SignMoon Sign is the birth sign of the Moon and a key indicator of emotional patterning. Rising SignRising Sign is the sign on the eastern horizon at birth and one of the most personal chart factors. ElementElement groups the zodiac signs into fire, earth, air, and water. ModalityModality describes whether a sign initiates, stabilizes, or adapts.

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