Track All 9 Planets in <10ms Real-Time
Get current planetary positions with Swiss Ephemeris (NASA JPL data) precision. Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu - all in one API call. Both Western (tropical) and Vedic (sidereal) with 12 ayanamsa systems. 13 languages supported. Used by 2,847+ developers worldwide.
Performance Metrics
Enterprise-grade reliability for planetary data
What is Planetary Positions API? Complete Guide for Developers
Everything you need to integrate real-time planet tracking into your astrology app
Ever check a weather app to see if it's raining right now? Planetary Positions API works the same way - but for planets. Instead of manually looking up ephemeris tables or waiting minutes for slow calculators, you get instant access to where all 9 planets are RIGHT NOW (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu). Our API responds in 2-7 milliseconds with Swiss Ephemeris (NASA JPL data) precision - that's NASA-level accuracy (0.001 degrees). Whether you're building daily horoscopes, transit alerts, birth chart calculators, or astrology dashboards, knowing current planetary positions is essential. Planets move constantly - Moon moves 13 degrees per day, Mercury goes retrograde 3-4 times a year, Jupiter changes signs once a year. Using old cached data is useless. Our API gives you BOTH Western (tropical zodiac) and Vedic (sidereal zodiac) positions with 12 ayanamsa systems in one call. Supports 13 languages (8 Indian + 5 European). Over 2,847 developers trust our API for real-time planetary data. Free tier includes 100 requests per month. Think of it like GPS coordinates for planets - instant, accurate, always current.
What are planetary positions and why do they matter?
Planetary positions are the exact locations of planets in the zodiac at any moment.
Measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds along the ecliptic (the path planets follow).
Example: "Sun at 15° Aries 23' 12"" means the Sun is 15 degrees, 23 arc-minutes, 12 arc-seconds into the Aries sign.
Why does this matter? In astrology, WHERE a planet is determines WHAT it influences.
Sun in Aries = confident, pioneering energy.
Sun in Pisces = compassionate, dreamy energy.
For birth charts, you need positions at birth moment.
For daily horoscopes, you need TODAY'S positions.
For transit predictions, you compare current positions to natal positions.
Planets change positions constantly - Moon fastest (13°/day), Saturn slowest (0.03°/day).
Apps using stale data give wrong predictions.
Like using yesterday's weather forecast for today - useless.
Our API tracks all 9 planets 24/7 using Swiss Ephemeris (NASA JPL data) - same calculation engine NASA uses.
Response time 2-7ms means your users get instant accurate data, not "loading..." delays.
Essential for any serious astrology app.
How do you calculate current planetary positions accurately?
Accurate planet tracking requires three things: (1) Astronomical ephemeris data - we use Swiss Ephemeris based on NASA JPL planetary theories, (2) Precise time calculations - planets move by the second, not just by day, (3) Coordinate system conversion - tropical vs sidereal zodiac with 12 ayanamsa systems.
Here's how it works: Swiss Ephemeris contains mathematical formulas (not tables) to calculate planetary positions for ANY date/time from 3000 BC to 3000 AD.
When you request "planet positions on January 5, 2025 at 3:42 PM UTC", our API calculates exact ecliptic longitude (degree position along zodiac belt), declination (north/south of celestial equator), and distance from Earth.
Then converts to whichever zodiac system you need - tropical (seasons-based, used in Western astrology) or sidereal (star-based, used in Vedic astrology).
We support 12 ayanamsa systems including Lahiri, Raman, Krishnamurti.
The difference is about 24 degrees currently due to precession of equinoxes.
Manual calculation requires ephemeris books, interpolation between dates, coordinate conversions - takes 5-10 minutes per planet.
Our API does all 9 planets in 2-7ms with 0.001° accuracy.
Professional software like Solar Fire uses same Swiss Ephemeris engine - we just make it accessible via API in 13 languages (8 Indian + 5 European).
What's the difference between tropical and sidereal positions?
Tropical zodiac (Western astrology) fixes 0° Aries to the spring equinox - when day and night are equal length.
So tropical Aries ALWAYS starts around March 20-21.
Sidereal zodiac (Vedic astrology) fixes 0° Aries to actual star constellations.
But Earth wobbles on its axis (precession), so the equinox point drifts backward through the constellations at about 1° every 72 years.
Currently, the tropical and sidereal zodiacs are about 24° apart.
This gap is called "ayanamsa".
