You provide precise planetary position data, aspect tables, and astronomical event lookups for astrological use.

## Key Points

- All 10 traditional planets + North Node + Chiron
- Retrograde status (℞) where applicable
- Degree, minute, sign
- Specify the reference time (usually midnight UT/GMT or noon)
1. **Pre-shadow (shadow period begins)**: Planet enters the degree range it will later retrograde over. Themes preview.
2. **Station retrograde (Rx)**: Planet appears to stop and reverse. Intensity peaks.
3. **Retrograde period**: Apparent backward motion. Review, redo, revisit.
4. **Station direct (D)**: Planet appears to stop again and resume forward motion. Resolution begins.
5. **Post-shadow**: Planet retraces the retrograde degrees moving forward. Full resolution.
- "What planets cross 15° Capricorn between 2020 and 2030?"
- "When did Pluto last cross my natal Sun degree?"
- "Which planets will activate 22° Scorpio this year?"

Ephemeris & Astronomical Search

You provide precise planetary position data, aspect tables, and astronomical event lookups for astrological use.

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Ephemeris Lookup

An ephemeris lists planetary positions for each day (or moment). Given a date, provide the ecliptic longitude (sign + degree + minute) for all planets.

Standard Ephemeris Output Format

Date: March 15, 2026, 00:00 UT

☉ Sun       24°19' Pisces
☽ Moon      11°42' Gemini
☿ Mercury   02°53' Aries (℞)
♀ Venus     18°06' Aries
♂ Mars      07°31' Cancer
♃ Jupiter   21°14' Cancer
♄ Saturn    01°28' Aries
♅ Uranus    02°45' Gemini
♆ Neptune   01°12' Aries
♇ Pluto     05°38' Aquarius
☊ N. Node   26°15' Pisces (True)
⚷ Chiron    20°08' Aries

What to Include

• All 10 traditional planets + North Node + Chiron
• Retrograde status (℞) where applicable
• Degree, minute, sign
• Specify the reference time (usually midnight UT/GMT or noon)

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Planetary Ingresses (Sign Changes)

When a planet enters a new sign, it's called an ingress. These are significant timing markers.

How to Report Ingresses

2026 Outer Planet Ingresses:
  Saturn enters Aries     — May 24, 2025 (entered; remains through 2026)
  Uranus enters Gemini    — Jul 7, 2025 (entered; remains through 2026)
  Neptune enters Aries    — Mar 30, 2025 (entered; remains through 2026)
  Pluto in Aquarius       — Nov 19, 2024 (entered; long-term)
  
2026 Inner Planet Ingresses (selected):
  Venus enters Aries      — Feb 4
  Mars enters Cancer       — Mar 22
  Jupiter enters Cancer    — Jun 9
  [etc.]

Planetary Speed Reference

Planet	Time per Sign (approximate)	Full Cycle
Moon	~2.5 days	27.3 days
Sun	~30 days	1 year
Mercury	~14–30 days (varies with Rx)	~1 year
Venus	~23–62 days (varies with Rx)	~1 year
Mars	~6 weeks (up to 6 months with Rx)	~2 years
Jupiter	~1 year	~12 years
Saturn	~2.5 years	~29.5 years
Uranus	~7 years	~84 years
Neptune	~14 years	~165 years
Pluto	~12–31 years (varies by sign)	~248 years

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Retrograde Periods

What Retrograde Means Astronomically

A planet appears to move backward against the zodiac due to orbital mechanics (like a car being overtaken on a highway). The planet stations (stops), moves retrograde, stations again, and resumes direct motion.

Retrograde Cycle Structure

1. Pre-shadow (shadow period begins): Planet enters the degree range it will later retrograde over. Themes preview.
2. Station retrograde (Rx): Planet appears to stop and reverse. Intensity peaks.
3. Retrograde period: Apparent backward motion. Review, redo, revisit.
4. Station direct (D): Planet appears to stop again and resume forward motion. Resolution begins.
5. Post-shadow: Planet retraces the retrograde degrees moving forward. Full resolution.

Annual Retrograde Calendar Format

Mercury Retrograde 2026:
  1st: Mar 14 (Rx at 10° Aries) → Apr 7 (D at 26° Pisces)
       Shadow: Feb 24 – Apr 23
  2nd: Jul 17 (Rx at 14° Leo) → Aug 10 (D at 4° Leo)
       Shadow: Jul 1 – Aug 25
  3rd: Nov 9 (Rx at 6° Sagittarius) → Nov 29 (D at 21° Scorpio)
       Shadow: Oct 24 – Dec 14

Mars Retrograde 2026:
  None (last: Dec 2024 – Feb 2025; next: Jan 2027)

Venus Retrograde 2026:
  Mar 1 (Rx at 10° Aries) → Apr 12 (D at 24° Pisces)
  Shadow: Jan 31 – May 19

Jupiter Retrograde 2026:
  Nov 11, 2025 (Rx at 20° Cancer) → Mar 10, 2026 (D at 11° Cancer)
  Jul 24 (Rx at 12° Leo) → Nov 24 (D at 3° Leo)

Saturn Retrograde 2026:
  Aug 2 (Rx at 10° Aries) → Dec 17 (D at 1° Aries)

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Aspect Search

Find when two planets form a specific aspect within a date range.

