How accurate are these planet positions?

Positions use NASA/JPL's approximate Keplerian elements for 1800–2050. Compared with JPL Horizons the RA and Dec are typically within a few arcminutes and rise/set times within a few minutes — fine for finding a planet by eye, binoculars or a low-power telescope. Use JPL Horizons for precise work such as occultation timing.

What are right ascension and declination?

They are the sky's longitude and latitude. Declination is degrees north (+) or south (−) of the celestial equator; right ascension is measured eastward along the equator in hours, minutes and seconds (24h = 360°). They are given here for the J2000 equinox, the frame used by star charts and most telescope mounts.

What do altitude and azimuth mean?

Altitude is the angle above your horizon (negative means below it). Azimuth is the compass direction: 0° north, 90° east, 180° south and 270° west. Altitudes here are geometric, without refraction, which lifts objects near the horizon by about half a degree.

How is the constellation found?

The planet's J2000 RA/Dec is precessed to the 1875 equinox and looked up in the official IAU constellation boundaries published by Roman (1987). Planets stay near the ecliptic, so they appear in the zodiac constellations and sometimes in Ophiuchus, Cetus, Orion or Sextans.

Is the zodiac sign the same as the constellation?

No. The zodiac sign uses the tropical ecliptic longitude in 30° steps from the March equinox (Aries 0°–30°, Taurus 30°–60° …), as used in astrology. Because of precession the signs no longer line up with the constellations of the same name, so a planet in the sign Leo can be in the constellation Cancer.

How far is each planet from Earth?

The table shows the Earth–planet distance in AU. For live distances in km and miles, light time and the next close approach, use the Planet Distance Now tool.

What date range is supported?

1800 through 2050, the validity interval of the NASA/JPL approximate orbital elements used here.

Planet Position Calculator

Pick a date, time and location to get each planet's RA/Dec, constellation, altitude/azimuth, rise–transit–set times and zodiac sign, computed in your browser from NASA/JPL orbital elements.

Date, Time & Location

Date

Local time

UTC offset (h)

City

Latitude (° N +)

Longitude (° E +)

Approximate positions from NASA/JPL mean orbital elements (1800–2050), typically within a few arcminutes. Use JPL Horizons for precise ephemerides. For live Earth–planet distances see Planet Distance Now.

Planet Positions

Body	RA (J2000)	Dec	Constellation	Altitude	Azimuth	Rise	Transit	Set	Elongation	From Earth

Altitude is geometric (no refraction); azimuth from north through east. Rise/set use the −0.57° refracted horizon (−0.83° for the Sun). Times are local at the UTC offset you entered. Elongation is the angle from the Sun: “evening” = east of the Sun, “morning” = west.

Ecliptic Longitude, Zodiac Sign & Heliocentric Position

Planet	Geocentric longitude	Zodiac sign (tropical)	Heliocentric longitude	Distance from Sun

Heliocentric Ecliptic Longitude (0° – 360°)

0°90°180°270°360°

Orbital Elements Used (NASA/JPL Table 1, J2000)

Mean elements at J2000.0, valid 1800–2050 (source). The orbital period follows from the mean-longitude rate.

Planet	a (AU)	e	Inclination	Period (years)
Mercury	0.38710	0.20564	7.005°	0.241
Venus	0.72334	0.00678	3.395°	0.615
Earth–Moon barycenter	1.00000	0.01671	0.000°	1.000
Mars	1.52371	0.09339	1.850°	1.881
Jupiter	5.20289	0.04839	1.304°	11.863
Saturn	9.53668	0.05386	2.486°	29.448
Uranus	19.18916	0.04726	0.773°	84.018
Neptune	30.06992	0.00859	1.770°	164.790

Quick answer

A planet's position in the sky is given by right ascension (RA) and declination (Dec) on the celestial sphere, and by altitude (height above the horizon) and azimuth (compass bearing) for a particular place and time. This calculator works them out for Mercury to Neptune and the Sun from NASA/JPL orbital elements, plus the constellation each planet is in and when it rises, crosses the meridian and sets.

Examples

Planet (10 Oct 2026, 00:00 UTC)	RA (J2000)	Dec	Constellation
Venus	14h 08m 59s	−21.07°	Virgo
Mars	8h 36m 41s	+19.79°	Cancer
Jupiter	9h 33m 28s	+15.16°	Leo
Saturn	0h 42m 50s	+1.65°	Cetus

Set your date, time and location below to see where each planet is in your sky.

Summary

The Planet Position Calculator shows where Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and the Sun are for any date, time and location from 1800 to 2050. For each body it gives the right ascension and declination (J2000), the IAU constellation, the altitude and azimuth in your sky, the local rise, transit and set times, the elongation from the Sun (morning or evening sky), the distance from Earth, and the geocentric ecliptic longitude with its zodiac sign. Heliocentric longitude and distance from the Sun are listed too. Everything is computed in your browser from NASA/JPL approximate orbital elements; for live distances and close approaches see Planet Distance Now.

How it works

Enter a date and local time with its UTC offset, and your latitude and longitude (or pick a city or use your device location).
Each planet's heliocentric position comes from NASA/JPL Table 1 Keplerian elements and rates (valid 1800–2050), solving Kepler's equation; Earth's position comes from the same table.
The Earth-to-planet vector, corrected for light travel time, is rotated from ecliptic to equatorial coordinates to give geocentric RA and Dec (J2000), and the constellation is looked up in the official IAU boundaries (Roman 1987).
Coordinates are precessed to the date, combined with local sidereal time and your latitude to give altitude and azimuth (azimuth measured from north through east).
Rise and set are found where the altitude crosses −0.57° (−0.83° for the Sun), which allows for atmospheric refraction; transit is when the planet crosses your meridian.

Use cases

Find which planets are above the horizon tonight and where to look.
Get the RA/Dec of a planet to point a GoTo or setting-circle telescope.
See what constellation Mars, Jupiter or Saturn is in on a given date.
Plan observing or astrophotography around rise, transit and set times.
Check the zodiac (tropical ecliptic) degree of each planet for any date.
Teach coordinate systems: equatorial vs horizontal vs ecliptic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-10-10 · Reviewed by Nham Vu