Planetary stations
Mercury retrograde, eclipses and planet stations by zodiac sign
Every Mercury, Venus, Mars and outer-planet retrograde from 2025 to 2029, with exact start and end times, the sign each happens in and the major sign changes coming up.
Retrograde right now
Mercury (until November 13, 2026, 10:53 AM EST), Venus (until November 13, 2026, 7:27 PM EST), Saturn (until December 10, 2026, 6:31 PM EST), Uranus (until February 8, 2027, 7:29 AM EST), Neptune (until December 12, 2026, 5:18 PM EST) are currently retrograde.
Calculated from NASA JPL’s DE440s ephemeris; times are US Eastern Time.
Mercury retrograde and every planet station (Pluto direct included)
Mercury retrograde
| Stations retrograde (ET) | Stations direct (ET) |
|---|---|
| March 15, 2025, 2:46 AM EDT · 10° Aries | April 7, 2025, 7:07 AM EDT · 27° Pisces |
| July 18, 2025, 12:45 AM EDT · 16° Leo | August 11, 2025, 3:29 AM EDT · 4° Leo |
| November 9, 2025, 2:01 PM EST · 7° Sagittarius | November 29, 2025, 12:38 PM EST · 21° Scorpio |
| February 26, 2026, 1:48 AM EST · 23° Pisces | March 20, 2026, 3:32 PM EDT · 8° Pisces |
| June 29, 2026, 1:35 PM EDT · 26° Cancer | July 23, 2026, 6:57 PM EDT · 16° Cancer |
| October 24, 2026, 3:12 AM EDT · 21° Scorpio | November 13, 2026, 10:53 AM EST · 5° Scorpio |
| February 9, 2027, 12:36 PM EST · 6° Pisces | March 3, 2027, 7:32 AM EST · 21° Aquarius |
| June 10, 2027, 2:15 PM EDT · 6° Cancer | July 4, 2027, 3:39 PM EDT · 27° Gemini |
| October 7, 2027, 10:37 AM EDT · 5° Scorpio | October 28, 2027, 10:10 AM EDT · 19° Libra |
| January 24, 2028, 6:02 AM EST · 20° Aquarius | February 14, 2028, 7:37 AM EST · 4° Aquarius |
| May 21, 2028, 4:42 AM EDT · 16° Gemini | June 14, 2028, 2:05 AM EDT · 8° Gemini |
| September 19, 2028, 12:33 PM EDT · 19° Libra | October 11, 2028, 6:27 AM EDT · 3° Libra |
| January 7, 2029, 2:56 AM EST · 4° Aquarius | January 27, 2029, 1:40 PM EST · 18° Capricorn |
| May 1, 2029, 7:05 PM EDT · 27° Taurus | May 25, 2029, 3:20 PM EDT · 18° Taurus |
| September 2, 2029, 8:18 AM EDT · 2° Libra | September 24, 2029, 10:01 PM EDT · 17° Virgo |
| December 22, 2029, 12:50 AM EST · 18° Capricorn | after 2029 |
Venus retrograde
| Stations retrograde (ET) | Stations direct (ET) |
|---|---|
| March 1, 2025, 7:36 PM EST · 11° Aries | April 12, 2025, 9:02 PM EDT · 25° Pisces |
| October 3, 2026, 3:15 AM EDT · 8° Scorpio | November 13, 2026, 7:27 PM EST · 23° Libra |
| May 10, 2028, 7:02 PM EDT · 20° Gemini | June 22, 2028, 6:12 PM EDT · 3° Gemini |
| December 16, 2029, 6:47 PM EST · 24° Capricorn | after 2029 |
Mars retrograde
| Stations retrograde (ET) | Stations direct (ET) |
|---|---|
| January 10, 2027, 7:59 AM EST · 10° Virgo | April 1, 2027, 10:08 AM EDT · 21° Leo |
| February 14, 2029, 3:16 AM EST · 14° Libra | May 5, 2029, 2:59 PM EDT · 25° Virgo |
Jupiter retrograde
| Stations retrograde (ET) | Stations direct (ET) |
|---|---|
| November 11, 2025, 11:41 AM EST · 25° Cancer | March 10, 2026, 11:29 PM EDT · 15° Cancer |
| December 12, 2026, 7:56 PM EST · 27° Leo | April 12, 2027, 10:11 PM EDT · 17° Leo |
| January 12, 2028, 3:53 AM EST · 28° Virgo | May 13, 2028, 4:00 PM EDT · 18° Virgo |
| February 10, 2029, 8:06 AM EST · 27° Libra | June 13, 2029, 5:06 PM EDT · 18° Libra |
Saturn retrograde
| Stations retrograde (ET) | Stations direct (ET) |
|---|---|
| July 13, 2025, 12:06 AM EDT · 2° Aries | November 27, 2025, 10:51 PM EST · 25° Pisces |
| July 26, 2026, 3:56 PM EDT · 15° Aries | December 10, 2026, 6:31 PM EST · 8° Aries |
| August 9, 2027, 2:06 PM EDT · 28° Aries | December 23, 2027, 9:46 PM EST · 21° Aries |
