Retrograde planets

Why a planet appears retrograde

Picture overtaking on a motorway: for a moment the other car seems to roll backwards even though it is still moving forward. That is exactly what happens in the sky. So retrograde motion is not a force that "does" anything — it describes a position in the relationship between Earth and planet, and astrologers interpret that position.

The fast and the slow retrogrades

Mercury is retrograde three or four times a year for about three weeks — the best-known and shortest phase. Venus and Mars take their turn less often but for longer. The outer planets from Jupiter to Pluto spend months retrograde every year; because it lasts so long it is rarely experienced as an event, more as a background tone.

The next retrograde phases

Next up, Mercury stations retrograde on October 24, 2026 in Scorpio. The table shows every coming phase with the degree it starts at, the day it turns direct and its length in days.

How long is a planet retrograde?

It depends on the planet. The table further down shows every phase of 2026 with its actual length. The pattern: the further a planet is from the Sun, the longer its retrograde lasts — Mercury a few weeks, the outer planets several months.

The Sun and Moon are never retrograde. With Mercury, Venus and Mars the phase stands out because it is rare enough; Jupiter through Pluto spend a large part of every year retrograde.

What “retrograde” can mean in everyday life

Astrologically the phase reads as a time of repetition. Whether that fits you is something you can check:

• Mercury: does an old message or a stalled project resurface? The current status is under Mercury retrograde.
• Venus: does someone from the past get in touch, or are you weighing a purchase for the second time?
• Mars: does a plan you started with lots of momentum stall?

Retrogrades in your chart

Whether a phase concerns you depends on the house of your chart it falls in — your birth chart shows it. Which planets are retrograde today is live under planetary positions today; what each planet means is in the planets guide.

Pre-shadow and post-shadow

Before a planet turns retrograde it already travels across the stretch of zodiac it is about to cross again backwards — that is the pre-shadow. After it turns direct it covers the same ground forwards once more, the post-shadow. An example: if Mercury stations retrograde at 20° and direct at 5°, the whole stretch from 5° to 20° lies on its path three times.

That is why many astrologers read a retrograde as an arc over several weeks rather than a single day. The stations themselves — start and end in the table — count as the days it shows most clearly.

Retrograde planets — common questions

Which planet goes retrograde next?

Mercury stations retrograde on October 24, 2026 in Scorpio.

Does a planet really move backwards?

No. From Earth it only looks that way because we overtake it on our orbit, or it overtakes us. The motion is a trick of perspective.

Which planets can go retrograde?

Every planet from Mercury to Pluto. The Sun and Moon never do.

What is a station?

The day a planet appears to stand still and change direction — once at the start of the retrograde phase, once at the end.

Every date

• October 24Mercury Retrograde
• December 13Jupiter Retrograde
• January 10Mars Retrograde
• February 9Mercury Retrograde
• May 8Pluto Retrograde
• June 10Mercury Retrograde
• July 10Neptune Retrograde
• August 9Saturn Retrograde
• September 15Uranus Retrograde
• October 7Mercury Retrograde
• October 3Venus Retrograde
• September 10Uranus Retrograde
• July 26Saturn Retrograde
• July 7Neptune Retrograde
• June 29Mercury Retrograde
• May 6Pluto Retrograde
• February 26Mercury Retrograde