Is September 22 Virgo or Libra? The two border days
| Birthday | Virgo all day | Sign changed that day | Libra all day |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 22 | 59 (PT 45) | 37 (PT 51) | 0 (PT 0) |
| September 23 | 0 (PT 0) | 59 (PT 45) | 37 (PT 51) |
Number of years out of 96, 1930 to 2025, US Eastern time; Pacific time in brackets. Every other day of September was the same sign in all 96 years in both time zones.
Your birth year. In US Eastern time the Sun entered Libra on September 22 in these 37 years: 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025. In every other year from 1930 to 2025 it entered on September 23. So if your year is on the list, September 22 was Virgo until the change and Libra after it, and September 23 was Libra all day. If it is not, September 22 was Virgo all day and September 23 turned Libra during the day. In Pacific time the change came three hours earlier on the clock. The calendar above gives the exact minute for your year.
Libra arrives on the 23rd more often than not: New York clocks log the Sun crossing that day for 59 of 96 years. That left the 22nd entirely Virgo 59 times and gave the 23rd a Virgo morning 59 times. Only 37 years had a 23rd that was Libra at midnight, and the 22nd was never Libra throughout.
Every year from 1930 to 2030 with the minute of the change: September 22 zodiac sign by year · September 23 zodiac sign by year.
September Virgo: born September 1 to 22
A September Virgo is a harvest-season Virgo, born just before the equinox. Tradition calls Virgo mutable earth under Mercury, a sign that adapts, sorts and repairs. Mercury holds both rulership and exaltation in Virgo, and Venus is in fall there.
Few September Virgos are first decan. The date of Virgo's 10° mark was September 2 in 77 years, September 3 in 13 and September 1 in 6, which leaves only the opening day or two to decan one (the Sun by the faces, Mercury by modern lists). September 3 to 12 belong to Venus by the faces and to Saturn by modern lists. September 13 to 22 go to Mercury by the faces and Venus by modern lists. Venus in her fall sign is read as a Virgo shy of showing affection openly.
September Libra: born September 23 to 30
A September Libra is among the first Libras of the year, born within days of the equinox itself. Libra's element is air, its mode cardinal and its ruler Venus, and the usual picture is a person who weighs things up, dislikes friction and looks for a fair arrangement before acting. Cardinal marks the sign that opens a new quarter of the year, and Libra opens autumn.
All September Libras share one decan, the first: the Moon by the faces, Venus (the sign's own ruler) by modern lists. By modern lists that makes the late-September Libra the plainest, most Venus-led version of the sign, and the one nearest the day the Sun first reaches 0° Libra.
September birthdays by decan
A decan is a 10° third of a sign, about ten days of the calendar. This is where each September birthday falls, with the Sun's position at noon:
| Born | Decan | Ruler (classical faces) | Ruler (modern) |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 1–2 | ♍︎ First decan of Virgo | the Sun | Mercury |
| September 3–12 | ♍︎ Second decan of Virgo | Venus | Saturn |
| September 13–22 | ♍︎ Third decan of Virgo | Mercury | Venus |
| September 23–30 | ♎︎ First decan of Libra | the Moon | Venus |
Most common decan at noon US Eastern time, 1930 to 2025. Days where the answer changed with the year: September 2, September 12, September 13, September 22, September 23. Classical rulers from the table of faces (Chaldean order, as in Lilly's Christian Astrology); modern rulers as listed in Wikipedia's "Decan (astrology)".
Why the Virgo–Libra change moves from year to year
The early crossing is recent. On the 22nd, the thirties logged 0 crossings, the forties 1, the eighties 6 and the 2010s 7. Meanwhile the 23rd fell from 10 crossings to 1 over the latest six years. The equinox has drifted toward the 22nd since the 1930s.
Pacific clocks list 51 crossings on the 22nd, Eastern ones 37. In 2026 both agree on the 22nd; the Sun crosses when New York reads 8:05 p.m. and California 5:05 p.m. In 2027 a single instant carries two dates: the 23rd for New York (2:01 a.m.), still the 22nd for California (11:01 p.m.).
