Past the ten degree line
Virgo's second face begins at ten degrees and ends at twenty. Across 1930 to 2035 the noon solar position on 3 September has fallen between about 10.1 and 11.4 degrees, which places it inside that band in every year, though only just in the earliest part of the range.
The date before this one genuinely straddles the line. This one does not, but the margin at the low end is a fraction of a degree, so anyone with an early morning birth in a western time zone is worth calculating rather than assuming. The widget above will give the figure to minutes of arc.
Venus by one count, Saturn by the other
The Chaldean order assigns planetary rulers to the thirty six faces in a fixed loop of Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn and Jupiter, beginning at the start of Aries and running straight through without resetting at sign boundaries. Counted that way, the middle face of Virgo comes out on Venus.
The triplicity method ignores that loop entirely. It takes the signs of each element in order, so the earth run is Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn, and Virgo's three faces go to Virgo, Capricorn and Taurus in turn. The middle one therefore falls to Capricorn, ruled by Saturn. Venus and Saturn are about as far apart as the tradition's planets get, which makes this a face where knowing the author's scheme changes the reading substantially.
What the two readings say
Under the Venus reading, the middle face of Virgo is described as the sign's precision turned towards form, proportion and the making of things pleasing as well as correct. Under the Saturn reading, the same band is read as Virgo's care hardened into structure, patience and a preference for what will last.
They are not compatible descriptions and there is no arbitration between them, because they descend from different traditions rather than from different readings of one tradition. What can be said without interpretation is the position. Around eleven degrees of Virgo is a measurement, and everything above it is what one system or another chose to attach.
The practical upshot is that the degree is the durable fact and the rulership is the commentary. Report the degree and anyone can apply whichever scheme they work with, whereas reporting only a face ruler discards the measurement.
The sign is the easy part
Virgo is settled on this date beyond any argument, since the Sun is nearly two weeks into the sign. What is not settled by the date is the rest of the chart. The Moon moves about thirteen degrees a day and so occupies one of two signs on any 3 September, with the hour deciding.
The Ascendant is unconstrained, running through the full circle each day and changing sign roughly every two hours, and the houses are built from it. A chart drawn from the date alone has one accurate placement and a great deal of empty structure. Adding the birth time and the birthplace fills the rest in.
Between the sign, the face and the degree, only the last of the three is a number, and it is the one that travels well between systems.
Questions people ask about this
Which decan is 3 September?
The second face of Virgo, from ten to twenty degrees. Noon positions across the last century run from about 10.1 to 11.4 degrees, so the date sits inside that band in every year, if narrowly at the low end.
Who rules the second decan of Virgo?
Venus in the Chaldean order, Saturn in the triplicity order by way of Capricorn. The schemes come from different traditions and neither overrides the other, so descriptions vary a great deal.
Could I be in the first decan instead?
Only if your birth falls at the very bottom of the range, early in the day and far west. The noon figures stay above ten degrees, but a calculated position is worth having if you were born in the small hours.
Is the sign ever in question on this date?
No. The Sun is around eleven degrees into a thirty degree sign, with the nearest boundary well over a week away in either direction.
Why do decan descriptions contradict each other?
Because most authors do not say which rulership scheme they are using. A Venus reading and a Saturn reading of the same ten degrees will differ sharply, and the disagreement is about method rather than about the sky.
What does the widget add?
It converts your local birth time and coordinates into a universal instant, computes the solar longitude to minutes of arc, and reports how far that sits from the nearest sign boundary.