Wednesday, October 21New York City

Today's sky

Waxing gibbous

80% lit · growing

Moon in PiscesWestern

Moon in AquariusVedic

Sunrise7:13 AM
Sunset6:06 PM
Moonrise3:51 PM
Moonset2:07 AM

In New York City on Wednesday, October 21, the Moon is a waxing gibbous (80% lit) in Pisces, or Aquarius in the Vedic zodiac. The tithi at sunrise is Shukla Ekadashi and the nakshatra is Dhanishta. Rahu kaal runs 12:40 PM to 2:01 PM. Mercury is direct.

Vedic day panchang at sunrise · Lahiri

Tithi: Shukla Ekadashiwaxing half · until 5:19 AM Thu, then Shukla Dwadashi
Nakshatra: Dhanishta, pada 4until 10:18 AM, then Shatabhisha
Yoga: Gandauntil 3:03 PM
Karana: Vanijauntil 5:06 PM, then Vishti
Vara: BudhavaraBudha (Mercury) rules the day
Moon rashi: Kumbha · Aquariusuntil 5:33 AM Fri
Lunar month: Ashwinamanta

Western day tropical · America/New York

Is Mercury retrograde?: No. Mercury is direct; it turns retrograde Sat, Oct 24, 3:15 AM.
Also retrograde: VenusSaturnUranusNeptune
Moon void of course: 4:42 AM – 8:35 AM, then the Moon enters Pisces
Exact today: 4:42 AM Sun trine Moon
12:50 PM Moon trine Venus
Sign changes: 8:35 AM Moon enters Pisces

Calculated for New York City by the same engine as our calculators, checked against Swiss Ephemeris to within a minute. Sunrise uses the Sun's upper edge with standard refraction. How we calculate · Full panchang · Get today as JSON →

Good for today

What today suits

Six common plans, rated with the factors our date picker uses: lunar day, nakshatra, weekday ruler, a void Moon and Mercury. How the rating works

Start something
Good
Mercury's day suits it.
Sign or commit
Good
Mercury's day suits it.
Love and connection
Fair
No strong pull either way: Shatabhisha and Mercury's day are neutral for this.
Money
Strong
Shatabhisha is a traditional choice for money matters, and Mercury's day suits it.
Rest and reflection
Fair
No strong pull either way: Shatabhisha and Mercury's day are neutral for this.
Travel
Good
Mercury's day suits it.

Time windows

The shape of the day

From sunrise to the next sunrise: the three periods tradition avoids, the midday Abhijit window, the choghadiya and the planetary hours. The white line marks the current time.

Sunrise 7:13 AMSunset 6:06 PMSunrise 7:15 AM

Rahu, Yamaganda, GulikaAbhijit

RahuYamagandaGulikaAbhijit

Choghadiya: goodneutralavoid

LabhAmritKaalShubhRogUdvegCharLabhUdvegShubhAmritCharRogKaalLabhUdveg

Planetary hours

Now

Choghadiya now

Labh good

until 6:06 PM · next Udveg (avoid)

Planetary hour

Mars

until 6:06 PM · next Sun

Windows to avoid

All passed

Rahu kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika are behind you today

Today's windows in New York City (America/New York)
Window	From	To	Tradition
Rahu kaal	12:40 PM	2:01 PM	Traditionally avoided for new starts
Yamaganda	8:35 AM	9:57 AM	Traditionally avoided for new starts
Gulika kaal	11:18 AM	12:40 PM	Traditionally avoided for important starts
Abhijit muhurta	12:18 PM	1:02 PM	Usually skipped on Wednesdays
Brahma muhurta	5:29 AM	6:21 AM	Before dawn: meditation and study

Today's ritual

A small practice for today

The sky picks each piece: the affirmation comes from the Moon's phase or sign and the mantra from the weekday's planet. The question changes when the Moon turns from growing to shrinking.

Affirmation · Moon in Pisces

A quiet moment does not need to become a project.

More Pisces affirmations

Mantra for Wednesday · Mercury

oṃ brāṃ brīṃ brauṃ saḥ budhāya namaḥ

Say it as: ohm braam breem braum sah budhaaya namah

Meaning, source and pronunciation

An intention for the waxing Moon

What first step can wait until I have the resources to do it?

Journal it · Pin it to a vision board

A quiet minute

60 seconds. Breathe in for four, out for six.

Coming up

Next in the sky

Countdowns to the next lunations, station, eclipse and sign change. Each one can go straight into your calendar.

Sun ingress
1d 12h
enters Scorpio
Fri, Oct 23, 5:38 AM
About the sun ingress Add to calendar
Mercury station
2d 9h
turns retrograde in Scorpio
Sat, Oct 24, 3:15 AM
About the mercury station Add to calendar
Full moon
4d 6h
in Taurus
Mon, Oct 26, 12:12 AM
About the full moon Add to calendar
New moon
18d 9h
in Scorpio
Mon, Nov 9, 2:02 AM
About the new moon Add to calendar
Solar eclipse
107d 18h
annular
Sat, Feb 6, 10:59 AM
About the solar eclipse Add to calendar

For you

Make today personal

Add your Moon sign, birth star or rising sign and today's sky gets a few lines that are about you. Tara bala and Chandra bala use the Vedic Moon; the house line uses your Western rising sign.

Saved in this browser only; we never receive it.

Questions

About today's sky

What is Rahu kaal today?

Rahu kaal is one eighth of the daylight hours, a different eighth for each weekday. The table above gives today's start and end for your city, worked out from local sunrise and sunset. Many people avoid starting new things in it.

Why does the date change at sunrise in the panchang?

The Vedic day runs from sunrise to sunrise, so the tithi and nakshatra shown are the ones in force at local sunrise, with the time each one ends. The Western day above uses ordinary midnight-to-midnight clock time.

Is Mercury retrograde today?

The Western day panel answers this from the live calculation and gives the date Mercury next changes direction. The Mercury retrograde page lists every period for 2026 and 2027.

How we calculate

Is astrology a guarantee of what will happen?

No. These calculations locate celestial bodies; astrology is a reflection and timing tradition, not evidence of guaranteed health, financial or relationship outcomes.

How are these results calculated?

Positions come from Astronomy Engine, an open-source astronomy library, and are checked against Swiss Ephemeris in our methodology tests. Western readings use the tropical zodiac; Vedic readings subtract the Lahiri ayanamsa. Terms are defined in the glossary.

Next: compare your birth chart, see today's sky, or make a private vision board.