The dates printed beside each sign are a convention. The Sun crosses from Cancer into Leo at one exact moment, and that moment moves: about six hours later each year, then back a day in leap years. So on July 23 the answer depends on the year, and in some years on the hour.
Sign by birth date
What zodiac sign is July 23?
July 23 sits on the line between Cancer and Leo: the year and the hour of birth decide which. The usual table counts this day in Leo.
Sun signCancer / Leo
The sign runsJuly 23 – August 22
ElementFire
ModalityFixed
Ruling planetthe Sun
Decanfirst, under the Sun
Day in the sign1 of 31
Persian calendar1 Mordad, in most years
Between Cancer and Leo: the year decides
The Sun enters Leo during the day in (time in UTC):
1940 (00:33), 1941 (06:24), 1942 (12:14), 1943 (18:04), 1945 (05:42), 1946 (11:30), 1947 (17:17), 1949 (04:49), 1950 (10:35), 1951 (16:20), 1953 (03:52), 1954 (09:39), 1955 (15:27), 1957 (03:05), 1958 (08:55), 1959 (14:45), 1961 (02:25), 1962 (08:15), 1963 (14:04), 1965 (01:40), 1966 (07:27), 1967 (13:13), 1969 (00:44), 1970 (06:30), 1971 (12:16), 1974 (05:38), 1975 (11:26), 1978 (04:56), 1979 (10:47), 1982 (04:15), 1983 (10:03), 1986 (03:23), 1987 (09:08), 1990 (02:26), 1991 (08:12), 1994 (01:38), 1995 (07:27), 1998 (00:58), 1999 (06:48), 2002 (00:13), 2003 (06:00), 2007 (05:03), 2011 (04:11), 2015 (03:29), 2019 (02:48), 2023 (01:56), 2027 (00:59)
The whole day is Leo in:
1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2028, 2029, 2030
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: 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 first decan, and what it changes
The first decan is the Sun twice over. This is Leo in full light: confident, open-handed and born for the centre of the room. Pride is at its highest here, and so is the warmth that makes it forgivable.
The sign: Cancer
Cancer begins at the summer solstice, cardinal water ruled by the Moon. Its natives feel first and reason after, remember everything, and protect what they love with a shell that hides a soft interior. Home, family and the past matter to them more than to any other sign, and their moods follow the Moon's own rhythm.
The third decan, and what it changes
The third decan is Jupiter's, through Pisces. Sensitivity turns to compassion and imagination: these natives are intuitive, generous, drawn to the unseen, and often gifted in the arts or in caring for others.
In short
What zodiac sign is July 23?
Cancer or Leo, 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 July 23?
The first decan of Leo, governed by the Sun.
What are the element and ruling planet of Leo?
Leo is a Fixed Fire sign ruled by the Sun.