-
Uranus
- Start of Retrograde Motion
- Sep 1, 2024, 3:17 PM UTC · 27°15′ Taurus
- Return to Direct Motion
- Jan 30, 2025, 4:22 PM UTC · 23°16′ Taurus
- Duration
- 151 days
- Shadow Period
- May 16, 2024 - May 17, 2025
-
Jupiter
- Start of Retrograde Motion
- Oct 9, 2024, 7:04 AM UTC · 21°20′ Gemini
- Return to Direct Motion
- Feb 4, 2025, 9:40 AM UTC · 11°17′ Gemini
- Duration
- 118 days
- Shadow Period
- July 15, 2024 - April 30, 2025
-
Mars
- Start of Retrograde Motion
- Dec 6, 2024, 11:33 PM UTC · 6°10′ Leo
- Return to Direct Motion
- Feb 24, 2025, 1:59 AM UTC · 17°01′ Cancer
- Duration
- 79 days
- Shadow Period
- October 5, 2024 - May 2, 2025
-
Venus
- Start of Retrograde Motion
- Mar 2, 2025, 12:36 AM UTC · 10°50′ Aries
- Return to Direct Motion
- Apr 13, 2025, 1:02 AM UTC · 24°37′ Pisces
- Duration
- 42 days
- Shadow Period
- January 28, 2025 - May 16, 2025
-
Mercury
- Start of Retrograde Motion
- Mar 15, 2025, 6:46 AM UTC · 9°35′ Aries
- Return to Direct Motion
- Apr 7, 2025, 11:07 AM UTC · 26°50′ Pisces
- Duration
- 23 days
- Shadow Period
- March 1, 2025 - April 26, 2025
-
Pluto
- Start of Retrograde Motion
- May 4, 2025, 3:27 PM UTC · 3°49′ Aquarius
- Return to Direct Motion
- Oct 14, 2025, 2:52 AM UTC · 1°22′ Aquarius
- Duration
- 163 days
- Shadow Period
- January 10, 2025 - February 4, 2026
-
Neptune
- Start of Retrograde Motion
- Jul 4, 2025, 9:33 PM UTC · 2°11′ Aries
- Return to Direct Motion
- Dec 10, 2025, 12:23 PM UTC · 29°22′ Pisces
- Duration
- 159 days
- Shadow Period
- March 13, 2025 - March 31, 2026
-
Saturn
- Start of Retrograde Motion
- Jul 13, 2025, 4:07 AM UTC · 1°56′ Aries
- Return to Direct Motion
- Nov 28, 2025, 3:51 AM UTC · 25°09′ Pisces
- Duration
- 138 days
- Shadow Period
- April 6, 2025 - March 2, 2026
-
Mercury
- Start of Retrograde Motion
- Jul 18, 2025, 4:45 AM UTC · 15°35′ Leo
- Return to Direct Motion
- Aug 11, 2025, 7:29 AM UTC · 4°15′ Leo
- Duration
- 24 days
- Shadow Period
- June 30, 2025 - August 25, 2025
-
Uranus
- Start of Retrograde Motion
- Sep 6, 2025, 4:51 AM UTC · 1°28′ Gemini
- Return to Direct Motion
- Feb 4, 2026, 2:33 AM UTC · 27°28′ Taurus
- Duration
- 151 days
- Shadow Period
- May 20, 2025 - May 21, 2026
-
Mercury
- Start of Retrograde Motion
- Nov 9, 2025, 7:01 PM UTC · 6°52′ Sagittarius
- Return to Direct Motion
- Nov 29, 2025, 5:38 PM UTC · 20°42′ Scorpio
- Duration
- 20 days
- Shadow Period
- October 21, 2025 - December 17, 2025
-
Jupiter
- Start of Retrograde Motion
- Nov 11, 2025, 4:41 PM UTC · 25°09′ Cancer
- Return to Direct Motion
- Mar 11, 2026, 3:29 AM UTC · 15°05′ Cancer
- Duration
- 120 days
- Shadow Period
- August 17, 2025 - June 6, 2026
Time in UTC. Degree indicated at the moment of station: the planet stops exactly at it and moves backward from it.
What is retrograde motion
Retrograde motion is the apparent backward movement of a planet through the zodiac. Physically, the planet continues to move in its orbit in the same direction, but from Earth it appears to shift backward relative to the stars for several weeks or months. The moments when the apparent direction changes are called stations: the retrograde station opens the period, the direct station closes it.
Why retrograde motion occurs
The Earth and another planet move in their orbits at different speeds. When the Earth overtakes an inner planet or overtakes an outer planet, the direction of view from Earth to the planet reverses, and the planet lags behind the stars for several weeks. Therefore, retrograde motion is strictly periodic: Mercury is retrograde three times a year for three weeks, Venus once every 19 months, outer planets every year for several months.
Shadow period
Before the station, the planet already passes through the degrees it will later go back through, and after returning to direct motion, it passes through them for the third time. The period from the first passage of the degree of the future direct station to the return to the degree of the retrograde station is called the shadow period. It is indicated separately in the table: Mercury's shadow period lasts about two months, as opposed to three weeks of the retrograde period itself.
How to use these dates
The dates of the stations themselves do not say anything about your chart: the meaning is in the degree at which the planet stops, and the house where this degree falls. Compare the degree of the station with the positions of your planets: a station within one degree of a natal planet is noticeable, a station in an empty section of the chart usually passes into the background.
What retrograde motion of each planet means
Mercury
Retrograde three times a year, on average for 21 days. This is the most frequent retrograde and the least dramatic: it returns to what has already been started, rather than stopping something new. The practical meaning is simple: letters, contracts, trips, and equipment require a second pass, because the first one passes by unnoticed.
Venus
Retrograde about once every 19 months for approximately 41 days, which means it skips entire years. During the period, it passes through the same section of the zodiac three times and disappears from the evening sky for several weeks to return as a morning star. The theme of the period is a review of values in relationships, money, and one's own appearance.
Mars
Retrograde about once every 26 months for 60-80 days, so in many years, it does not have retrograde periods at all. Mars is responsible for direct motion towards a goal, and in reverse motion, decisions made at speed return for review. This is most accurately felt by those whose Mars falls under the station in their chart.
Jupiter
Retrograde every year for about four months. Jupiter expands, and retrograde returns this expansion inward: instead of new scales, the period asks whether what has already been grown can withstand resistance.
Saturn
Retrograde every year for approximately 140 days. Saturn in reverse motion checks the structure: obligations, deadlines, and boundaries taken formally show during this period where they do not hold.
Uranus
Retrograde every year for about 150 days, which means almost half a year. In the outer planets, retrograde describes generations, not weeks: it is noticeable where the degree of the station coincides with a sensitive point of the chart.
Neptune
Retrograde every year for about 158 days. Neptune moves slowly, and the station stands for years almost in the same degree: the meaning is not in the retrograde itself, but in whether this degree falls on your planet or cusp.
Pluto
Retrograde every year for about 160 days. In a year, Pluto passes through two or three degrees, so its retrograde is not a weekly event, but a long cycle: it is noticeable only in a chart where the station stands on a natal degree.