02 Leo field guide
Leo dates—and where the boundary really is.
Leo dates are usually listed as July 23 – August 22. Astronomically, a Leo sun sign means the tropical Sun was between 120° and just under 150° of zodiac longitude at birth. On a boundary date, year, time, and location can change the result, so calculate the chart instead of relying on a generic date table.
Written byEmily ParkerAstrology & Tarot Writer
Editorial review byMyMysticDay Editorial TeamEditorial standards reviewer
When is Leo season?
Leo dates are usually listed as July 23 – August 22. Astronomically, a Leo sun sign means the tropical Sun was between 120° and just under 150° of zodiac longitude at birth. On a boundary date, year, time, and location can change the result, so calculate the chart instead of relying on a generic date table.
The Sun does not enter Leo at midnight on the same civil date everywhere. The boundary is an astronomical moment, while a date table is a simplified calendar guide.
One sign equals thirty degrees
Western tropical astrology divides the ecliptic into twelve equal 30-degree signs beginning at 0° Aries. Leo occupies 120° through just under 150° in that coordinate system.
That is different from a constellation boundary. MyMysticDay uses the tropical zodiac consistently across its calculators and interpretations.
- Fire element
- Fixed modality
- Ruled by Sun
Degrees inside Leo
The first third covers 0°–9°59′ Leo, the middle third 10°–19°59′, and the final third 20°–29°59′. Traditional decan systems add nuance, but the exact degree comes from a calculated chart—not from dividing a generic date range evenly.
A late-degree Leo Sun is still a Leo Sun. Being near Virgo does not blend two sun signs automatically; other placements may explain why both descriptions feel familiar.
What “on the cusp” should mean
If a birthday falls near the transition from Cancer to Leo, or from Leo to Virgo, enter the birth year, time, and location in a natal chart calculator. Those details convert the civil birth time to one instant and calculate the Sun’s actual longitude.
If the birth time is unknown, the Sun can usually still be identified; only on a narrow boundary window may the time decide the answer.
Leo elsewhere in the chart
The sign is a method. The planet decides what it is applied to.
Most people meet Leo as a Sun sign. In a full chart it can also style emotion, thinking, attraction, drive, growth, or discipline — and each of those reads differently.
Add the missing dimensions
Your Sun sign is one coordinate. Draw the map.
A birth chart adds Moon, rising sign, planets, houses, aspects, and exact degrees—calculated from one birth moment instead of guessed from a date range.
- Leo Sun July 23 – August 22
- Moon sign Changes every 2½ days
- Rising sign Changes every 2 hours
- Houses & aspects From your exact birth minute
