Choosing a moment for something that matters is one of the oldest uses of astrology. Best Time asks a personal version of that question: for you, with your chart, which of the coming days lean in favour of what you are planning, and which lean against it?

You choose a person, yourself or anyone whose birth data you have, and a window of days. The report scores every day in that window for every kind of plan it knows, and shows you the strongest days first. (There is a separate Best Time for two people, for plans you make together; it works from a different chart and has its own guide.)

What you can plan for

There are 22 events: a first date, a proposal or engagement, a wedding or commitment ceremony, a reconciliation or difficult conversation, hosting a party or social event, a job interview, asking for a raise or promotion, starting a new job or work project, launching a product or business, signing a contract, a business partnership, a negotiation or sales pitch, an investment or big purchase, buying or selling a home, an exam, public speaking or a presentation, creative work, starting a course or training, a sport competition, starting a diet or fitness routine, a vacation or long trip, and moving house.

Each event has its own rules, because each one depends on different parts of the chart. A first date leans on Venus, the Moon and the fifth and seventh houses. A contract leans on Mercury and Saturn. An exam leans on Mercury and the third and ninth houses. The same transit can be excellent for one event and unhelpful for another, and the scores reflect that.

How a day is scored

For each day, the report takes the position of the planets at noon where you live and compares them with your birth chart. It looks at the ten planets from the Sun to Pluto, the six main aspects (conjunction, sextile, square, trine, opposition and quincunx) and, if your birth time is known, your four angles as well as your planets. Every transit within orb counts.

Each transit is then weighed for each event, by asking several questions at once:

How heavy is the transiting planet? Jupiter and Saturn count more than the Moon, because their contacts last longer and are felt more.

How exact is it? A transit at the centre of its orb counts fully; one at the edge counts little.

How relevant is it to this event? Both the transiting planet and the natal point it touches are weighed for the event. Venus on your Venus means a lot for a first date and much less for an exam.

Is it helping or working against it? Trines and sextiles add to the score; squares, oppositions and quincunxes subtract. A hard aspect from a gentle planet, such as Venus or Jupiter, subtracts less than one from Saturn or Mars. Conjunctions depend on the planet and on the event.

On top of this, every event has a short list of textbook combinations, the ones an astrologer would name first. Jupiter conjunct Venus for a first date, or Saturn trine Venus for a commitment, earn an extra bonus, and a few classic warnings, such as Saturn conjunct Venus for a first date, cost extra.

With a known birth time, the houses join in: a planet moving through your fifth house helps a party, one moving through your tenth helps a job interview.

Finally, a few facts about the sky itself count for everyone: Mercury, Venus or Mars retrograde, a New or Full Moon, and the sign the Moon is in. Mercury retrograde, for example, lowers the score for signing a contract, which will surprise nobody who has ever reread the small print twice.

What the stars mean

The total score of each event on each day becomes a number of stars from one to five, and here the stars are absolute. They were calibrated on a sample of real charts over a full year of days, separately for each event: a day with one star scores better than about half of all days, three stars puts it in roughly the top 14%, and five stars means a day in the top 2%, for anyone.

That is a deliberate choice. It means a quiet week looks quiet. If no day in the window reaches three stars for any event, the report says so instead of promoting the best of a weak week. Best Time is stricter, like a friend who only recommends a restaurant when it is actually good.

A small example. Say you are choosing between Tuesday and Friday for a job interview. Tuesday has the Moon passing through your tenth house and a sextile from Mercury to your Sun, and nothing much against them. Friday has the transiting Sun trine your Midheaven, but Mars squares your Mercury the same day, and the square pulls the score down. Tuesday may come out with three stars and Friday with one. Neither day decides the interview. Tuesday simply has fewer things pulling the other way.

What you see

The report opens with the best days: for each event, up to three days in the window that reach at least three stars, with the strongest events first. Below that is the calendar, day by day, with the events each day favours most.

Choose any event on any day to see why: the transits behind the score, strongest first, with positive values for what helps and negative values for what works against it, the orb, and the date each aspect becomes exact. The textbook combinations are marked, and so are the facts about the sky. If you want it in words, the "Reading" button asks the AI astrologer to explain that event on those days, using one of your astrologer questions.

The next 7 days are available to everyone. Premium members can also choose the next 30, 90 or 365 days.

Without a birth time

The planets are still scored, which is most of the method. The angles and the houses are left out, and the report tells you so. The stars are then compared with other charts without a birth time, so they stay fair.

If your chart uses the sidereal zodiac, the transits are calculated in that zodiac too, and the report mentions it.

How to use it well

Best Time chooses days, not hours. It describes the conditions around a day, not the outcome of what you do in it. A five-star day for a job interview will not answer the questions for you; it only suggests the sky is not working against you while you do. A one-star day is not a ban either. Many good things happen on ordinary days, mostly because ordinary days are the ones we have.

It is most useful when you have some freedom: two or three possible dates for a launch, a flexible week for a difficult conversation. Then it can tip the balance. When the date is fixed, read the "why" for it, and you will know what deserves extra care: a Mercury contact under pressure is a reason to prepare your notes, not to cancel.

You will find Best Time on the reports page.

Frequently asked questions

How does Best Time choose the best days?
It compares the sky at noon where you live with your birth chart for every day in the window, scores each transit for each event by the planets involved, the aspect, its exactness and its relevance to that event, adds the houses and a few facts about the sky, and turns the total into stars.

What do five stars mean?
A day in the top 2% for that event, measured against a full year of days across many charts. The stars are absolute, so most weeks have no five-star day, and that is normal.

Why does my best day have only three stars?
Because nothing stronger falls in that window. Three stars is already a day in roughly the top 14%. A longer window gives more chances for a stronger day.

Does it give an hour as well as a day?
No. It scores whole days, from the sky at local noon. For an exact hour, an electional chart is the right tool.

Do I need my birth time?
No, but it helps. Without it the planets are still scored, while the angles and houses are left out, and the stars are calibrated on other charts without a birth time.

How far ahead can I look?
Everyone can see the next 7 days. Premium members can also look 30, 90 or 365 days ahead.