The dates printed beside each sign are a convention. The Sun crosses from Leo into Virgo at one exact moment, and that moment moves: about six hours later each year, then back a day in leap years. So on August 23 the answer depends on the year, and in some years on the hour.
Sign by birth date
What zodiac sign is August 23?
August 23 sits on the line between Leo and Virgo: the year and the hour of birth decide which. The usual table counts this day in Virgo.
Sun signLeo / Virgo
The sign runsAugust 23 – September 22
ElementEarth
ModalityMutable
Ruling planetMercury
Decanfirst, under Mercury
Day in the sign1 of 31
Persian calendar1 Shahrivar, in most years
Between Leo and Virgo: the year decides
The whole day is Leo in:
1943, 1947
The Sun enters Virgo during the day in (time in UTC):
1940 (07:25), 1941 (13:15), 1942 (19:06), 1944 (06:45), 1945 (12:34), 1946 (18:22), 1948 (05:56), 1949 (11:42), 1950 (17:28), 1951 (23:13), 1952 (04:59), 1953 (10:46), 1954 (16:33), 1955 (22:21), 1956 (04:10), 1957 (10:00), 1958 (15:50), 1959 (21:40), 1960 (03:31), 1961 (09:21), 1962 (15:11), 1963 (21:00), 1964 (02:49), 1965 (08:36), 1966 (14:23), 1967 (20:10), 1968 (01:56), 1969 (07:41), 1970 (13:27), 1971 (19:13), 1972 (01:00), 1973 (06:48), 1974 (12:36), 1975 (18:25), 1976 (00:15), 1977 (06:05), 1978 (11:56), 1979 (17:46), 1981 (05:26), 1982 (11:15), 1983 (17:03), 1985 (04:37), 1986 (10:23), 1987 (16:09), 1989 (03:41), 1990 (09:27), 1991 (15:14), 1993 (02:51), 1994 (08:40), 1995 (14:30), 1997 (02:11), 1998 (08:02), 1999 (13:52), 2001 (01:30), 2002 (07:18), 2003 (13:05), 2005 (00:37), 2006 (06:23), 2007 (12:09), 2010 (05:29), 2011 (11:17), 2014 (04:46), 2015 (10:36), 2018 (04:07), 2019 (09:56), 2022 (03:18), 2023 (09:05), 2026 (02:22), 2027 (08:08), 2030 (01:31)
The whole day is Virgo in:
1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, 2028, 2029
Times are in UTC and exact to about a quarter of an hour; set them against the place and hour of birth. A birth that close to the line is settled by the birth chart, which is computed to the minute. Calculate the birth chart, free
The sign: Virgo
Virgo is mutable earth under Mercury: the mind turned to what is useful. Its natives notice the detail others miss, put things in order, and show love by service rather than by speech. They measure before they trust. Their skill is craft, in the old sense, and their test is to forgive what is imperfect, themselves first.
The first decan, and what it changes
The first decan is Mercury twice over: Virgo at its most exact. The eye for detail is sharpest here, the mind analytical, the standards high. These natives are the ones who find the error and know how to mend it.
The sign: Leo
Leo is fixed fire, and the Sun itself rules it. Its natives are generous, proud and warm, with a need to be seen that is really a need to give. They lead by heart rather than by plan, stay loyal to those who are loyal to them, and are wounded by indifference more than by any enemy.
The third decan, and what it changes
The third decan is Mars's, through Aries. The fire is at its most active: these natives are bold, competitive and impatient to act, and they take up a challenge others would decline.
In short
What zodiac sign is August 23?
Leo or Virgo, depending on the year and hour of birth: the Sun changes sign on or next to this day. The table above gives the answer year by year.
Which decan is August 23?
The first decan of Virgo, governed by Mercury.
What are the element and ruling planet of Virgo?
Virgo is a Mutable Earth sign ruled by Mercury.