| August 22, 2028, 6:17 PM EDT · 11° Taurus | January 5, 2029, 7:38 AM EST · 4° Taurus |
| September 6, 2029, 4:34 AM EDT · 25° Taurus | after 2029 |
Uranus retrograde
| Stations retrograde (ET) | Stations direct (ET) |
|---|---|
| September 6, 2025, 12:51 AM EDT · 1° Gemini | February 3, 2026, 9:33 PM EST · 27° Taurus |
| September 10, 2026, 2:27 PM EDT · 6° Gemini | February 8, 2027, 7:29 AM EST · 2° Gemini |
| September 15, 2027, 5:09 AM EDT · 10° Gemini | February 12, 2028, 6:49 PM EST · 6° Gemini |
| September 18, 2028, 8:01 PM EDT · 14° Gemini | February 16, 2029, 5:51 AM EST · 10° Gemini |
| September 23, 2029, 12:21 PM EDT · 19° Gemini | after 2029 |
Neptune retrograde
| Stations retrograde (ET) | Stations direct (ET) |
|---|---|
| July 4, 2025, 5:33 PM EDT · 2° Aries | December 10, 2025, 7:23 AM EST · 29° Pisces |
| July 7, 2026, 6:54 AM EDT · 4° Aries | December 12, 2026, 5:18 PM EST · 2° Aries |
| July 9, 2027, 6:41 PM EDT · 7° Aries | December 15, 2027, 4:07 AM EST · 4° Aries |
| July 11, 2028, 9:03 AM EDT · 9° Aries | December 16, 2028, 3:43 PM EST · 6° Aries |
| July 13, 2029, 10:09 PM EDT · 11° Aries | December 19, 2029, 3:23 AM EST · 8° Aries |
Pluto retrograde
| Stations retrograde (ET) | Stations direct (ET) |
|---|---|
| May 4, 2025, 11:26 AM EDT · 4° Aquarius | October 13, 2025, 10:53 PM EDT · 1° Aquarius |
| May 6, 2026, 11:34 AM EDT · 6° Aquarius | October 15, 2026, 10:39 PM EDT · 3° Aquarius |
| May 8, 2027, 8:56 AM EDT · 7° Aquarius | October 17, 2027, 11:50 PM EDT · 5° Aquarius |
| May 9, 2028, 5:33 AM EDT · 9° Aquarius | October 18, 2028, 11:42 PM EDT · 6° Aquarius |
| May 11, 2029, 12:16 AM EDT · 10° Aquarius | October 20, 2029, 11:54 PM EDT · 8° Aquarius |
Major planetary transits: slow planets changing signs
When a slow planet changes sign it can stay for years, so astrologers pay particular attention to these ingresses. Planets may dip back into the previous sign during a retrograde.
| Planet | Enters | Date and time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Neptune | Aries | March 30, 2025, 7:57 AM EDT |
| Saturn | Aries | May 24, 2025, 11:35 PM EDT |
| Jupiter | Cancer | June 9, 2025, 5:02 PM EDT |
| Uranus | Gemini | July 7, 2025, 3:47 AM EDT |
| Saturn | Pisces | September 1, 2025, 4:06 AM EDT |
| Neptune | Pisces | October 22, 2025, 5:50 AM EDT |
| Uranus | Taurus | November 7, 2025, 9:19 PM EST |
| Neptune | Aries | January 26, 2026, 12:34 PM EST |
| Saturn | Aries | February 13, 2026, 7:11 PM EST |
| Uranus | Gemini | April 25, 2026, 8:51 PM EDT |
| Jupiter | Leo | June 30, 2026, 1:52 AM EDT |
| Jupiter | Virgo | July 26, 2027, 12:49 AM EDT |
| Saturn | Taurus | April 12, 2028, 11:39 PM EDT |
| Jupiter | Libra | August 24, 2028, 1:08 AM EDT |
| Jupiter | Scorpio | September 24, 2029, 2:24 AM EDT |
| Saturn | Gemini | May 31, 2030, 10:34 PM EDT |
| Jupiter | Sagittarius | October 22, 2030, 7:14 PM EDT |
| Jupiter | Capricorn | November 15, 2031, 5:29 AM EST |
| Jupiter | Aquarius | April 11, 2032, 8:58 PM EDT |
| Jupiter | Capricorn | June 26, 2032, 8:56 AM EDT |
| Saturn | Cancer | July 13, 2032, 10:16 PM EDT |
| Uranus | Cancer | August 3, 2032, 2:22 PM EDT |
| Jupiter | Aquarius | November 29, 2032, 10:31 PM EST |
| Uranus | Gemini | December 12, 2032, 1:19 AM EST |
Eclipses and their zodiac signs
Eclipses happen when a New Moon (solar eclipse) or Full Moon (lunar eclipse) falls close to the lunar nodes. Astrologers read the sign and degree of each eclipse as a point of emphasis for months afterwards. Dates and signs below are calculated from the DE440s ephemeris; for the type and visibility of each solar eclipse, see NASA’s eclipse pages.
