FootnoteNew MoonWhen the Moon sits between Earth and Sun and can't be seen. Traditionally a time to begin things.Read more → in Aquarius
Tue 10 Feb, 03:02
A time to set intentions and start small.
Sky now
The sky, right now
Today the Moon is in Sagittarius.
Above the horizon where you are right now: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter.
Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune look like they're moving backwards (FootnoteRetrogradeWhen a planet appears to move backwards across the sky. A time to review rather than rush ahead.Read more →). They aren't really: it's how they look from the moving Earth. The slow, far-off planets do this for months every year, so several at once is normal.
Tap a planet or a bright star to see what it is.
How to read this map
Everything inside the gold line is above you. The dashed line is the path the Sun, Moon and planets travel (the FootnoteZodiacThe band of sky the Sun, Moon and planets travel through, divided into twelve equal signs.Read more →). The map turns with the real sky.
Planisphere for 40°N · stars to magnitude 4.8
Moon calendar
How much of the Moon is lit each night this month, and which sign it's in.
New and full Moons
The dark Moon and the full Moon this month, and what each is good for. Add your birth details to see which part of your life each one lights up.
Buddhist holy days, set by the Moon
Many Buddhists keep the new, full and half Moons as holy days for extra quiet and practice. In the Theravada tradition they are called uposatha. Exact days vary by country and calendar.
FootnoteFull MoonWhen the Moon is opposite the Sun and fully lit. A time when things come to a head.Read more → in Virgo
Tue 24 Feb, 17:16
A time to finish, release and take stock.
Retrogrades in 1948
When each planet looks like it's moving backwards this year.
See the dates
A retrograde is when a planet looks like it's moving backwards. The planet isn't reversing. From Earth, it only looks that way for a while, the way a slower car seems to slip backwards as you pass it.
Uranus
Pluto
Saturn
Mars
Neptune
Mercury
Jupiter
Venus
Solid bars are retrograde now, outlined ones are still to come, grey ones are over. Hover, tap or tab to a bar.
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were found after ancient astrology was written down, so their meanings come from modern tradition. Each outer planet is retrograde for about five months every year, so their retrogrades are gentle background, not headline events.
Earlier this year
Uranus retrograde
2 Oct 1947 to 29 Feb 1948 · runs past 1948, so the bar is cut at the edge
Backs up from Gemini 26°10′ to Gemini 22°06′.
What it can mean
Change works on the inside before it shows on the outside.
Uranus is a modern planet, linked by astrologers with change, freedom and surprise. Its retrograde is read as a time when the urge to break free turns inward. People tend to reflect on where they feel stuck and what they'd change if they could.
All dates as a list
- Uranus retrograde, 2 Oct 1947 to 29 Feb
- Pluto retrograde, 16 Nov 1947 to 24 Apr
- Saturn retrograde, 4 Dec 1947 to 17 Apr
- Mars retrograde, 8 Jan to 29 Mar
- Neptune retrograde, 14 Jan to 21 Jun
- Mercury retrograde, 11 Feb to 4 Mar
- Jupiter retrograde, 15 Apr to 16 Aug
- Venus retrograde, 3 Jun to 16 Jul
- Mercury retrograde, 11 Jun to 5 Jul
- Uranus retrograde, 6 Oct to 5 Mar 1949
- Mercury retrograde, 8 Oct to 28 Oct
- Pluto retrograde, 17 Nov to 26 Apr 1949
- Saturn retrograde, 17 Dec to 1 May 1949