Which Planets Count: This Calendar and Lilly's Seven
Void times differ between calendars for three reasons: which bodies count, which aspects count, and whether the aspect has to be exact before the Moon leaves the sign. This calendar counts the Sun and the eight planets from Mercury to Pluto, the five Ptolemaic aspects, and only aspects that are exact inside the sign. Positions come from the site's ephemeris; the methodology page describes the setup.
William Lilly had the Sun and five planets out to Saturn. Taking Uranus, Neptune and Pluto away can only remove aspects, so under his list a void starts at the same time or earlier, never later. The table recomputes 2026 that way and changes nothing else.
| 2026 | Sun to Pluto (this calendar) | Sun to Saturn (Lilly) |
|---|---|---|
| Voids that begin in the year | 160 | 160 |
| Voids that start earlier | – | 28 of 160 |
| Average shift in start | – | 12h 28m earlier |
| Largest shift | – | 48h 14m earlier |
| Average void | 10h 45m | 12h 56m |
| Longest void | 44h 53m | 52h 47m |
| Total void time | 1,721h | 2,070h |
| Whole-sign voids | 0 | 1 |
The largest change in 2026. With the Moon in Aquarius, this calendar starts the void at 02:16 UTC on January 21, after a square to Uranus. Without the outer planets, the Moon's last aspect in Aquarius is a conjunction with Venus at 02:02 UTC on January 19, 48 hours 14 minutes earlier.
Which planet holds the void off. In the 28 voids that move, the Moon's last aspect under this calendar is to Uranus in 21 and Neptune in 7. In one transit, an outer planet is the only one the Moon aspects, so with Lilly's planets the Moon is void for the whole sign.
Why the figure changes by year. Jupiter, Saturn and the outer planets move so slowly that the Moon meets each of them at about the same degree in every sign it aspects them from. When an outer planet sits at a later degree than Jupiter and Saturn, its aspect tends to come last, and many voids move; when it sits earlier, few do.
Voids That Start Earlier Under Lilly's Planets, by Year
Other Definitions in Use
- More aspects. Some astrologers also count the quincunx (150°) or the semi-sextile (30°). Extra aspects can only move a void's start later, so their voids are the same length as these or shorter.
- Application within orb. Lilly's word is "apply". Anthony Louis and other traditional astrologers read it as applying within orb, so a Moon closing on a planet across the sign boundary would not yet be void. This calendar uses no orbs: the aspect must be exact before the sign changes.
- The 30-degree rule. The oldest surviving definition ignores sign boundaries altogether; it is described in the history below.