Live Sky: Where the Planets Are Right Now
Real astronomical positions against the zodiac, updating every second. No houses, just the sky exactly as it stands.
Timeline & Animate
Events
Placements, ingresses and aspects at this moment.
What the live sky wheel shows
Skywatch draws the current sky as an astrology wheel: the twelve signs of the tropical zodiac around the rim, with the Sun, Moon and planets placed at their real, astronomically calculated positions right now. Each planet shows its degree within its sign, and an R marks a planet that is moving retrograde. Positions come from the Swiss Ephemeris and refresh every second.
The lines across the centre join planets that are in aspect: the angles astrologers use to read how two planets interact. The five major aspects are the conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposition.
Reading the events list
- Placements such as “Mars in Libra · 12°” show where each planet is at this moment. When a planet has just crossed into a new sign (0°), the row says it enters the sign.
- Aspects such as “Mercury Trine Saturn · applying · 1.2° orb” show the angle between two planets, whether it is applying (getting closer to exact) or separating (moving apart), and the orb: how many degrees it is from exact.
- Select any row to read what that placement or aspect means in the astrology encyclopedia.
Travel through time
Open the timeline button under the wheel to jump to any date and time, or to animate the sky forward or backward, one minute, hour, day, week or month per step. It is a quick way to watch a retrograde begin, the Moon travel through the signs, or a slow planet change sign. Press Live to return to the present moment.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Skywatch live sky show?
It shows where the Sun, Moon and planets are in the zodiac at this moment, drawn on a wheel that updates every second. Each planet sits at its true position, with its sign, its degree, and an R when it is moving retrograde.
Which zodiac does Skywatch use?
The tropical zodiac, the one used in Western astrology, where 0 degrees Aries is the March equinox point. Positions are calculated with the Swiss Ephemeris, the astronomical engine behind professional astrology software.
What do applying and separating mean?
An aspect is applying while the two planets are moving toward the exact angle, and separating once they have passed it and are moving apart. An applying aspect is still building; a separating one is fading.
What is an orb?
The orb is how far an aspect is from being exact, measured in degrees. A 0.1 degree orb is almost exact and very strong; a wide orb is weaker. Skywatch lists the tightest aspects first.
What does it mean when a planet enters a sign?
When a planet reaches 0 degrees of a sign, it has just entered it, which astrologers call an ingress. Skywatch marks these as enters in the events list. The Moon changes sign roughly every two and a half days; the Sun about once a month.
Can I see the sky at another date or time?
Yes. Open the timeline button under the wheel to jump to any date and time in UTC, or to animate the sky forward or backward in steps from one minute to one month. Use the Live button to return to the present moment.
What time zone is shown?
All Skywatch times are UTC. The planets' positions in the zodiac are the same everywhere on Earth at the same instant, so no location is needed.