What is the Julian date for today?

In logistics and manufacturing, today's Julian date is the ordinal date represented as YYDDD (e.g., 26084 for day 84 of 2026) or YYYYDDD (2026084). In astronomy, today's Julian Date (JD) is a continuous count of decimal days starting from noon UTC on January 1, 4713 BC.

How do I calculate a Julian date?

To calculate a 5-digit Julian date (YYDDD), take the last two digits of the year (26 for 2026) and add the cumulative day count of the year from January 1st padded to 3 digits (e.g. 084 for March 25th). The result is 26084.

What does a Julian date mean?

A Julian date refers to one of three concepts: 1) In supply chain and manufacturing, an ordinal date (YYDDD/YYYYDDD) showing the year and day-of-year; 2) In astronomy, a continuous decimal count of days since 4713 BC; 3) Historically, the solar calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC.

How to read Julian calendar 2026?

To read the 2026 Julian calendar, look up any calendar date to find its sequential Day of the Year (1 to 365, since 2026 is a standard non-leap year). January 1 is Day 001 (26001), March 1 is Day 060 (26060), and December 31 is Day 365 (26365).

How to read Julian date code for expiration date?

A 5-digit Julian date on food packaging uses YYDDD format: the first 2 digits are the year (26 = 2026) and the last 3 digits are the day of the year (084 = March 25). Add the product's shelf-life duration to this manufacture date to determine the exact expiration date.

Julian Date Today 2026 - Julian Date Converter Online

Real-time Julian day numbers, ordinal dates (YYDDD & YYYYDDD), manufacturing lot code expiration decoder, and astronomical JD/MJD converter.

Julian Date (YYDDD)

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Standard: --- (YYYYDDD)

Astronomical JD

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MJD: ---

Day of Year

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Time: ---

Calendar Date to Julian Date Converter

Pick any date and time to instantly calculate its logistics ordinal format, day of year, and astronomical Julian numbers.

Enter Date & Time

Reverse: Enter Julian Date 5-digit (26084) or 7-digit (2026084)

Julian Date (YYDDD)

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Full Julian (YYYYDDD)

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Day of Year ---

Astronomical JD

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Modified Julian (MJD) ---

Day of Week ---

Leap Year? ---

UTC Formatted ---

Food & Packaging Lot Code Expiration Decoder

Decode 5-digit (YYDDD) or 7-digit (YYYYDDD) Julian date stamps found on canned food, beverage cans, dairy cartons, pharmaceuticals, and shipping boxes.

Enter Lot Code / Batch Stamp e.g. 26084, 26084-A, 2026084

Add Shelf Life (Optional) Calculates exact Best-By Date

Astronomical Julian Day (JD) & Modified Julian Day (MJD)

High-precision astronomical time calculations. Julian Day 0 started at Greenwich Mean Noon on January 1, 4713 BC (Proleptic Julian Calendar).

Calendar Date (UTC)

Time (UTC, HH:MM:SS)

Reverse: Convert Astronomical JD to Calendar Date

Enter Astronomical JD Number

Historical Julian Calendar vs. Gregorian Calendar

Convert dates between the historical Old Style (O.S., Julius Caesar) and New Style (N.S., Pope Gregory XIII), accounting for the 10-14 day century drift.

Enter Gregorian Date (New Style)

Enter Julian Calendar Date (Old Style)

Julian Date Math & Difference Calculator

Compute exact days, hours, and duration between two dates, or add/subtract days from a starting Julian date.

Start Date

End Date

Add or Subtract Days to a Date

Starting Date

Number of Days

Resulting Calendar Date ---

Resulting Julian Date ---

Batch Julian Date Converter

Paste multiple dates or Julian numbers (one per line) to convert all of them in bulk, then export to CSV or copy table.

Paste Dates or Julian Codes One per line (e.g. 2026-03-25 or 26084)

365-Day Julian Date Calendar

Complete perpetual calendar mapping every day of the year to its Julian ordinal date.

2026 (365 days)

Day # (DDD)	Calendar Date	Day of Week	Julian Date (YYDDD)	Full Julian (YYYYDDD)	Action

Developer & Excel Cheat Sheet

Quick copy-paste formulas to calculate Julian dates in Excel, Google Sheets, Python, JavaScript, and SQL databases.

