Mercury retrograde
Three or four times a year, about three weeks. Communication, travel and tech. Dates 2026–2042.
Transit guide · calendar 2026–2027
Retrograde planets: calendar, dates and what each one means
A planet is retrograde when it appears to move backwards through the zodiac as seen from Earth. This page is the calendar for all of them: every retrograde of 2026 and 2027 with dates and degrees, how often and how long each planet does it, and where to read more about the ones people actually feel.
Quick answer
A retrograde is a period when a planet appears to move backwards from Earth's viewpoint. In October 2026 Venus (October 3 – November 13) and Mercury (October 24 – November 13) are retrograde together, with Uranus, Neptune and Saturn also retrograde. Mars is not retrograde in 2026; its next retrograde starts on January 10, 2027.
Is anything in retrograde right now?
Computed in your browser from NASA JPL Horizons positions (UTC dates). The app adds your own chart: which of these retrogrades touch your planets.
Key sky dates, late 2026 – early 2027
The transits most people feel in decisions, relationships and money.
Oct 3 – Nov 13, 2026
Venus retrograde in Scorpio
Ex-energy, re-evaluated relationships and money. Review, don't launch.
Oct 10, 2026
New Moon in Libra
Set intentions about partnership, fairness and beauty.
Oct 24 – Nov 13, 2026
Mercury retrograde in Scorpio
Double-check contracts, back up files, expect old conversations to return.
Oct 26, 2026
Full Moon in Taurus
Release around money, comfort and stubbornness; fixed signs feel it most.
Nov 9, 2026
New Moon in Scorpio
Deep resets in intimacy and shared resources.
Dec 24, 2026
Full Moon in Cancer
Family, home and emotional closure before the year turns.
Feb 2027
Eclipse season
Fast changes on the Leo–Aquarius axis. Check which house it hits in your chart.
Guides by planet
Venus retrograde
Every 19 months, about six weeks. Love, values and money in review. Dates 2026–2042.
Mars retrograde
Every 26 months, nine to twelve weeks. Drive, anger and effort. None in 2026; next January 2027. Dates 2026–2042.
Jupiter retrograde
Once a year, about four months. Growth, beliefs and plans that got too big. Dates 2026–2042.
Saturn retrograde
Once a year, four and a half months. Commitments, limits and long-term structure. Dates 2026–2042.
Uranus retrograde
Once a year, about five months. Change, freedom and what you have outgrown. Dates 2026–2042.
Neptune retrograde
Once a year, a little over five months. Dreams, ideals and illusions. Dates 2026–2042.
Pluto retrograde
Once a year, five and a half months. Power, control and deep change. Dates 2026–2042.
Venus retrograde 2026
October 3 – November 13 in Scorpio and Libra: exact degrees, effects by sign, what to do.
Mercury retrograde, October 2026
October 24 – November 13 in Scorpio, overlapping Venus retrograde.
What is retrograde right now?
The live answer for today, for all eight planets.
The shadow period
What happens before and after a retrograde, with Mercury's shadow dates to 2030.
Retrograde calendar 2026–2027
| Planet | Stations retrograde (UTC) | Stations direct (UTC) | From → to | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uranus | Sep 6, 2025 | Feb 4, 2026 | 1° Gemini → 27° Taurus | 150 days |
| Jupiter | Nov 11, 2025 | Mar 11, 2026 | 25° Cancer → 15° Cancer | 119 days |
| Mercury | Feb 26, 2026 | Mar 20, 2026 | 22° Pisces → 8° Pisces | 22 days |
| Pluto | May 6, 2026 | Oct 16, 2026 | 5° Aquarius → 3° Aquarius | 162 days |
| Mercury | Jun 29, 2026 | Jul 23, 2026 | 26° Cancer → 16° Cancer | 24 days |
| Neptune | Jul 7, 2026 | Dec 12, 2026 | 4° Aries → 1° Aries | 158 days |
| Saturn | Jul 26, 2026 | Dec 10, 2026 | 14° Aries → 7° Aries | 137 days |
| Uranus | Sep 10, 2026 | Feb 8, 2027 | 5° Gemini → 1° Gemini | 150 days |
| Venus | Oct 3, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | 8° Scorpio → 22° Libra | 41 days |
| Mercury | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 | 20° Scorpio → 5° Scorpio | 20 days |
| Jupiter | Dec 13, 2026 | Apr 13, 2027 | 27° Leo → 16° Leo | 121 days |
| Mars | Jan 10, 2027 | Apr 1, 2027 | 10° Virgo → 20° Leo | 81 days |
| Mercury | Feb 9, 2027 | Mar 3, 2027 | 5° Pisces → 20° Aquarius | 21 days |
| Pluto | May 8, 2027 | Oct 18, 2027 | 7° Aquarius → 4° Aquarius | 162 days |
| Mercury | Jun 10, 2027 | Jul 4, 2027 | 6° Cancer → 27° Gemini | 24 days |
| Neptune | Jul 9, 2027 | Dec 15, 2027 | 6° Aries → 3° Aries | 158 days |
| Saturn | Aug 9, 2027 | Dec 24, 2027 | 27° Aries → 21° Aries | 136 days |
| Uranus | Sep 15, 2027 | Feb 12, 2028 | 9° Gemini → 5° Gemini | 150 days |
| Mercury | Oct 7, 2027 | Oct 28, 2027 | 4° Scorpio → 19° Libra | 20 days |
Computed from NASA JPL Horizons positions (geocentric apparent longitude, tropical zodiac), dates in UTC. A station that falls shortly after midnight UTC is still the previous evening in the Americas: Venus turns direct at 00:28 UTC on November 14, 2026, which is November 13 in the US.
