FootnoteNew MoonWhen the Moon sits between Earth and Sun and can't be seen. Traditionally a time to begin things.Read more → in Aquarius
Mon 5 Feb, 00:10
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, Jupiter and Uranus.
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
Mon 19 Feb, 13:18
A time to finish, release and take stock.
Retrogrades in 1962
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
Mercury
Neptune
Saturn
Jupiter
Venus
Mars
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
6 Dec 1961 to 4 May 1962 · runs past 1962, so the bar is cut at the edge
Backs up from Virgo 0°32′ to Leo 26°23′.
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, 6 Dec 1961 to 4 May
- Pluto retrograde, 12 Dec 1961 to 19 May
- Mercury retrograde, 27 Jan to 17 Feb
- Neptune retrograde, 13 Feb to 23 Jul
- Saturn retrograde, 21 May to 9 Oct
- Mercury retrograde, 26 May to 19 Jun
- Jupiter retrograde, 2 Jul to 29 Oct
- Mercury retrograde, 24 Sept to 15 Oct
- Venus retrograde, 23 Oct to 3 Dec
- Uranus retrograde, 11 Dec to 9 May 1963
- Pluto retrograde, 14 Dec to 21 May 1963
- Mars retrograde, 26 Dec to 16 Mar 1963