Libra (astrology)

The zodiacal sign Libra (ancient Greek ζυγὁς Zygós, Latin Libra) corresponds to the seventh segment of the zodiac from 180° to 210° ecliptic longitude from the vernal equinox.

The Sun is in this sign on average between September 24 and October 23. Due to the migration of the vernal equinox, the zodiac sign Libra no longer corresponds to the constellation Libra today. The Sun is in the constellation Libra approximately between October 31 and November 23.

According to the Tetrabiblos of Claudius Ptolemy

• Libra is male (I.12) and
• Venus is ruler of the sign (I.17), and
• Saturn is exalted in Libra (I.19).

As a Melothesian equivalent, in ancient iatroastrology the body parts navel, loins and buttocks were assigned to Libra, as well as the kidney among the organs. The assigned deity was Vulcanus.

With Aquarius and Gemini, Libra forms the trine of the element of air, and with Capricorn, Aries, and Cancer, it forms the square of the four tropical or cardinal signs.

The sign of the zodiac was already part of the Babylonian-Assyrian MUL.APIN series Way of the Moon, which includes 18 astronomical constellations, there named as "Libra" (RIN). The Greeks took over the sign of Libra with the Babylonian epithet "Scissors [of the Scorpion]" (χηλαι), only the Romans took over Libra from the Chaldeans.

Since ancient times, the sign has been depicted as a simple scale with two scales connected by a balance beam. The astrological symbol is possibly of Egyptian origin, as the scales were referred to there in astrological texts with the word for horizon.

The Unicode character for the symbol is U+264E (♎).