Mars retrograde · 2040
Mars retrograde 2040: dates, degrees and what it means for each sign
Everything about Mars retrograde in 2040 in one place: the exact station dates and degrees, the shadow periods, which other planets are retrograde at the same time, and a reading with practical advice for each of the twelve signs.
In 2040 Mars is retrograde until February 9; the retrograde began on November 23, 2039. It runs from 21°45′ Cancer to 3°02′ Cancer. Astrologers read it as a time to review drive, desire, anger and how you go after things. The opposition, the midpoint, falls on January 2, 2040.
Mars retrograde 2040: the dates
- November 23, 2039 – February 9, 2040 (77 days). Mars stations retrograde on November 23, 2039 at 20:48 UTC, at 21°45′ Cancer. Mars stations direct on February 9, 2040 at 11:48 UTC, at 3°02′ Cancer.
Mars is retrograde about every 26 months, for 9 to 12 weeks: about 9% of the time.
Times are UTC. Nothing reverses in space: retrograde motion is the apparent backward drift a planet shows when Earth overtakes it (or, for Mercury and Venus, when the planet overtakes Earth).
Mars retrograde Nov 23, 2039 – Feb 9, 2040: key dates
| Date (UTC) | What happens |
|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2039 | Pre-retrograde shadow begins: Mars first crosses 3°02′ Cancer, the degree where it will later turn direct |
| Nov 23, 2039, 20:48 UTC | Mars stations retrograde at 21°45′ Cancer |
| Jan 2, 2040 | Opposition: Mars is opposite the Sun at 11° Cancer, closest to Earth and visible all night; the midpoint of the retrograde |
| Feb 9, 2040, 11:48 UTC | Mars stations direct at 3°02′ Cancer |
| Apr 15, 2040 | Post-retrograde shadow ends: Mars passes 21°45′ Cancer again and covers new ground |
Computed from NASA JPL Horizons. A station in the first hours of a UTC day falls on the previous evening in the Americas.
What else is retrograde at the same time
Retrogrades overlap, and astrologers read them together. These planets are also retrograde during at least part of each period:
- Nov 23, 2039 – Feb 9, 2040: Jupiter (Jan 16 – May 18, 2040), Saturn (Jan 21 – Jun 6, 2040), Uranus (Nov 8, 2039 – Apr 5, 2040), Neptune (Aug 6, 2039 – Jan 11, 2040).
The whole year is on the retrograde calendar 2040.
What Mars retrograde means in 2040
In astrology Mars stands for drive, desire, anger and how you go after things. Mars retrograde is read as energy turned inward: projects stall and need rework, old conflicts come back for a better ending, and you ask what you are actually fighting for. In Cancer the subject is home, family, belonging and emotional security.
Who notices it most. For Nov 23, 2039 – Feb 9, 2040 astrologers look first at people with the Sun, Moon, rising sign or personal planets between 3° and 21° of Cancer, and at the same degrees of Aries, Libra and Capricorn. Everyone else can read it through the house it falls in, below.
What to do
Finish, repair and rework what is already in motion, and pace your training and rest. Leave optional fights, ultimatums and ventures that depend on speed until Mars is direct. The longer guide, with the astronomy and the reading of a natal Mars retrograde, is on the Mars retrograde page.
Mars retrograde Nov 23, 2039 – Feb 9, 2040 for each sign
Read your rising sign first if you know it, since it sets the houses; then your Sun sign. Houses are counted from your sign in whole-sign style. The birthdays show whose Sun the retrograde touches directly: Mars covers 3° Cancer to 21° Cancer, and the Sun moves about one degree a day, so the dates are approximate.
Aries: 4th house
Area of life: home, family, roots and where you live. Tension at home, an old family quarrel, repairs that stall. What to do: fix what is broken in the house and settle the old dispute calmly; delay a renovation you could start later.
Strongest for Aries born around March 23 – April 11 (Sun at 3°–21°): Mars squares your Sun.
Taurus: 3rd house
Area of life: communication, learning, siblings and short trips. Sharp words, arguments by message and risky haste on the road. What to do: say it later and shorter, drive and cycle with patience, and finish the paperwork you keep avoiding.
Easier for Taurus born around April 23 – May 12 (Sun at 3°–21°): Mars sextiles your Sun.
Gemini: 2nd house
Area of life: money, income, possessions and self-worth. Frustration about money and effort: working hard for too little, or spending on impulse. What to do: rework how you earn rather than only working more, and wait a day before a purchase made in irritation.
Mars makes no major angle to a Gemini Sun this time, so the house carries the reading.
