FootnoteNew MoonWhen the Moon sits between Earth and Sun and can't be seen. Traditionally a time to begin things.Read more → in Leo
Fri 11 Aug, 10:36
A time to set intentions and start small.
Sky now
The sky, right now
Today the Moon is in Scorpio.
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 Pisces
Sat 26 Aug, 03:13
A time to finish, release and take stock.
Retrogrades in 1961
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.
Mars
Uranus
Pluto
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
Saturn
Jupiter
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
Mars retrograde
20 Nov 1960 to 6 Feb 1961 · runs past 1961, so the bar is cut at the edge
Backs up from Cancer 18°39′ to Gemini 29°59′.
What it can mean
Drive turns inward. A good stretch for rethinking how you push forward.
Mars is traditionally the planet of drive, anger and action, and its retrograde is read as that drive slowing down or turning inward. Astrologers often suggest finishing what's already started instead of picking new fights. People work with it by reviewing goals and how they handle conflict.
All dates as a list
- Mars retrograde, 20 Nov 1960 to 6 Feb
- Uranus retrograde, 1 Dec 1960 to 29 Apr
- Pluto retrograde, 10 Dec 1960 to 17 May
- Neptune retrograde, 11 Feb to 20 Jul
- Mercury retrograde, 12 Feb to 6 Mar
- Venus retrograde, 20 Mar to 2 May
- Saturn retrograde, 9 May to 27 Sept
- Jupiter retrograde, 25 May to 23 Sept
- Mercury retrograde, 14 Jun to 8 Jul
- Mercury retrograde, 10 Oct to 31 Oct
- Uranus retrograde, 6 Dec to 4 May 1962
- Pluto retrograde, 12 Dec to 19 May 1962