We support 12 ayanamsa systems - Lahiri, Raman, Krishnamurti (KP), and more.
Practical example: If tropical Sun is at 10° Aries, the sidereal Sun (using Lahiri ayanamsa) would be around 16° Pisces.
Your Western sun sign could be Aries, but Vedic sun sign could be Pisces.
Our API calculates BOTH systems.
Specify ayanamsa: null for tropical or ayanamsa: "lahiri" for sidereal.
You can even get both in one response - useful for apps serving global users (Western popular in US/Europe, Vedic popular in India).
No need to integrate two separate APIs.
One call, both systems, 2-7ms response.
Competitors force you to choose Western OR Vedic - we give you both with 12 ayanamsa options.
How fast do planets move and when should you update?
Planets move at vastly different speeds.
Moon: 13° per day (changes zodiac sign every 2.5 days).
Sun: 1° per day (changes sign monthly).
Mercury: 1-2° per day when direct, appears to move backward during retrograde.
Venus: 1° per day average.
Mars: 0.5° per day average.
Jupiter: 0.08° per day (5 arc-minutes).
Saturn: 0.03° per day (2 arc-minutes).
Rahu/Ketu (lunar nodes): move backward at 0.05° per day.
For daily horoscopes, update once per day at midnight (Moon position matters most).
For real-time transit alerts ("Moon entering your 7th house NOW"), update every few hours.
For birth chart calculations, one-time fetch at birth moment.
For astro-weather dashboards showing "planets right now", update every 15-60 minutes.
Our API is designed for high-frequency requests - cached for 5 minutes (planetary positions don't change significantly in 5 min), so you can call every minute without performance hit.
Unlike ephemeris books that publish daily positions at midnight, our API calculates for ANY time - if you need positions at 3:42 PM on a specific date, you get exact positions for that moment, not midnight approximation.
Critical for precise timing work.
How to track planetary transits for predictions?
Transit = where planets are NOW vs where they were at your birth.
Example: you were born with Sun at 10° Aries.
Today, transiting Jupiter is at 10° Aries - that's a Jupiter Return (happens every 12 years).
Major life expansion period.
Or transiting Saturn is opposite your natal Moon - challenging emotional period.
Apps use transits for: (1) Daily predictions - "Mars transiting your 10th house: career boost this week", (2) Alert systems - "Venus entering your 7th house tomorrow: great for romance", (3) Major transit tracking - Saturn Return, Jupiter Return, Uranus Opposition at age 42.
To implement: fetch user's birth chart (natal positions) once, store it.
Then call our API daily/hourly for current positions.
Compare current to natal: conjunction (0°), opposition (180°), trine (120°), square (90°), sextile (60°).
Generate predictions based on aspects.
Professional tier ($37/mo) includes transit calculation endpoint that does comparison automatically - you send natal data + current date, get back all active transits with interpretations.
Way easier than coding aspect detection yourself.
Response includes orb (how exact the aspect is), applying/separating (is aspect getting stronger or weaker), peak date (when aspect is exact).
Essential for timing-based predictions.
How to integrate real-time planetary data into your app?
Integration is simple: 3 steps.
(1) Get API key - free tier includes 100 requests/month, no credit card.
(2) Make POST request with date/time and location (location needed for house positions, optional for basic planet positions).
(3) Parse JSON response with planet data.
Example code: const response = await fetch(API_URL, {method: "POST", headers: {Authorization: "Bearer API_KEY"}, body: JSON.stringify({year: 2025, month: 1, day: 5, hour: 15, minute: 42, latitude: 40.7, longitude: -74.0})}); const planets = await response.json(); console.log(planets.sun.longitude); - done! Response includes for each planet: longitude (degree position), sign (Aries/Taurus/etc), degree within sign, retrograde status, speed (daily motion), declination, distance from Earth.
Use cases: (1) "Planets Today" widget - show all current positions, (2) Retrograde tracker - filter planets where is_retrograde: true, (3) Sign change alerts - compare yesterday's sign to today's sign, (4) Birth chart generator - store positions at birth time.
We provide SDKs for JavaScript, Python, PHP with helper functions.
Takes 2-3 hours to integrate vs 3-6 months to build astronomical calculations yourself.
Focus on your app's unique features, let us handle the complex math.
Use Cases
Daily Horoscope Apps
Get today's planetary positions for personalized daily predictions. Moon sign, Sun sign, rising sign forecasts.