How often and how long each planet is retrograde
| Planet | How often | Typical length | Usually read as a review of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 3–4 times a year | about 3 weeks | Communication, travel, contracts, technology |
| Venus | every 19 months | about 6 weeks | Love, attraction, values, money |
| Mars | every 26 months | about 11 weeks | Drive, anger, effort, how you go after things |
| Jupiter | once a year | about 4 months | Growth, beliefs, plans that got too big |
| Saturn | once a year | about 4.5 months | Commitments, limits, long-term structure |
| Uranus | once a year | about 5 months | Change, independence, what you outgrew |
| Neptune | once a year | about 5 months | Ideals, illusions, faith |
| Pluto | once a year | about 5.5 months | Power, control, deep change |
Lengths are taken from the 2026–2027 stations above. The outer planets are retrograde for much of every year, so astrologers treat them as background; Mercury, Venus and Mars are the ones people notice.
What retrograde actually means
No planet ever reverses. Retrograde motion is an apparent change of direction, the same effect as a slower car seeming to slide backwards when you overtake it on the highway. For Mercury and Venus it happens when they pass between Earth and the Sun; for Mars and the outer planets it happens when Earth passes between them and the Sun. NASA and Britannica both describe it as an effect of viewpoint, not a physical change in the planet's motion.
Astrology reads the period as a time when the planet's subject matter turns inward: review rather than launch, repair rather than replace. That reading is a tradition people use for reflection. The dates on this page are astronomy and can be checked; the meanings are interpretation.
Which retrogrades matter most
The rarer the retrograde, the more attention it gets. Venus is retrograde only about 7% of the time and Mars about 9%, so those are treated as events. Mercury's three weeks come round every few months and are the best known. The outer planets spend four to five months of every year retrograde, which is why a chart with Saturn or Pluto retrograde is ordinary.
How to use the calendar
Mark the two station dates for the planet you care about, plus the days around them, when the theme is loudest. Then look at where it falls in your own chart: the house it moves through shows which part of life gets the review. The birth chart calculator gives you the houses; the app tracks the transits against them.
Retrograde planets: questions
What planets are retrograde in October 2026?
Venus (October 3 – November 13) and Mercury (October 24 – November 13) are the two that matter most, and they overlap for three weeks. Uranus, Neptune and Saturn are retrograde for the whole month, and Pluto turns direct on October 16. Mars is direct.
Is Mars retrograde in 2026?
No. Mars is direct for all of 2026. Its next retrograde runs from January 10 to April 1, 2027, from 10° Virgo back to 20° Leo.
Do planets really move backwards?
No. Retrograde motion is apparent: it is what a planet's path looks like from Earth when one planet overtakes the other in their orbits. The planet keeps moving the same way around the Sun the whole time.
Which planet is retrograde the most?
The outer planets. Pluto, Neptune and Uranus are each retrograde for about five months of every year, and Saturn and Jupiter for more than four. Venus is retrograde the least, about six weeks every 19 months.
What does a retrograde planet in my birth chart mean?
Astrologers read a natal retrograde planet as that planet working more inwardly: you develop its themes privately and on your own schedule. It is common. Most people have at least one retrograde planet, and it is marked with an R in the chart.
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 LaboratoryStation dates and degrees of every planetary retrograde in 2026–2027, computed from JPL Horizons positions
- 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
- Retrograde motion · Encyclopaedia BritannicaDefinition of retrograde motion as an apparent reversal seen from Earth
- Venus: Facts · NASA ScienceA Venus year takes about 225 Earth days; Venus spins backward compared to Earth, so the Sun rises in the west; it appears as a morning star and an evening star
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AstraLink content is written by our editorial team, reviewed for astrological accuracy, and refreshed as the sky moves. Interpretations are for reflection and entertainment; they are not medical, legal or financial advice.