| Date and time (ET) | Eclipse | Sign and degree |
|---|---|---|
| March 14, 2025, 2:58 AM EDT | Lunar eclipse, total | 24° Virgo |
| March 29, 2025, 6:57 AM EDT | Solar eclipse | 9° Aries |
| September 7, 2025, 2:11 PM EDT | Lunar eclipse, total | 15° Pisces |
| September 21, 2025, 3:54 PM EDT | Solar eclipse | 29° Virgo |
| February 17, 2026, 7:01 AM EST | Solar eclipse | 29° Aquarius |
| March 3, 2026, 6:33 AM EST | Lunar eclipse, total | 13° Virgo |
| August 12, 2026, 1:36 PM EDT | Solar eclipse | 20° Leo |
| August 28, 2026, 12:12 AM EDT | Lunar eclipse, partial | 5° Pisces |
| February 6, 2027, 10:56 AM EST | Solar eclipse | 18° Aquarius |
| February 20, 2027, 6:12 PM EST | Lunar eclipse, penumbral | 2° Virgo |
| July 18, 2027, 12:02 PM EDT | Lunar eclipse, penumbral | 26° Capricorn |
| August 2, 2027, 6:05 AM EDT | Solar eclipse | 10° Leo |
| August 17, 2027, 3:13 AM EDT | Lunar eclipse, penumbral | 24° Aquarius |
| January 11, 2028, 11:13 PM EST | Lunar eclipse, partial | 22° Cancer |
| January 26, 2028, 10:12 AM EST | Solar eclipse | 6° Aquarius |
| July 6, 2028, 2:19 PM EDT | Lunar eclipse, partial | 15° Capricorn |
| July 21, 2028, 11:01 PM EDT | Solar eclipse | 30° Cancer |
| December 31, 2028, 11:52 AM EST | Lunar eclipse, total | 11° Cancer |
| January 14, 2029, 12:24 PM EST | Solar eclipse | 25° Capricorn |
| June 11, 2029, 11:50 PM EDT | Solar eclipse | 22° Gemini |
| June 25, 2029, 11:22 PM EDT | Lunar eclipse, total | 5° Capricorn |
| July 11, 2029, 11:51 AM EDT | Solar eclipse | 20° Cancer |
| December 5, 2029, 9:52 AM EST | Solar eclipse | 14° Sagittarius |
| December 20, 2029, 5:42 PM EST | Lunar eclipse, total | 29° Gemini |
| June 1, 2030, 2:21 AM EDT | Solar eclipse | 11° Gemini |
| June 15, 2030, 2:33 PM EDT | Lunar eclipse, partial | 25° Sagittarius |
| November 25, 2030, 1:46 AM EST | Solar eclipse | 3° Sagittarius |
| December 9, 2030, 5:27 PM EST | Lunar eclipse, penumbral | 18° Gemini |
Why planets look like they go backwards
Earth moves faster than the outer planets. When we overtake Mars, Jupiter or Saturn, they appear to slide backwards against the background stars for a while, just as a slower car seems to move backwards when you pass it. Mercury and Venus appear retrograde when they overtake Earth on the inside track.
Frequently asked questions
What does retrograde mean?
A planet is retrograde when, seen from Earth, it appears to move backwards against the stars. It is an optical effect of Earth overtaking an outer planet, or an inner planet overtaking Earth; no planet actually reverses.
When is Mercury retrograde in 2026?
Mercury turns retrograde 3 times in 2026: February 26 (in Pisces); June 29 (in Cancer); October 24 (in Scorpio). Exact start and end times are in the table.
What does Mercury retrograde mean in astrology?
Astrologers associate it with miscommunication, delays and technology trouble, and traditionally advise double-checking plans and contracts. There is no evidence that it affects events.
When is Pluto direct?
Pluto’s direct stations are listed in the table below; in 2026 it stations direct on October 15, 2026, 10:39 PM EDT.
Sources
Updated · How we write and check this guide