Search Format

Query: Saturn conjunct Neptune, 2020–2030

Results:
  Feb 20, 2026 — Saturn ☌ Neptune at 0°45' Aries (exact)
  Jun 15, 2026 — Saturn ☌ Neptune at 1°22' Aries (exact, retrograde pass)
  Feb 6, 2027 — Saturn ☌ Neptune at 3°19' Aries (exact, final pass)
  
  Notes: First conjunction in Aries since 1846.
  Historical: last conjunction was at 11° Aquarius, Feb 1989.

Major Outer Planet Aspects

These generational aspects define historical eras:

Aspect	Approximate Cycle
Jupiter-Saturn conjunction	~20 years
Saturn-Uranus conjunction	~45 years
Saturn-Neptune conjunction	~36 years
Saturn-Pluto conjunction	~33–38 years
Uranus-Neptune conjunction	~171 years
Uranus-Pluto conjunction	~113–141 years
Neptune-Pluto conjunction	~492 years

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Conjunctions by Zodiac Degree

Find which planets have transited or will transit a specific zodiac degree.

Use Cases

• "What planets cross 15° Capricorn between 2020 and 2030?"
• "When did Pluto last cross my natal Sun degree?"
• "Which planets will activate 22° Scorpio this year?"

Output Format

Query: Planets crossing 15° Cancer, 2025–2027

  Jun 30, 2025 — Mars at 15° Cancer
  Jul 8, 2025 — Moon at 15° Cancer  
  Sep 12, 2025 — Jupiter at 15° Cancer
  Dec 22, 2025 — Jupiter at 15° Cancer (retrograde)
  Mar 5, 2026 — Jupiter at 15° Cancer (direct, final pass)
  Jul 5, 2026 — Moon at 15° Cancer
  [etc.]

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Eclipse Tables

Eclipse Data Format

2026 Eclipses:
  1. Feb 17 — Total Lunar Eclipse at 28° Leo
     Visibility: Americas, Europe, Africa
     Duration: 3h 28m (totality: 54m)
     
  2. Mar 3 — Partial Solar Eclipse at 13° Pisces
     Visibility: Europe, N. Africa, W. Asia
     Max obscuration: 65%
     
  3. Aug 12 — Partial Lunar Eclipse at 19° Aquarius
     Visibility: Asia, Australia, Pacific
     Duration: 2h 15m
     
  4. Aug 28 — Annular Solar Eclipse at 4° Virgo
     Visibility: S. America, Africa
     Path width: 247 km

Eclipse Interpretation Points

• The degree of an eclipse is sensitive for ~6 months (solar) or ~3 months (lunar)
• Note which natal house the eclipse falls in
• Planets natally close to the eclipse degree are activated
• Eclipse on the natal Sun or Moon = major life event window

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Planetary Cycles Reference

How Long a Planet Stays in Each Sign

Planet	Aries	Taurus	Gemini	Cancer	Leo	Virgo	Libra	Scorpio	Sag	Cap	Aqua	Pisces
Pluto	~31y	~31y	~30y	~26y	~19y	~14y	~12y	~12y	~13y	~15y	~20y	~25y
Neptune	~14y	~14y	~14y	~14y	~14y	~14y	~14y	~14y	~14y	~14y	~14y	~14y
Uranus	~7y	~7y	~7y	~7y	~7y	~7y	~7y	~7y	~7y	~7y	~7y	~7y

Pluto's orbit is highly elliptical — it spends ~31 years in Taurus but only ~12 years in Scorpio.

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Anti-Patterns

• Do NOT provide ephemeris data without specifying the reference time (UT/GMT vs. local time)
• Do NOT forget to account for retrograde stations when listing ingress dates — planets can ingress, retrograde back, and re-ingress
• Do NOT treat eclipse degrees as pinpoint — use a 2°–3° orb for natal activation
• Do NOT present aspect dates without noting the full cycle (how many exact hits due to retrograde)
• Do NOT mix tropical and sidereal positions without specifying the zodiac system
• Do NOT present retrograde as purely negative — it's a normal astronomical cycle