-- Convert Date in Cell A1 to 5-Digit Julian Date (YYDDD):
=TEXT(A1,"yy")&TEXT(A1-DATE(YEAR(A1),1,0),"000")

-- Convert Date in Cell A1 to 7-Digit Julian Date (YYYYDDD):
=TEXT(A1,"yyyy")&TEXT(A1-DATE(YEAR(A1),1,0),"000")

-- Reverse: Convert 5-digit Julian Date in A1 back to Standard Date:
=DATE(IF(INT(LEFT(A1,2))>70,1900+INT(LEFT(A1,2)),2000+INT(LEFT(A1,2))),1,RIGHT(A1,3))

from datetime import datetime

# Today's 5-digit Julian Date (YYDDD):
today_yyddd = datetime.utcnow().strftime("%y%j")
print(f"Julian Date: {today_yyddd}")

# Reverse: Parse YYDDD back to datetime:
parsed_date = datetime.strptime("26084", "%y%j")
print(f"Gregorian Date: {parsed_date.strftime('%Y-%m-%d')}")

# Astronomical Julian Date:
def get_astronomical_jd(dt):
    return (dt.timestamp() / 86400.0) + 2440587.5

function getJulianDate(date = new Date()) {
  const start = new Date(Date.UTC(date.getUTCFullYear(), 0, 1));
  const diff = date.getTime() - start.getTime();
  const doy = Math.floor(diff / 86400000) + 1;
  const yy = String(date.getUTCFullYear()).slice(-2);
  return `${yy}${String(doy).padStart(3, '0')}`;
}

console.log(getJulianDate()); // Output: e.g. 26084

-- PostgreSQL:
SELECT TO_CHAR(CURRENT_DATE, 'YYDDD') AS julian_date_5digit;
SELECT TO_CHAR(CURRENT_DATE, 'YYYYDDD') AS julian_date_7digit;

-- MySQL:
SELECT CONCAT(DATE_FORMAT(CURDATE(), '%y'), LPAD(DAYOFYEAR(CURDATE()), 3, '0')) AS julian_date;

-- SQL Server (T-SQL):
SELECT RIGHT(YEAR(GETDATE()), 2) + RIGHT('000' + CAST(DATEPART(DAYOFYEAR, GETDATE()) AS VARCHAR(3)), 3) AS JulianDate;

DateTime now = DateTime.UtcNow;

// 5-Digit Julian Date (YYDDD):
string julianShort = $"{now:yy}{now.DayOfYear:D3}";

// 7-Digit Julian Date (YYYYDDD):
string julianLong = $"{now:yyyy}{now.DayOfYear:D3}";

// Reverse: Convert YYDDD to DateTime
string input = "26084";
int year = 2000 + int.Parse(input.Substring(0, 2));
int doy = int.Parse(input.Substring(2, 3));
DateTime decoded = new DateTime(year, 1, 1).AddDays(doy - 1);

What is a Julian Date? (The 3 Definitions Explained)

When people search for Julian Date, they are usually referring to one of three distinct systems:

1. Ordinal Date (Logistics, Food Packaging & Manufacturing): A format where dates are represented as YYDDD or YYYYDDD (e.g. 26084 for the 84th day of 2026). This is the most common use in supply chains, warehousing, and food expiration dates.

2. Astronomical Julian Day (JD & MJD): Proposed by Joseph Scaliger in 1583, this is a continuous integer and decimal day count starting at Greenwich Mean Noon on January 1, 4713 BC. NASA, astronomers, and satellite software use this to calculate exact elapsed time across centuries.

3. Historical Julian Calendar: Established by Julius Caesar in 45 BC. It was replaced in 1582 by the modern Gregorian Calendar under Pope Gregory XIII due to a 10-day leap year drift.

How to Read a Julian Date on Food Packaging & Canned Goods

Many food items, beverage cans, dairy products, and cosmetics use a 5-digit Julian date code instead of a traditional month/day format. Here is how to decode it:

First 2 Digits: The year of manufacture (e.g., 26 represents 2026, 25 represents 2025).
Last 3 Digits: The sequential day of the year from 001 (January 1st) to 365 (December 31st), or 366 in a leap year.