Transit Alert Systems
Notify users when planets enter important houses or make aspects to natal chart. "Mars entering your career sector!"
Birth Chart Calculators
Calculate planetary positions for any birth date/time/location. Store natal chart for lifetime transit tracking.
Astrology Dashboards
Display real-time "planets right now" with current signs, degrees, retrograde status, and speed.
Timing Tools
Find auspicious moments for events. Track Moon phases, void of course periods, planetary hour calculations.
Astro-Weather Apps
Combine planetary data with human experience. "Mercury retrograde + Mars square - expect delays in communication."
Technical Specifications
| API Response Time | 2-7ms average for all 9 planets (real-time positions) |
| Calculation Engine | Swiss Ephemeris v2.10 (NASA JPL DE431 planetary theory) |
| Precision Level | 0.001° accuracy (1 arc-second) - professional grade |
| Planets Tracked | Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu (North Node), Ketu (South Node) |
| Zodiac Systems | Both tropical (Western) and sidereal (Vedic) with 12 ayanamsa systems |
| Ayanamsa Options | 12 systems: Lahiri, Raman, Krishnamurti (KP), Yukteshwar, JN Bhasin, Babyl Kugler 1, Babyl Kugler 2, Babyl Kugler 3, Aldebaran 15 Tau, Hipparchos, Sassanian, Galactic Center (Gil Brand), True Chitra, True Mula |
| Language Support | 13 languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati (8 Indian) + Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Russian (5 European) |
| Retrograde Detection | Automatic detection when planet speed is negative |
| Date Range | Any date from 3000 BC to 3000 AD |
| Time Precision | Second-level accuracy (not just daily snapshots) |
| Coordinate Systems | Ecliptic longitude, declination, distance, right ascension |
| House Positions | Planets in houses for 23 house systems (if location provided) |
| Transit Calculations | Compare current to natal positions with aspect detection |
| Response Format | Clean JSON with degrees, signs, retrograde status, speed |
| Authentication | Simple Bearer token (API key in headers) |
| Rate Limits | 100-Unlimited requests/month based on tier |
| Caching | 5-minute server-side cache for performance optimization |
| SDKs Available | JavaScript, Python, PHP with helper functions |
| Integration Time | 2-3 hours with documentation and code examples |
| Uptime SLA | 99.9% uptime guarantee (Enterprise tier) |
Planetary Positions API Comparison - Why We're Better
| Feature | Astrology API | Others |
|---|---|---|
| Response Time | 2-7ms (real-time) | 2-3 seconds (Astro.com API, AstroSeek) |
| Precision | 0.001° (Swiss Ephemeris NASA JPL data) | 0.01-0.1° (interpolated tables) |
| Both Western + Vedic | YES - both systems with 12 ayanamsas | Usually Western OR Vedic (not both) |
| Language Support | 13 languages (8 Indian + 5 European) | English only or 1-2 languages |
| Real-Time Updates | Second-level precision | Daily snapshots at midnight |
| Retrograde Detection | Automatic in response | Manual calculation required |
| Date Range | 3000 BC - 3000 AD | 1800 AD - 2100 AD typically |
| All 9 Planets | Including Rahu/Ketu | Often missing lunar nodes |
| House Positions | 23 house systems | 1-3 house systems |
| Transit Calculations | Built-in aspect detection | DIY comparison |
| Free Tier | 100 requests/month forever | Trial only or no free tier |
| Documentation | Modern docs + SDKs | Minimal or outdated |
| Pricing | $11-399/month | $29-499/month or $500-2000 software |
Related Astrology APIs
Transit API
Complete transit calculations with aspect detection and timing predictions
Birth Chart API
Generate natal charts with planetary positions at birth moment
Vedic Astrology API
Sidereal planetary positions with Lahiri ayanamsa and Nakshatras
Horoscope API
Daily predictions using current planetary positions and transits
API Documentation
Complete technical reference with planetary endpoints and code examples
Complete Planetary Data Suite
Real-Time Planet Positions
Swiss Ephemeris Precision
Tropical & Sidereal
Retrograde Detection
Transit Calculations
Historical Positions
House Positions
Speed & Direction
Multiple Coordinates
Planetary Positions API Comparison - Why We're Better
See how we stack up against competitors and manual methods
Response Time
Precision
Both Western + Vedic
Real-Time Updates
All 9 Planets
Retrograde Detection
Date Range
House Positions
Transit Calculations
Pricing
Free Tier
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Planetary Positions API
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