Sagittarius (Dhanu)

Sagittarius, the Archer, is a mutable fire sign ruled by Jupiter. The Sun is in tropical (Western) Sagittarius from November 22 – December 21, and in sidereal (Vedic) Sagittarius — called Dhanu — from about December 16 – January 14. The sign is associated with meaning, faith and the far horizon.

Why two sets of dates: the tropical zodiac is tied to the seasons and the sidereal zodiac to the constellations. The equinoxes have drifted about 24° against the stars since the zodiacs coincided (the Lahiri ayanamsa is 24°13′ in 2026), so the Sun enters sidereal Sagittarius roughly three and a half weeks after it enters tropical Sagittarius. The 2026 ingresses above are computed from the Sun's position, to the minute.

In Vedic astrology Dhanu holds Mula (all four padas), Purva Ashadha (all four padas) and Uttara Ashadha (pada 1). A Moon here is read through both the sign and its nakshatra.

Your Sun sign is only one placement: your Moon sign and your rising sign (ascendant) are read at least as closely, and Vedic astrology gives the Moon sign the most weight of all.

Questions

In Plutto
Plutto reads your Sun, Moon and rising sign in both zodiacs — and says which one each tradition means. Background: Western astrology.