For example, if you see the code 26084 stamped on a can of soup, it was produced on the 84th day of 2026, which corresponds to March 25, 2026. Use our Food Lot Code Decoder above to calculate the exact expiration date automatically.

Why Do Astronomers Use Julian Day Numbers?

Standard calendar dates are messy for computers and telescopes: months have varying lengths (28, 29, 30, 31 days), leap years skip century marks unless divisible by 400, and historic calendars skipped days entirely during the 1582 Gregorian transition.

The Astronomical Julian Day (JD) solves this by counting days sequentially as a simple decimal number. To find the exact number of days between two events (such as solar eclipses thousands of years apart), scientists simply subtract the two Julian day numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

In logistics, warehousing, and food manufacturing, today's Julian date is the ordinal date represented in 5-digit format as YYDDD (the two-digit year followed by the 3-digit day of the year) or 7-digit format as YYYYDDD. In astronomy, today's Julian Date (JD) is a continuous decimal count of days elapsed since noon UTC on January 1, 4713 BC. You can view today's live Julian date updating every second in our live ticker at the top of this page.

To calculate a standard 5-digit Julian date (YYDDD):

Year: Take the last two digits of the year (e.g. 26 for 2026).
Day of Year: Sum the days of each completed month up to your target date (e.g., March 25 is 31 days in Jan + 28 days in Feb + 25 days in Mar = 84).
Format: Pad the day to three digits (084).
Combine: Join the year and day to obtain 26084.

For instant conversion without manual calculation, simply use our Calendar ↔ Julian Converter above.

A "Julian date" has three distinct meanings depending on context:

1. Logistics & Manufacturing: An ordinal date (YYDDD or YYYYDDD) indicating the year and sequential day of the year (1 to 365/366). Commonly used for food batch tracking and inventory management.
2. Astronomy & Space Science: A continuous scientific day counter (Julian Day / JD) initiated by Joseph Scaliger in 1583, starting from noon UTC on January 1, 4713 BC, allowing astronomers to calculate elapsed time without calendar quirks.
3. Historical Julian Calendar: The 365.25-day calendar system created by Julius Caesar in 45 BC, which served the Western world until replaced by the Gregorian calendar in 1582.

To read the 2026 Julian calendar, look up any calendar date to find its corresponding Day of the Year number (from 1 to 365, since 2026 is a standard non-leap year):

January 1: Day 001 → Julian Date 26001
February 1: Day 032 → Julian Date 26032
March 1: Day 060 → Julian Date 26060
December 31: Day 365 → Julian Date 26365

You can search, filter, or print our complete 365-Day Julian Calendar Table below for quick reference.

Manufacturers stamp Julian date codes on canned food, beverage cans, dairy items, eggs, and cosmetics to indicate the production batch. To read it:

Read Year: The first 2 digits represent the production year (e.g. 26 = 2026).
Read Day: The last 3 digits represent the day of the year (001 = Jan 1, 084 = Mar 25, 365 = Dec 31).
Calculate Expiration: Add the product's expected shelf-life (e.g., 2 years for canned goods, 180 days for chips) to that manufacture date to find the true expiration date.

You can enter any stamped code into our Food Lot Code Decoder above to get the manufacture date, add your product's shelf life, and see whether it is fresh or expired.

Today's logistics Julian date is shown live in the top ticker above in both 5-digit (YYDDD) and 7-digit (YYYYDDD) formats. The value updates automatically based on the current UTC day of the year.

Take the first two digits for the year (e.g., 26 → 2026) and the remaining three digits for the day of the year. Count forward from January 1st by that number of days. Alternatively, simply paste the code into our Calendar ↔ Julian Converter or Lot Code Decoder above for an instant result.

No, 2026 is a standard year with 365 days. The previous leap year was 2024 (366 days), and the next leap year will be 2028 (366 days).

The Modified Julian Date (MJD) was introduced by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in 1957. It simplifies astronomical numbers by subtracting 2,400,000.5 days from the standard Julian Day (MJD = JD − 2400000.5). This shifts the day start from noon to midnight UTC and reduces the number of digits.

Several Eastern Orthodox Churches still determine liturgical feasts using the historical Julian calendar. Due to the 13-day discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendars, December 25 on the Julian calendar corresponds to January 7 on the Gregorian calendar.