Retrograde Planets 2027: Station Dates

Complete calendar of retrograde motion for the 2027 year: time of stations accurate to the minute and degree, at which the planet stops.

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. Mars

    Start of Retrograde Motion
    Jan 10, 2027, 12:59 PM UTC · 10°26′ Virgo
    Return to Direct Motion
    Apr 1, 2027, 2:08 PM UTC · 20°56′ Leo
    Duration
    81 days
    Shadow Period
    November 5, 2026 - June 8, 2027
  4. Mercury

    Start of Retrograde Motion
    Feb 9, 2027, 5:36 PM UTC · 5°59′ Pisces
    Return to Direct Motion
    Mar 3, 2027, 12:32 PM UTC · 20°55′ Aquarius
    Duration
    22 days
    Shadow Period
    January 25, 2027 - March 23, 2027
  5. Pluto

    Start of Retrograde Motion
    May 8, 2027, 12:54 PM UTC · 7°11′ Aquarius
    Return to Direct Motion
    Oct 18, 2027, 3:52 AM UTC · 4°45′ Aquarius
    Duration
    163 days
    Shadow Period
    January 13, 2027 - February 9, 2028
  6. Mercury

    Start of Retrograde Motion
    Jun 10, 2027, 6:15 PM UTC · 6°22′ Cancer
    Return to Direct Motion
    Jul 4, 2027, 7:39 PM UTC · 27°28′ Gemini
    Duration
    24 days
    Shadow Period
    May 26, 2027 - July 19, 2027
  7. Neptune

    Start of Retrograde Motion
    Jul 9, 2027, 10:41 PM UTC · 6°40′ Aries
    Return to Direct Motion
    Dec 15, 2027, 9:06 AM UTC · 3°51′ Aries
    Duration
    158 days
    Shadow Period
    March 18, 2027 - April 4, 2028
  8. Saturn

    Start of Retrograde Motion
    Aug 9, 2027, 6:05 PM UTC · 27°53′ Aries
    Return to Direct Motion
    Dec 24, 2027, 2:47 AM UTC · 21°01′ Aries
    Duration
    136 days
    Shadow Period
    May 4, 2027 - March 27, 2028
  9. Uranus

    Start of Retrograde Motion
    Sep 15, 2027, 9:09 AM UTC · 9°57′ Gemini
    Return to Direct Motion
    Feb 12, 2028, 11:49 PM UTC · 5°56′ Gemini
    Duration
    151 days
    Shadow Period
    May 30, 2027 - May 29, 2028
  10. Mercury

    Start of Retrograde Motion
    Oct 7, 2027, 2:37 PM UTC · 4°56′ Scorpio
    Return to Direct Motion
    Oct 28, 2027, 2:10 PM UTC · 19°19′ Libra
    Duration
    21 days
    Shadow Period
    September 17, 2027 - November 13, 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.

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.

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

Get started

Start Working in AstroWay App

Create your first natal chart in minutes. Free, precise, and private. 7-day PRO trial included.

Get started