The changing sky
The sky on 18 May 1996
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
27°49′
The Sun placement provides the seasonal zodiac reference.
Moon
Gemini
9°27′
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 | 27°49′ | Direct |
| Moon | Gemini | 9°27′ | Direct |
| Mercury | Taurus | 22°29′ | Retrograde |
| Venus | Gemini | 28°14′ | Direct |
| Mars | Taurus | 11°44′ | Direct |
| Jupiter | Capricorn | 17°21′ | Retrograde |
| Saturn | Aries | 4°25′ | Direct |
| Uranus | Aquarius | 4°32′ | Retrograde |
| Neptune | Capricorn | 27°39′ | Retrograde |
| Pluto | Sagittarius | 1°51′ | 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 2026-11-05T05:39:59.761Z.
Positions use UTC. Your local calendar date can differ near midnight. An archived page uses noon UTC as a shared reference.