Saturn retrograde · 2038
Saturn retrograde 2038: dates, degrees and what it means for each sign
Everything about Saturn retrograde in 2038 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 2038 Saturn is retrograde until May 11; the retrograde began on December 26, 2037. It runs from 16°15′ Virgo to 9°23′ Virgo. Astrologers read it as a time to review commitments, limits, responsibility and long-term structure. The opposition, the midpoint, falls on March 3, 2038.
Saturn retrograde 2038: the dates
- December 26, 2037 – May 11, 2038 (135 days). Saturn stations retrograde on December 26, 2037 at about 11:30 UTC, at 16°15′ Virgo. Saturn stations direct on May 11, 2038 at about 06:20 UTC, at 9°23′ Virgo.
Saturn is retrograde once a year, for about four and a half months. Compared with the previous retrograde (Dec 13, 2036 – Apr 27, 2037), this one begins about 13° further along the zodiac, still in Virgo.
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).
Saturn retrograde Dec 26, 2037 – May 11, 2038: key dates
| Date (UTC) | What happens |
|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2037 | Pre-retrograde shadow begins: Saturn first crosses 9°23′ Virgo, the degree where it will later turn direct |
| Dec 26, 2037, about 11:30 UTC | Saturn stations retrograde at 16°15′ Virgo |
| Mar 3, 2038 | Opposition: Saturn is opposite the Sun at 12° Virgo, closest to Earth and visible all night; the midpoint of the retrograde |
| May 11, 2038, about 06:20 UTC | Saturn stations direct at 9°23′ Virgo |
| Aug 16, 2038 | Post-retrograde shadow ends: Saturn passes 16°15′ Virgo 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. Saturn is almost motionless around a station, so the time is given to the nearest 10 minutes; the date is firm.
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:
- Dec 26, 2037 – May 11, 2038: Mercury (Mar 18 – Apr 10, 2038), Venus (Dec 14, 2037 – Jan 24, 2038), Jupiter (Nov 16, 2037 – Mar 15, 2038), Uranus (Oct 30, 2037 – Mar 28, 2038), Neptune (Aug 1, 2037 – Jan 6, 2038).
The whole year is on the retrograde calendar 2038.
What Saturn retrograde means in 2038
In astrology Saturn stands for commitments, limits, responsibility and long-term structure. Saturn retrograde is read as an audit: obligations you took on are tested, foundations get reworked, and lessons you thought were finished come back for a proper answer. In Virgo the subject is work, routines, health habits and attention to detail.
Who notices it most. For Dec 26, 2037 – May 11, 2038 astrologers look first at people with the Sun, Moon, rising sign or personal planets between 9° and 16° of Virgo, and at the same degrees of Gemini, Sagittarius and Pisces. Everyone else can read it through the house it falls in, below.
What to do
Review commitments, contracts and long-term plans, and fix the weak points you already know about. It is a better time to renegotiate a responsibility than to walk away from it in frustration. The longer guide, with the astronomy and the reading of a natal Saturn retrograde, is on the Saturn retrograde page.
Saturn retrograde Dec 26, 2037 – May 11, 2038 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: Saturn covers 9° Virgo to 16° Virgo, and the Sun moves about one degree a day, so the dates are approximate.
Aries: 6th house
Area of life: daily work, routines and health habits. Workload, routines and health habits reach a limit. What to do: redesign your schedule so you can sustain it, book the check-ups you postponed, and say no to extra duties.
Saturn makes no major angle to a Aries Sun this time, so the house carries the reading.
Taurus: 5th house
Area of life: romance, creativity, children and fun. Creative work, dating and children ask for commitment instead of spontaneity. What to do: give a creative practice regular hours, and decide what you are prepared to commit to in love.
Easier for Taurus born around April 29 – May 7 (Sun at 9°–16°): Saturn trines your Sun.
Gemini: 4th house
Area of life: home, family, roots and where you live. Home and family duties: a lease, a mortgage, care for a parent, the foundations of your private life. What to do: fix the structural things at home, in the house and in the family, and renegotiate who carries what.
Strongest for Gemini born around May 30 – June 7 (Sun at 9°–16°): Saturn squares your Sun.
Cancer: 3rd house
Area of life: communication, learning, siblings and short trips. How you learn, speak and handle paperwork, and an obligation to a sibling or a neighbour. What to do: finish the qualification or the document you owe, and choose your words with care.
