Quick answer: In astrology, the solstices and equinoxes are the moments the Sun enters the four cardinal signs. At the March equinox the Sun enters Aries, at the June solstice Cancer, at the September equinox Libra and at the December solstice Capricorn. Each one starts a season, and the zodiac itself begins at the March equinox, 0° Aries.
Four times a year something special happens in the sky. Twice, day and night become nearly equal. Twice, daylight reaches its longest or shortest point of the year. These are the turning points of the seasons, and people have watched them for thousands of years.
For astrology these four moments matter even more, because they form the skeleton of the zodiac. Below you will find what equinoxes and solstices are, why astrology treats them as important, the exact dates for 2026 and 2027, and how to follow these moments in your own chart.
What are the solstices and equinoxes?
The Earth's axis is tilted by about 23.4 degrees. Because of that tilt, the Sun passes higher in the sky at some times of the year and lower at others. That is what creates the seasons.
Equinox comes from the Latin for "equal night". On these days the Sun sits right on the celestial equator, and day and night are roughly 12 hours each everywhere on Earth. There are two equinoxes a year, in March and September.
A solstice is the moment the Sun stops climbing north or south and turns back. The word comes from Latin for "the Sun standing still". In the northern hemisphere, the June solstice brings the longest day of the year and the December solstice the shortest.
These events are not whole days but precise moments. The Sun reaches that exact point at a specific minute, which is why the dates below include the time.
Equinox and solstice dates for 2026 and 2027
The dates below come from AstroAk's own ephemeris calculations and are given in UTC.
| Event | Sign ingress | 2026 (UTC) | 2027 (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | Sun enters Aries | 20 March, 14:47 | 20 March, 20:25 |
| June solstice | Sun enters Cancer | 21 June, 08:25 | 21 June, 14:11 |
| September equinox | Sun enters Libra | 23 September, 00:06 | 23 September, 06:02 |
| December solstice | Sun enters Capricorn | 21 December, 20:51 | 22 December, 02:43 |
Your local date and time can differ depending on your time zone. For example, 21 December 2026 at 20:51 UTC is 23:51 on 21 December in Istanbul (UTC+3). When an event falls close to midnight, the date can shift by a day, so it is worth checking your local time.
To see these four ingresses alongside the year's other major events in one place, take a look at our astrology calendar 2027.
The four cardinal signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn
Astrology sorts the twelve signs into three groups: cardinal, fixed and mutable. These groups are called modalities. The cardinal signs are the ones the Sun enters at the start of each season: Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.
That is why cardinal signs are traditionally linked with starting energy: taking action, setting direction, making the first move. Fixed signs fall in the middle of a season and describe keeping things going. Mutable signs fall at the end of a season and describe transition and adapting. You can read more about this three-part pattern in our guide to cardinal, fixed and mutable modalities.
Every equinox and solstice is the moment the Sun reaches 0 degrees of a cardinal sign. In astrology, a planet moving into a new sign is called an ingress. The equinoxes and solstices are the four most watched ingresses of the year. We explain the idea in general in what is an ingress in astrology.
Why does the zodiac start at the March equinox?
The zodiac used in Western astrology is called the tropical zodiac. It is tied to the seasons, not to the stars. Its starting point, 0° Aries, is where the Sun stands at the March equinox. The other cardinal points follow from that: 0° Cancer is the June solstice, 0° Libra the September equinox and 0° Capricorn the December solstice.
This means the signs are really twelve equal slices of the seasonal year. Aries is the first month of spring, Cancer the first month of summer, Libra the first month of autumn and Capricorn the first month of winter (seen from the northern hemisphere).
The constellations in the sky have slowly drifted against these points over the centuries. This drift is called precession. That is why the sign Aries and the constellation Aries are no longer in the same place today. The sidereal zodiac, used in Indian astrology, takes that drift into account. The tropical zodiac stays tied to the seasons on purpose. They are two different systems, and neither is a mistake of the other.
Seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere
The seasons work the opposite way in the two hemispheres. The June solstice starts summer in the north and winter in the south. The December solstice starts winter in the north and summer in the south. The March equinox brings spring in the north and autumn in the south.
If you live in a country like Australia, South Africa or Argentina, Aries begins at the start of autumn. The astrological meaning of the signs does not change. Aries is still the starting fire sign and Capricorn is still the structure-building earth sign. But seasonal images such as "Aries is spring, Capricorn is winter" are reversed south of the equator. Knowing this helps you weigh the interpretations you read.
Equinox charts: a classic technique in mundane astrology
The branch of astrology that looks at world events and societies is called mundane astrology. One of its oldest techniques is to cast a chart for the moment the Sun enters Aries. This is called an Aries ingress chart, or an equinox chart.
The chart is cast for a specific city or country and is traditionally used to read the general tone of the coming period for that place. Some astrologers look at all four cardinal ingresses and read each one for the season ahead. Because the rising sign and houses depend on location, the same moment produces different charts in different cities.
This technique is collective, not personal. It does not replace a birth chart, but it is an interesting tool if you want to follow the broad themes of the year.
Coming up: the December 2026 solstice, Sun in Capricorn
The next major event after this post's publication is the December 2026 solstice. The Sun enters 0° Capricorn on 21 December 2026 at 20:51 UTC. In Istanbul time, that is 23:51 on 21 December.
Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign. It is traditionally linked with structure, responsibility, long-term goals and patience. In the northern hemisphere it coincides with the shortest day of the year, and from that point the days start to lengthen again. That is why the Capricorn ingress is read symbolically as the turn from the deepest dark back toward light. Many people use this time to look back on the year and make realistic plans for the next one.
How to follow it in your own chart
The four cardinal ingresses happen at the same moment for everyone, but they fall in different houses in each chart. To follow them in yours:
- Create your free birth chart and check which houses 0° Aries, 0° Cancer, 0° Libra and 0° Capricorn fall in.
- If you have a natal planet near one of these degrees, the Sun will pass over it at the start of that season.
- Follow the Sun's and other planets' upcoming sign changes on the ingresses page.
- Refresh the basic meaning of each sign on the zodiac signs page.
AstroAk charts use the Placidus house system. If a cardinal point sits very close to a house cusp, it may fall in the neighboring house in another system. Our article on house systems explains the difference.
Solstices and equinoxes are where astrology meets the calendar most directly. On the days you feel the season turn, the Sun steps into a new cardinal sign. Getting to know these four moments is a simple way to follow the rhythm of the year, both in the sky and in your own life.