Cancer: 1st house
Area of life: your body, identity and how you come across. Your energy and temper are uneven, and you question how you assert yourself and what you are chasing. What to do: pace your training and rest, and decide what you actually want before you push for it.
Strongest for Cancer born around June 24 – July 13 (Sun at 3°–21°): Mars retrogrades over your Sun.
Leo: 12th house
Area of life: rest, solitude, endings and what you keep private. Anger you have been swallowing, exhaustion, working against yourself. What to do: rest properly, find a physical outlet, and look honestly at what you have been avoiding.
Mars makes no major angle to a Leo Sun this time, so the house carries the reading.
Virgo: 11th house
Area of life: friends, groups and long-term hopes. Tension in a group or a friendship, and goals that lose their pull. What to do: step back from a draining group, and drop one goal that was never really yours.
Easier for Virgo born around August 26 – September 14 (Sun at 3°–21°): Mars sextiles your Sun.
Libra: 10th house
Area of life: career, reputation and public role. Career drive stalls or turns into conflict with a boss, and ambitions are re-evaluated. What to do: rework your strategy and your workload, and avoid resigning in anger.
Strongest for Libra born around September 26 – October 15 (Sun at 3°–21°): Mars squares your Sun.
Scorpio: 9th house
Area of life: travel, study, beliefs and publishing. Arguments about beliefs, legal or travel plans that stall, a course you stopped. What to do: return to the study or the application, and pick your battles about being right.
Easier for Scorpio born around October 26 – November 14 (Sun at 3°–21°): Mars trines your Sun.
Sagittarius: 8th house
Area of life: shared money, debts, intimacy and trust. Power struggles about shared money, debt or intimacy, and resentment that has been building. What to do: renegotiate a shared obligation and say what you want directly; avoid financial moves made in anger.
Mars makes no major angle to a Sagittarius Sun this time, so the house carries the reading.
Capricorn: 7th house
Area of life: partnerships, marriage and one-to-one relationships. A conflict with a partner, a rival or a client comes back for a proper ending. What to do: fight fair and listen; end an old argument instead of opening a new one.
Strongest for Capricorn born around December 24 – January 13 (Sun at 3°–21°): Mars is opposite your Sun.
Aquarius: 6th house
Area of life: daily work, routines and health habits. Overwork, friction with colleagues and a training routine that no longer suits your body. What to do: cut the workload to what matters, redesign your exercise plan, and rest when you are run down.
Mars makes no major angle to a Aquarius Sun this time, so the house carries the reading.
Pisces: 5th house
Area of life: romance, creativity, children and fun. Desire and pride: a lover from the past, competition, a creative project you abandoned in frustration. What to do: go back to the project and finish it, and keep rivalry playful.
Easier for Pisces born around February 21 – March 12 (Sun at 3°–21°): Mars trines your Sun.
Mars retrograde 2040: questions
When is Mars retrograde in 2040?
In 2040: until February 9 (in Cancer, since November 23, 2039). Dates are UTC.
When does Mars go direct in 2040?
Mars stations direct on February 9, 2040 at 11:48 UTC, at 3°02′ Cancer.
Which sign is Mars retrograde in during 2040?
Nov 23, 2039 – Feb 9, 2040: from 21°45′ Cancer back to 3°02′ Cancer.
When is the Mars retrograde shadow period in 2040?
For the Nov 23, 2039 – Feb 9, 2040 retrograde the pre-shadow begins on September 24, 2039 and the post-shadow ends on April 15, 2040.
When is Mars at opposition in 2040?
On January 2, 2040, at 11° Cancer. Mars is then opposite the Sun, closest to Earth for the year and visible all night; it is the midpoint of the retrograde.
Who is most affected by Mars retrograde in 2040?
For Nov 23, 2039 – Feb 9, 2040 astrologers look first at people with the Sun, Moon, rising sign or personal planets between 3° and 21° of Cancer, and at the same degrees of Aries, Libra and Capricorn. Others feel it through the house it falls in for their rising sign.
Is Mars retrograde in 2041?
Yes: December 28, 2041 – March 18, 2042.
Sources
The checkable facts on this page come from these external sources. The astrological interpretation is our own.
- Horizons System (planetary ephemeris service) · NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryMars in 2040, computed from JPL Horizons positions: retrograde 2039-11-23 20:48 UTC at 21°45′ Cancer, direct 2040-02-09 11:48 UTC at 3°02′ Cancer
- Mars: Facts · NASA ScienceA year on Mars lasts 687 Earth days
- What does it mean for Mercury to be in retrograde? · NASARetrograde motion is an apparent change in a planet's movement through the sky; the planet does not physically move backwards in its orbit
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