When the Sun entered Libra, 2021 to 2030
| Year | Eastern time | Pacific time |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Sep 22, 3:20 p.m. | Sep 22, 12:20 p.m. |
| 2022 | Sep 22, 9:04 p.m. | Sep 22, 6:04 p.m. |
| 2023 | Sep 23, 2:49 a.m. | Sep 22, 11:49 p.m. |
| 2024 | Sep 22, 8:43 a.m. | Sep 22, 5:43 a.m. |
| 2025 | Sep 22, 2:19 p.m. | Sep 22, 11:19 a.m. |
| 2026 | Sep 22, 8:05 p.m. | Sep 22, 5:05 p.m. |
| 2027 | Sep 23, 2:01 a.m. | Sep 22, 11:01 p.m. |
| 2028 | Sep 22, 7:45 a.m. | Sep 22, 4:45 a.m. |
| 2029 | Sep 22, 1:37 p.m. | Sep 22, 10:37 a.m. |
| 2030 | Sep 22, 7:27 p.m. | Sep 22, 4:27 p.m. |
Moment the Sun reached 0° Libra, from the astronomy-engine ephemeris (tropical zodiac), rounded to the minute, with that year's daylight saving time.
Virgo and Libra side by side: symbol, element, ruler
| ♍︎ Virgo | ♎︎ Libra | |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | ♍︎ Maiden | ♎︎ Scales |
| Element | Earth | Air |
| Quality | Mutable | Cardinal |
| Ruler | Mercury | Venus |
| Opposite sign | Pisces | Aries |
| Place in the zodiac | 6 of 12 | 7 of 12 |
Virgo and Libra differ on every line of the table. Earth gives way to air, mutable to cardinal, Mercury to Venus. Virgo reads the world by what works and sets about fixing it; Libra reads it by what balances and sets about negotiating it. The symbols follow: the Maiden, and the Scales holding two sides level. The month turns on the equinox, one of the two days a year when daylight and darkness are close to equal.
Each sign in full: Virgo zodiac sign · Libra zodiac sign.
Famous people born in September
Virgo has more names on this list than Libra, as it has more of the month. The list leaves out anyone born on the 22nd or 23rd, because the Sun changed signs during that birthday in some US time zone.
♍︎ September Virgo
- Keanu Reeves, Canadian actor and musicianSep 2, 1964
- Salma Hayek, Mexican and American actressSep 2, 1966
- Amy Winehouse, English singer-songwriterSep 14, 1983
- Anne Bancroft, American actressSep 17, 1931
- George R. R. Martin, American writer and television producerSep 20, 1948
- Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer, songwriter and poetSep 21, 1934
- Stephen King, American novelist and writerSep 21, 1947
♎︎ September Libra
- Will Smith, American actor, film producer and rapperSep 25, 1968
- Avril Lavigne, Canadian singer-songwriterSep 27, 1984
Full birth charts with a recorded birth time, born in September: Zendaya (September 1, Virgo) · Jungkook (September 1, Virgo) · Beyoncé (September 4, Virgo) · Sydney Sweeney (September 12, Virgo) · Amy Winehouse (September 14, Virgo) · Amy Poehler (September 16, Virgo) · Bruce Springsteen (September 23, Libra) · Will Smith (September 25, Libra) · Serena Williams (September 26, Libra) · Jenna Ortega (September 27, Libra) · Gwyneth Paltrow (September 27, Libra).
Birth dates from Wikidata, only people whose Sun was in the same sign for the whole birthday in every time zone. The chart pages use birth times on record.
September birthdays in US birth data
| Born in September | Share of September births |
|---|---|
| September 1–21 (Virgo) | 70.1% |
| September 22 and 23 (either) | 6.7% |
| September 24–30 (Libra) | 23.3% |
September had the most US births per day of any month in 2000 to 2014, at 11,999. Virgo days held 70.1 percent of September births, Libra days 23.3, and the 22nd and 23rd 6.7.
