Planetary Returns

A planetary return occurs when a transiting planet returns to the exact position it occupied at the moment of your birth. The most well-known example is the Solar Return (birthday), but every planet has its own return cycle. Returns mark the beginning of a new cycle for that planet's themes in your life -- Saturn returns signal maturation, Jupiter returns bring expansion, and lunar returns set the emotional tone each month.

GET`/api/returns`Pro

Calculate when a planet returns to its natal position for a given year. Returns the exact date, time, and planetary position of the return.

Advanced Chart API only

This endpoint requires the Advanced Chart API product. It is not available on the Basic Chart API tier.

Supported Planets

Planet	Typical Return Cycle	Key Themes
`sun`	~1 year	Identity, vitality, life direction
`moon`	~27.3 days	Emotions, instincts, inner security
`mercury`	~1 year	Communication, thinking, learning
`venus`	~1 year	Love, values, aesthetics
`mars`	~2 years	Drive, action, assertion
`jupiter`	~12 years	Growth, luck, expansion
`saturn`	~29.5 years	Structure, maturity, responsibility
`chiron`	~50 years	Healing, wounds, wisdom
`uranus`	~84 years	Revolution, awakening, freedom
`neptune`	~165 years	Spirituality, dreams, dissolution
`pluto`	~248 years	Transformation, power, rebirth
`north-node`	~18.6 years	Life direction, karmic path, purpose

Outer planet returns

Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto returns take longer than a human lifetime for most people. These are still useful for historical research, generational analysis, or for the rare Uranus return (~84 years).

Request

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`birthDate`	string	Yes	Date of birth in YYYY-MM-DD format
`birthTime`	string	Yes	Time of birth in HH:MM (24-hour) format
`birthLocation`	string	Yes	City and region (e.g. "New York, NY"). Used for timezone and coordinate lookup.
`planet`	string	Yes	Planet to calculate return for. One of: sun, moon, mercury, venus, mars, jupiter, saturn, chiron, uranus, neptune, pluto, north-node
`year`	number	Yes	The year to find the return in (e.g. 2026). For Moon returns, returns the first occurrence in this year.
`latitude`	number	No	Override latitude. Skips geocoding when provided with longitude.
`longitude`	number	No	Override longitude. Skips geocoding when provided with latitude.

thd-api

Response

Response200

{
"success": true,
"meta": {
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "timestamp": "2026-03-20T12:00:00.000Z",
  "endpoint": "returns"
},
"data": {
  "birthInfo": {
    "date": "1990-05-15",
    "time": "14:30",
    "location": "New York, NY",
    "timezone": "America/New_York",
    "utcOffset": -4
  },
  "planet": "Sun",
  "year": 2026,
  "returnNumber": 36,
  "natalPosition": {
    "longitude": 54.32,
    "sign": "Taurus",
    "positionInSign": "24°19'",
    "gate": 2,
    "line": 3
  },
  "return": {
    "exactDatetime": "2026-05-15T18:42:31.000Z",
    "localDatetime": "2026-05-15T14:42:31-04:00",
    "longitude": 54.32,
    "sign": "Taurus",
    "positionInSign": "24°19'",
    "gate": 2,
    "line": 3,
    "isRetrograde": false
  },
  "returnChart": {
    "ascendant": { "longitude": 195.7, "sign": "Libra" },
    "moonSign": "Cancer",
    "moonLongitude": 102.45
  },
  "cycle": {
    "previousReturn": "2025-05-15T11:18:05.000Z",
    "nextReturn": "2027-05-15T00:27:14.000Z",
    "cycleLengthDays": 365.26
  }
}
}

Response fields

Field	Description
`planet`	The planet for which the return was calculated
`year`	The requested year
`returnNumber`	Which return this is in the person's life (e.g. 36th Solar Return = 36th birthday)
`natalPosition`	The planet's position at birth — longitude, zodiac sign, and Human Design gate/line
`return.exactDatetime`	The precise UTC moment the transiting planet reaches the natal longitude
`return.localDatetime`	The return moment in the birth location's timezone
`return.gate` / `return.line`	The Human Design gate and line at the moment of return (same as natal)
`return.isRetrograde`	Whether the planet is retrograde at the moment of return
`returnChart`	Key chart points at the moment of return — ascendant and moon position
`cycle`	Previous and next return dates, plus the cycle length in days

Moon returns

The Moon returns approximately every 27.3 days. When requesting a Moon return, the API returns the first lunar return of the specified year. Use the cycle.nextReturn field to step through subsequent returns.