Planet Positions Skill

Overview

Pass observer latitude, longitude, and a chosen planet from Pluto to the Moon. The API calculates observation geometry with optional observer altitude and observation time, returning whether the target sits below the local horizon. Paid plans let you set specific dates and return right ascension, declination, distances, sidereal time, and Cartesian position vectors.

Live Test Planet Positions Skill Skill →

The tool

Once your client is connected to the VerveKit server, this appears in its tool list as PlanetPositionsSkill. It is read-only and open-world — it fetches and never mutates anything on your side — so most clients call it without asking you to confirm.

{
  "name": "PlanetPositionsSkill",
  "arguments": {
    "lat": "37.7749",
    "lon": "-122.4194",
    "planet": "mars"
  }
}

You do not name the tool yourself; the model picks it. Asking about 37.7749 in the terms this skill covers is enough for it to reach for PlanetPositionsSkill on its own — naming it explicitly also works, and is the way to force the call.

Connecting

One server URL covers every skill in the catalog, including this one. Authorization is OAuth: the client opens a browser once, and there is no key to paste into a config file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vervekit": {
      "url": "https://api.vervekit.com/v1/mcp"
    }
  }
}

https://api.vervekit.com/v1/mcp

Per-client setup — Claude, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT — is on the MCP setup page.

Arguments

These are the properties on the tool's inputSchema, so a well-behaved client validates them before the call is made. Premium arguments are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

What the model gets back

The result carries a structuredContent object matching the tool's declared outputSchema, so a client reads fields without parsing prose. status is "ok" and error is null on success; a null field means the value was not available for that input, not that the call failed.

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{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "planet": "Moon",
    "isBelowHorizon": false,
    "date": "2025-04-15T10:37:00Z",
    "observer": {
      "latitude": 37.7749,
      "longitude": -122.4194
    },
    "rightAscension": {
      "hours": 15,
      "minutes": 13,
      "seconds": 11
    },
    "declination": {
      "degrees": -23,
      "minutes": 10,
      "seconds": 56
    },
    "distance": {
      "km": 402457.36,
      "lightTravelSeconds": 1.342,
      "astronomicalUnits": 0.003
    },
    "siderealTime": {
      "hours": 16,
      "minutes": 2,
      "seconds": 42
    },
    "hourAngle": {
      "hours": 0,
      "minutes": 49,
      "seconds": 31
    },
    "vectors": {
      "x": -0.0016452947779903913,
      "y": -0.0018463324771434563,
      "z": -0.0010590407236111441
    }
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Failure modes

Errors come back as tool errors carrying a sentence the model can act on, not a bare status code. Error handling covers the full list.

A call costs 2 credits each time the tool actually runs; a model that reasons about the tool without calling it costs nothing.

Use cases

Stargazing Tour Scheduling

When planning evening viewing sessions, astronomy guides check if target planets sit below the horizon at their field camp location and scheduled observation time.

Telescope Mount Pointing

Astrophotographers on paid plans calculate exact right ascension and declination coordinates to aim automated tracking mounts toward visible solar system targets.

Astrology Chart Generation

Natal chart software queries planetary bodies across specific dates on paid plans to map celestial positions for birth chart generation.

Planetarium Display Sync

To project accurate night sky exhibits, science museum kiosks query live planetary coordinates based on local building coordinates and viewing time.

Other ways to use Planet Positions Skill

Set up Planet Positions Skill on VerveKit, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveKit account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

Related

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