US births 2000 to 2014 from the Social Security Administration, as published by FiveThirtyEight: 5,399,592 September births. Average per day: 11,999.
Virgo and Libra in love
Virgo and Libra are wheel-neighbors, 30° apart, and the tradition expects the pair to misjudge each other at first. Virgo shows care through correction and practical help; Libra shows it through charm and agreement. The match tends to work once Libra stops hearing criticism in Virgo's improvements and Virgo stops hearing evasion in Libra's pauses.
Virgo's sign-mates in earth are Taurus and Capricorn, and water is its complement. Libra's in air are Gemini and Aquarius, and fire is its complement. Planets other than the Sun also shape a chart, so a pairing here is a hint and not a ruling.
Virgo and Libra compatibility · Virgo and Virgo · Libra and Libra · Virgo's soulmate · Libra's soulmate · compatibility by two birth dates
Questions about September zodiac signs
Is September Virgo or Libra?
Both: Virgo up to September 21, Libra from September 24, in all years. The 22nd and 23rd turn on the exact hour of the equinox.
Is September 22 Virgo or Libra?
Mostly Virgo. Eastern clocks show it Virgo through midnight in 59 years of 96; in the remaining 37 years the equinox came before midnight, so a birth after the crossing hour can be Libra.
Is September 23 Virgo or Libra?
The usual change day: 59 of 96 years by Eastern clocks, so births before the crossing time are Virgo and later ones Libra. In the other 37 it was Libra from midnight.
Is September 24 Libra?
Yes. Libra held that date across all 96 years, Eastern or Pacific, and so did every date through September 30.
Which decans do September Virgos fall in?
Mostly decan two or three, except September 1 and 2, which are decan one: the Sun by the faces, Mercury by modern lists. Venus rules decan two in the faces and Mercury decan three; modern lists give them to Saturn and Venus. Virgo itself pairs earth with the mutable mode and Mercury as ruler.
Which decan do September Libras belong to?
Decan one, which the faces give to the Moon and modern lists to Venus. Libra is cardinal air ruled by Venus.
Do September birthdays share one element?
No. Virgo, the Maiden ♍, is earth, and Libra, the Scales ♎, is air.
Is the hour of birth needed in September?
On the 22nd and 23rd only. Any date outside those two is settled by the day itself.
Sources
- Astronomy Engine: the open-source ephemeris library behind our planet positions, dates and statistics
- William Lilly, Christian Astrology (London, 1647): scan of the original edition
- Wikipedia: Decan (astrology): modern decan rulers
- Wikidata: birth dates of the famous people listed
- How we create our readings: our own calculation of sign dates, positions and the 1930 to 2025 statistics
Zodiac signs of the other months
- January: Capricorn to 18, Aquarius from 22
- February: Aquarius to 17, Pisces from 20
- March: Pisces to 18, Aries from 22
- April: Aries to 18, Taurus from 21
- May: Taurus to 19, Gemini from 22
- June: Gemini to 19, Cancer from 23
- July: Cancer to 21, Leo from 24
- August: Leo to 21, Virgo from 24
- September: Virgo to 21, Libra from 24
- October: Libra to 21, Scorpio from 25
- November: Scorpio to 20, Sagittarius from 24
- December: Sagittarius to 20, Capricorn from 23
Days that are always one sign, US Eastern and Pacific time, 1930 to 2025. The days between depend on the year. All twelve months in one table: zodiac signs by month. All twelve signs with the exact change by year: zodiac sign dates.
Written by The Zodiac Atlas editorial team with the help of AI and edited by a person. Every date, count and share on this page comes from our own run of the astronomy-engine ephemeris (tropical zodiac) over 1930 to 2025, with historical US time zone rules. Traits follow the Western tradition. Astrology is a symbolic tradition, not a science.