Planetary Positions Today

At any given moment, the ten planets used in Western astrology — Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto — occupy specific degrees of the tropical zodiac. These positions change constantly as each planet orbits the Sun at its own pace. Knowing where the planets are right now is the foundation of transit astrology: the practice of interpreting current planetary movements and their relationship to natal charts and world events.

The inner planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) move quickly and shift signs frequently — the Moon every 2.5 days, Mercury every 2–3 weeks. They set the texture of daily life: mood, communication, desire, short-term motivation. The outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) move slowly, spending months to years in a single sign. When they change signs, the whole mood of the era shifts — these are the transits that end up in history books.

This page shows the sky as it is right now — geocentric tropical positions computed by the Swiss Ephemeris. The wheel shows where each planet sits in the twelve signs; the aspect table below it shows which planets are talking to each other and how tight those conversations are.

For each planet you get the sign it currently occupies, the degree within that sign (0° to 29°), and its speed in degrees per day. Negative speed = retrograde.

The degree matters more than most beginners realise. A planet at 2° Aries is at the very beginning of a new sign cycle — raw, initiating energy. The same planet at 28° Aries is wrapping up that cycle — experienced, wanting closure. Early degrees plant seeds; late degrees harvest or discard. This is why astrologers track degrees, not just signs.

When two planets land at a specific geometric angle from each other — an aspect — something happens. The six major aspects in Western astrology work like this:

The orb is how far from exact an aspect is allowed to be and still count. A "tight" aspect (orb under 1°) is felt intensely; a "wide" aspect (orb 6-8°) is a background hum. On this page, aspects are sorted tightest-first so you can immediately see the strongest planetary interactions happening right now.

When a planet's speed turns negative, it appears to move backward through the zodiac — this is retrograde motion. It's an optical illusion caused by differences in orbital speed between Earth and the other planet, much like passing a slower car on the highway — it appears to move backward relative to you.

In practice, retrogrades signal slowdowns — revision, delays, and second passes through whatever terrain that planet rules. Mercury retrograde (communication, tech, travel) gets all the press, but every planet retrogrades except the luminaries (Sun and Moon). The outer planets are retrograde nearly 40% of the time, so their retreats are subtler — more background hum than headline event.

This page marks retrograde planets with an Rx badge and shows their negative daily speed. For full retrograde dates, check our Retrograde Calendar.

If you know your birth chart, compare today's planetary positions against your natal placements. When a transiting planet conjuncts, squares, or opposes a natal planet, you're likely to feel that transit personally. The slower the transiting planet, the longer and more significant the transit. Saturn crossing your natal Moon is a months-long emotional restructuring; the Moon crossing your natal Saturn is a few hours of mild heaviness.

Even without a birth chart, current positions matter for electional astrology — picking the right moment for the right action. Signing a contract? You want Mercury direct and well-aspected. Planning a bold launch? A Mars-Jupiter trine in the sky helps everyone, not just you. The state of the sky sets the baseline mood — individual charts modulate it, but nobody escapes the weather.

For deeper chart analysis, generate your free birth chart to see how today's transits interact with your unique natal placements.