Easier for Cancer born around June 30 – July 8 (Sun at 9°–16°): Saturn sextiles your Sun.
Leo: 2nd house
Area of life: money, income, possessions and self-worth. Income, savings and self-worth are audited, and what you thought was secure is tested. What to do: rebuild the budget from the ground up, pay down what you can, and price your work properly.
Saturn makes no major angle to a Leo Sun this time, so the house carries the reading.
Virgo: 1st house
Area of life: your body, identity and how you come across. You feel the weight of your own standards; identity, body and self-discipline are being rebuilt. What to do: set fewer rules and keep them, and look after sleep, posture and basic health.
Strongest for Virgo born around September 1–9 (Sun at 9°–16°): Saturn retrogrades over your Sun.
Libra: 12th house
Area of life: rest, solitude, endings and what you keep private. Old fears, isolation and unfinished endings: the things you carry alone. What to do: get proper rest and proper help, and finish what has been waiting to be closed.
Saturn makes no major angle to a Libra Sun this time, so the house carries the reading.
Scorpio: 11th house
Area of life: friends, groups and long-term hopes. Friendships and groups thin out, and long-term goals need a realistic timetable. What to do: keep the friends who show up, leave the committee that drains you, and put dates on your plans.
Easier for Scorpio born around November 1–9 (Sun at 9°–16°): Saturn sextiles your Sun.
Sagittarius: 10th house
Area of life: career, reputation and public role. Career, reputation and responsibility: the role you hold and whether you still want it. What to do: review long-term career plans, repair your professional foundations, and take responsibility where it is yours.
Strongest for Sagittarius born around December 1–9 (Sun at 9°–16°): Saturn squares your Sun.
Capricorn: 9th house
Area of life: travel, study, beliefs and publishing. A degree, a legal matter or a long journey meets delays, and your beliefs are tested by reality. What to do: complete the study or the application step by step, and keep the principles that hold up.
Easier for Capricorn born around December 31 – January 8 (Sun at 9°–16°): Saturn trines your Sun.
Aquarius: 8th house
Area of life: shared money, debts, intimacy and trust. Debts, taxes, inheritance and shared obligations come due, and so does a fear you have been avoiding. What to do: make a repayment plan, put the paperwork in order, and be honest about what you owe and are owed.
Saturn makes no major angle to a Aquarius Sun this time, so the house carries the reading.
Pisces: 7th house
Area of life: partnerships, marriage and one-to-one relationships. A partnership is tested: commitment, distance, and what each of you is responsible for. What to do: rework the agreements in a relationship or a business partnership, and decide what you are both building.
Strongest for Pisces born around February 27 – March 7 (Sun at 9°–16°): Saturn is opposite your Sun.
Saturn retrograde 2038: questions
When is Saturn retrograde in 2038?
In 2038: until May 11 (in Virgo, since December 26, 2037). Dates are UTC.
When does Saturn go direct in 2038?
Saturn stations direct on May 11, 2038 at about 06:20 UTC, at 9°23′ Virgo.
Which sign is Saturn retrograde in during 2038?
Dec 26, 2037 – May 11, 2038: from 16°15′ Virgo back to 9°23′ Virgo.
When is the Saturn retrograde shadow period in 2038?
For the Dec 26, 2037 – May 11, 2038 retrograde the pre-shadow begins on September 22, 2037 and the post-shadow ends on August 16, 2038.
When is Saturn at opposition in 2038?
On March 3, 2038, at 12° Virgo. Saturn 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 Saturn retrograde in 2038?
For Dec 26, 2037 – May 11, 2038 astrologers look first at people with the Sun, Moon, rising sign or personal planets between 9° and 16° of Virgo, and at the same degrees of Gemini, Sagittarius and Pisces. Others feel it through the house it falls in for their rising sign.
Is Saturn retrograde in 2039?
Yes: January 8 – May 25, 2039.
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 LaboratorySaturn in 2038, computed from JPL Horizons positions: retrograde 2037-12-26 11:33 UTC at 16°15′ Virgo, direct 2038-05-11 06:19 UTC at 9°23′ Virgo
- Saturn: Facts · NASA ScienceSaturn makes a complete orbit around the Sun in about 29.4 Earth years (10,756 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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