An ancient timing system: each day and night is split into twelve unequal "hours", each ruled by a planet. Choosing the right planetary hour to begin something is the heart of traditional electional magic.

How to use the Planetary Hours

Planetary hours are an ancient timing system. The daylight (sunrise to sunset) is divided into twelve unequal hours and the night into twelve more, each ruled by one of the seven classical planets in the Chaldean order. Choosing the right hour to begin something is the core of traditional electional practice.

Getting started

Pick a city (so sunrise and sunset are computed for the right place) and a date.
The tool shows the ruler of every day and night hour, and highlights the hour happening right now.

Reading your result

Start an activity in the hour of the planet that governs it: Mercury for messages and deals, Venus for love and art, Jupiter for money and luck, Mars for action, Saturn for serious work, the Sun for recognition, the Moon for home and the public.

Astrologer's tip The hours are unequal — summer daytime hours run long, winter ones short — because they stretch sunrise-to-sunset, not the clock.