The changing sky
The sky on 16 May 1981
Planetary positions in the tropical zodiac. These are shared sky conditions; a personal transit also depends on your birth chart.
Positions at · Daily reference at noon UTC
Sun
Taurus
25°31′
The Sun placement provides the seasonal zodiac reference.
Moon
Libra
28°12′
The Moon placement changes through the day. The time shown belongs to this snapshot.
The full snapshot
Where the planets are
| Body | Sign | Degree | Motion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | Taurus | 25°31′ | Direct |
| Moon | Libra | 28°12′ | Direct |
| Mercury | Gemini | 14°44′ | Direct |
| Venus | Gemini | 5°45′ | Direct |
| Mars | Taurus | 15°43′ | Direct |
| Jupiter | Libra | 0°38′ | Retrograde |
| Saturn | Libra | 3°19′ | Retrograde |
| Uranus | Scorpio | 28°12′ | Retrograde |
| Neptune | Sagittarius | 24°13′ | Retrograde |
| Pluto | Libra | 22°05′ | Retrograde |
See Moon phases and the lunar calendar
What retrograde describes
A retrograde label means the planet's zodiac longitude is decreasing from Earth's viewpoint. It describes apparent motion, not a prediction about your day.
Make the comparison personal
Your birth chart provides the natal placements used for a personal transit comparison. A sky snapshot alone cannot establish which contacts apply to you.
Calculation details
apparent geocentric ecliptic of date · tropical zodiac
Ephemeris: astronomy-engine 2.1.19. Computed 2026-11-06T21:39:36.230Z.
Positions use UTC. Your local calendar date can differ near midnight. An archived page uses noon UTC as a shared reference.