What is today's Julian date?

The two large numbers at the top of the page: the ordinal stamp, YYDDD, first, then the Julian Day Number, both for today as your device's calendar reads it. The stamp is the two-digit year followed by the day of the year, so on 2 September 2026 it is 26245. The Julian Day Number the same day is 2461286.

Which of the two numbers is the Julian date on my packaging?

If the printed code is a day-of-year stamp, use the ordinal result. A three-digit code is the day alone; YYDDD adds a two-digit year. The Julian Day Number is a separate astronomical count. This page does not determine expiration or shelf life.

Why does the page show the date from my calendar rather than UTC?

Today follows the local calendar date reported by your device. Near midnight it can differ from the UTC date. The astronomical JD in the result list is specifically for midnight UTC on that chosen date.

Does today's Julian date change at midnight?

The page reads your current date once when it opens. After local midnight, press Today or reload to refresh it. The ordinal stamp and the day number refer to the chosen calendar day; the JD output is labelled for midnight UTC.

How do I convert a different date, or a stamp back to a date?

Pick any date in the Date field to see its two numbers. Switch the Mode to Ordinal to date and type a stamp such as 26245, or a bare day number such as 245 for this year, to read it back to a calendar date. Switch to JDN to date and type a Julian Day Number, or a Modified Julian Date, to do the same from the astronomical side.

Today's Julian Date

See today's ordinal stamp and astronomical Julian Day Number, read from your device's calendar when the page opens. The results also list the old Julian calendar date, the three-digit day number and the Julian Date at midnight UTC. Press Today to refresh after midnight.

Julian dateLoading today's date.

Mode

Date

Choose the meaning of Julian date. Ordinal stamps count days within a Gregorian year. Astronomical day numbers count days continuously. The Julian calendar uses its own leap-year rule. Gregorian output years run from 0001 to 9999, or Julian Day Number 1721426 to 5373484. Calendar conversion extends both calendars throughout that range, without a country-specific switch.

Common questions

What is today's Julian date?: The two large numbers at the top of the page: the ordinal stamp, YYDDD, first, then the Julian Day Number, both for today as your device's calendar reads it. The stamp is the two-digit year followed by the day of the year, so on 2 September 2026 it is 26245. The Julian Day Number the same day is 2461286.
Which of the two numbers is the Julian date on my packaging?: If the printed code is a day-of-year stamp, use the ordinal result. A three-digit code is the day alone; YYDDD adds a two-digit year. The Julian Day Number is a separate astronomical count. This page does not determine expiration or shelf life.
Why does the page show the date from my calendar rather than UTC?: Today follows the local calendar date reported by your device. Near midnight it can differ from the UTC date. The astronomical JD in the result list is specifically for midnight UTC on that chosen date.
Does today's Julian date change at midnight?: The page reads your current date once when it opens. After local midnight, press Today or reload to refresh it. The ordinal stamp and the day number refer to the chosen calendar day; the JD output is labelled for midnight UTC.
How do I convert a different date, or a stamp back to a date?: Pick any date in the Date field to see its two numbers. Switch the Mode to Ordinal to date and type a stamp such as 26245, or a bare day number such as 245 for this year, to read it back to a calendar date. Switch to JDN to date and type a Julian Day Number, or a Modified Julian Date, to do the same from the astronomical side.

Exact. The ordinal date counts days from 1 January, and the Julian Day Number uses the standard Gregorian algorithm; both are checked against known dates in the tests.