# Retrograde Planets 2026: Station Dates > All 11 retrograde periods of 2026: station dates and degrees, duration, shadow intervals. Calculated with Swiss Ephemeris, times in UTC. Source: https://app.astroway.info/en/retrograde/2026 1. ### 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 2. ### 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 3. ### Mercury Start of Retrograde Motion Feb 26, 2026, 6:48 AM UTC · 22°34′ Pisces Return to Direct Motion Mar 20, 2026, 7:32 PM UTC · 8°29′ Pisces Duration 23 days Shadow Period February 11, 2026 - April 9, 2026 4. ### Pluto Start of Retrograde Motion May 6, 2026, 3:34 PM UTC · 5°31′ Aquarius Return to Direct Motion Oct 16, 2026, 2:40 AM UTC · 3°04′ Aquarius Duration 163 days Shadow Period January 12, 2026 - February 7, 2027 5. ### Mercury Start of Retrograde Motion Jun 29, 2026, 5:35 PM UTC · 26°15′ Cancer Return to Direct Motion Jul 23, 2026, 10:57 PM UTC · 16°19′ Cancer Duration 24 days Shadow Period June 13, 2026 - August 7, 2026 6. ### Neptune Start of Retrograde Motion Jul 7, 2026, 10:54 AM UTC · 4°25′ Aries Return to Direct Motion Dec 12, 2026, 10:17 PM UTC · 1°37′ Aries Duration 159 days Shadow Period March 16, 2026 - April 2, 2027 7. ### Saturn Start of Retrograde Motion Jul 26, 2026, 7:56 PM UTC · 14°45′ Aries Return to Direct Motion Dec 10, 2026, 11:31 PM UTC · 7°56′ Aries Duration 137 days Shadow Period April 20, 2026 - March 15, 2027 8. ### Uranus Start of Retrograde Motion Sep 10, 2026, 6:27 PM UTC · 5°42′ Gemini Return to Direct Motion Feb 8, 2027, 12:29 PM UTC · 1°41′ Gemini Duration 151 days Shadow Period May 25, 2026 - May 26, 2027 9. ### Venus Start of Retrograde Motion Oct 3, 2026, 7:15 AM UTC · 8°29′ Scorpio Return to Direct Motion Nov 14, 2026, 12:27 AM UTC · 22°52′ Libra Duration 42 days Shadow Period August 31, 2026 - December 15, 2026 10. ### Mercury Start of Retrograde Motion Oct 24, 2026, 7:12 AM UTC · 20°59′ Scorpio Return to Direct Motion Nov 13, 2026, 3:53 PM UTC · 5°02′ Scorpio Duration 20 days Shadow Period October 4, 2026 - November 30, 2026 11. ### Jupiter Start of Retrograde Motion Dec 13, 2026, 12:56 AM UTC · 27°01′ Leo Return to Direct Motion Apr 13, 2027, 2:11 AM UTC · 16°60′ Leo Duration 121 days Shadow Period September 17, 2026 - July 11, 2027 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. ### 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. ## Questions and answers How many times a year is Mercury retrograde? Three times a year, sometimes four, each period lasts about three weeks. Exact dates can be found in the table for the respective year: they shift every year because Mercury's cycle is not a multiple of a calendar year. Does the planet really move backward? No, the retrograde motion is apparent. It occurs due to the difference in speeds of the Earth and the planet in their orbits. No planet in the Solar System changes the direction of its motion around the Sun. What is a planet's station? The moment when the apparent speed of the planet in longitude equals zero and changes sign. At this moment, the planet is at one degree of the zodiac, and the table indicates both the time of the station and this degree. Where do these dates come from? They are calculated using Swiss Ephemeris on our side: the program searches for the moment when the planet's speed crosses zero and refines it to the second. This is the same calculation on which the natal charts of the service are built, rather than a selection from other tables. Should affairs be canceled during retrograde Mercury? No. Retrograde is a phase of the cycle, not a prohibition: it describes which affairs the period benefits more. The second pass, editing, returning to what was postponed goes easier than starting from scratch. ## Learn More [Planetary Transits Online - Calculate Free →](https://app.astroway.info/en/tools/transits)[Natal Chart Online →](https://app.astroway.info/en/tools/natal)[Eclipses →](https://app.astroway.info/en/eclipses/2026)