Stellune
Your birth chart is a snapshot of the sky at one moment. But the sky kept moving. Transits are where the planets are now, read against that snapshot. They’re the basis of every personal daily reading, including ours.
How a transit works
Take a planet in the sky today and compare it with a planet or point in your birth chart. If the angle between them is meaningful, astrologers call it a transit, and read it as that part of your life being touched for a while.
The angles are the same ones used in compatibility:
| Angle | Name | Feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 0° | Conjunction | A strong focus; something starts or comes to a head |
| 60° | Sextile | An opening, if you act on it |
| 90° | Square | Friction and pressure to change |
| 120° | Trine | Ease and support |
| 180° | Opposition | Tension between two sides; balance needed |
Fast and slow transits
How long a transit lasts depends on how fast the planet moves:
- The Moon changes sign every couple of days. Its transits set the mood of a day.
- The Sun, Mercury and Venus take a few days to pass a point: themes for the week.
- Mars lingers about a week: a burst of energy or friction.
- Jupiter and Saturn take weeks or months, and mark longer chapters.
- Uranus, Neptune and Pluto can take a year or more, and describe big, slow shifts.
The transits people talk about most
- Saturn return: Saturn back to its birth position, around 29 and 58. (See our Saturn return guide.)
- Jupiter return: every 12 years, often read as a lucky, expansive time.
- Mercury retrograde: three times a year, read as a time to review rather than start. (See Mercury retrograde.)
- Eclipses: about every six months, read as turning points.
How our daily reading uses transits
Our app looks at the faster planets (Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars) and the slow, important ones (Jupiter and Saturn) against your Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars and rising sign. It keeps the closest few and describes them in plain words: what’s being lit up, what might rub, and one thing to try. It adds the Moon’s sign and phase for the mood of the day, and reads it all alongside your Destiny Matrix chapter and personal year.
Reading transits sensibly
- Transits describe pressure and opportunity, not events.
- The same transit feels different to different people, depending on the rest of the chart and what’s going on in their life.
- Notice which transits match your experience over time. That tells you which ones to pay attention to.
Questions people ask
What are transits in astrology?
They’re the current positions of the planets compared with your birth chart, read as themes affecting different parts of your life.
What are the most important transits?
Slow ones, such as the Saturn return, Jupiter’s movements and outer-planet transits, mark the biggest chapters. Fast ones set the tone of days and weeks.
How long does a transit last?
From a few hours (the Moon) to more than a year (Pluto), depending on the planet.
Do I need my birth time to read transits?
Not for most planet-to-planet transits. You do need it for transits to your rising sign, midheaven and houses.
Astrology here is for reflection and self-understanding. It doesn't predict events, and it isn't medical, legal or financial advice.