How to read an ephemeris

Choose a snapshot or a daily table

For positions now, open Current sky and check the time beneath the table caption. It refreshes every minute while the page is visible, and Refresh now requests another calculation. A retained result can still show an earlier moment, so read any Previous result label before using it.

For a date-by-date comparison, use Daily ephemeris. Its default sampling time is 12:00, but your saved preference may differ. The Today button returns to the current month; it does not replace the daily sample with the current instant. A row marked Today can therefore describe noon while you are reading at another hour.

Translate the position before interpreting it

Zodiac longitude runs from 0° to just below 360°. Each sign occupies 30°, so a position within a sign is a different notation for part of that full-circle coordinate. Arcminutes and arcseconds subdivide degrees: 60 arcminutes make one degree, and 60 arcseconds make one arcminute. They are angular units, not clock minutes.

Current sky separates Sign, Position in sign, Longitude, Motion and Speed into columns. Calendar groups sign, degree, motion and speed inside each body's cell. Both views round the displayed position to the nearest arcsecond; extra displayed digits do not constitute an equivalent physical-accuracy guarantee.

Read the direction and rate together

Direct means longitude is increasing at the sample; Retrograde means it is decreasing. Speed is expressed in degrees per day, evaluated around that moment. It is not a promise that the planet will cover exactly that amount over the following 24 hours. A small speed is also not a computed exact station time.

Keep the calculation context with your note

Calculation settings lets you choose the time zone, daily time, zodiac and additional bodies. Sidereal calculations also require an ayanamsa. The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are always shown; Uranus, Neptune and Pluto can be selected individually. These ephemeris preferences are shared with Current sky and saved in this browser.

Open Calculation basis to inspect the engine and source record. An unavailable local-time row stays marked as an error, rather than becoming a fabricated value. For a time-zone comparison, use the separate worked guide linked below.

Common questions