Sun
luminary · cycle 365.25 days
Dignities
Hellenistic tradition
The Sun rules Leo by domicile, is exalted in Aries, in fall in Libra, and in detriment in Aquarius. The diurnal luminary; tied to authority and the soul in classical sources.
Modern Western reading
Modern Western astrology reads the Sun as identity, vitality, and the integrating self.
Questions
- How long does the Sun take to go through the zodiac?
- About 365.3 days for one full circuit as seen from Earth. That is the synodic figure this site computes ephemeris positions against, not a sidereal orbital period, and it is what determines how long the Sun stays in one sign: roughly one twelfth of the cycle, stretched or compressed by retrograde motion and by the eccentricity of the orbit.
- Which sign does the Sun rule?
- The Sun rules Leo. It is exalted in Aries. It is in fall in Libra. It is in detriment in Aquarius. Rulership is a fixed correspondence, so it holds in every chart; what changes chart to chart is whether the Sun actually occupies one of those signs.
- Is the Sun a personal planet?
- The Sun is classified here as a luminary. The Sun and Moon are treated separately from the planets in classical sources - they never go retrograde and they define the day and night sect of a chart.
- Does the Sun ever go retrograde?
- No. The Sun is a luminary, and from Earth its longitude only ever increases, so it has no retrograde period. Any source listing a the Sun retrograde is either using a different reference frame or is in error.
Reference, not advice
This is cultural and astronomical reference, not personal prediction or advice.
Cycle periods are mean orbital values. Traditional interpretations paraphrased from primary classical and modern sources. See sources.
Last reviewed .