Retrogrades in Astrology: What They Are and What They Mean
A planet is retrograde when, seen from Earth, it appears to move backwards through the zodiac for a while. It does not actually reverse; the effect comes from Earth and the planet moving at different speeds around the Sun. Astrology reads retrograde periods as times to review, revise and return to unfinished business.
Why planets appear to move backwards
Earth overtakes the outer planets on its inside track, so for a few months each year Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the rest seem to drift backwards against the stars. Mercury and Venus, which orbit inside Earth, appear to reverse when they pass between Earth and the Sun. Each retrograde starts and ends at a station, when the planet seems to stand still.
How often each planet is retrograde
The Sun and Moon are never retrograde.
- Mercury: three or four times a year, about three weeks each.
- Venus: every 19 months or so, about six weeks.
- Mars: every 26 months or so, about ten weeks.
- Jupiter: every year, about four months.
- Saturn: every year, about four and a half months.
- Uranus, Neptune and Pluto: every year, five to six months.
Dates for each planet
Each page shows whether the planet is retrograde now, the next retrograde and past ones, from the ephemeris.
Retrograde planets in a birth chart
If a planet was retrograde when you were born, astrologers read its themes as more inward or delayed: a retrograde Mercury thinks things through privately before speaking. It is common, especially for the outer planets, and not a flaw.
Find yours
Which planets are retrograde today and when each one turns direct. Current transits
See which retrogrades touch your chart
A retrograde matters most when it crosses one of your natal planets. A Precision Horoscope shows you when that happens. Get my free personal reading