3rd decan of Capricorn: dates and rulers

Capricorn’s last third is said to put seriousness on display, with a title, or behind the scenes, with flawless procedures.

responsibility
method
desire for recognition

3rd decan of Capricorn: Sun (faces), Virgo (triplicity)

The essentials

The 3rd decan of Capricorn at a glance

For you

A seriousness that wants to bear fruit: taking the front row with the Sun, keeping the machine running with Mercury.

A strength

Taking charge of a project and leading it with method all the way to completion.

Something to watch

Expecting too much from official honors, or locking oneself into control of the details.

In 2026: January 10 to January 20
The sign: ♑︎ Capricorn
Decan planet: ☉︎ Sun
Associated sign: ♍︎ Virgo (Mercury)

The 3rd decan of Capricorn: the meaning

After Mars, the series of faces places the Sun, which receives the last slice of Capricorn.

The triplicities tie this decan to Virgo, the earth of late summer, and to Mercury. The star of visibility and the planet of method share a single demand here: that the work done be useful, and that this be known at least to those who benefit from it.

On the Sun’s side, one would describe a person who aims for a post of responsibility, a title, a public role, and who holds it with dignity: she chairs the association, represents the company, speaks on behalf of the group. On Mercury’s side, she would rather be the linchpin, the one who keeps the schedules, checks the accounts, writes the procedures everyone follows without knowing who wrote them, and who is thanked too rarely.

The Sun might make a person too sensitive to honors and titles; Mercury, push toward checking everything oneself, for lack of trust. This last third of Capricorn would find its balance by delegating more, and by measuring its worth by the quality of its work rather than by its place on the org chart. A trained, independent colleague is often the best proof of competence, and the most lasting of successes.

Sign: CapricornEarth, cardinal; ruler: Saturn
Degrees: 20° to 30°Longitude 290° to 300°
Faces (Chaldean): SunPlanet 4 of the Chaldean order
Triplicity: Virgo (Mercury)3rd earth sign

The 3rd decan of Capricorn: tradition

What tradition says

The Sun finds no dignity in Capricorn, the sign where, at the solstice, it reaches its lowest height in the sky of the Northern Hemisphere; neither does Mercury.

How is it calculated?

The faces give Sun; the triplicities give Virgo and its ruler, Mercury.

Both readings are reported here.

SunFaces, Chaldean order
Position
Decan no. 30 of 36, counting from Aries
Sequence
Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon
The page of the Sun
VirgoTriplicities, ruler Mercury
Element
Earth: Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo
Ruler
Mercury
The Virgo sign

The Sun in the 3rd decan of Capricorn: calculated dates, Paris time
Year	Entry	Exit
2027	January 1012:52 PM	January 208:30 AM
2028	January 106:40 PM	January 202:21 PM
2029	January 1012:27 AM	January 198:01 PM

Frequently asked questions about the 3rd decan of Capricorn

The Sun or Mercury: which ruler for the 3rd decan of Capricorn?

The Sun according to the Chaldean order, which has it follow Mars; Mercury according to the triplicities, through Virgo. One would put the emphasis on recognition and visible responsibility, the other on organization and precision. Both portraits describe a Capricorn who wants results, each in its own way.

Does the 3rd decan of Capricorn seek recognition?

The reading of the faces suggests so: the Sun would add to the sign’s ambition the desire to be seen and recognized in one’s role. The reading of the triplicities would stress discreet efficiency instead. The Midheaven, in the chart, pins down this relationship to honors far better than the decan does.

Is a birth in late January a Capricorn or an Aquarius?

Capricorn ends with this third decan, in the second half of January, when the Sun passes into Aquarius. Before that moment, Capricorn; after, Aquarius. For a birth on that day, you need the time. The exact moment, different each year, is calculated by the site and carried over to the sign calculator.

Neighboring decans