When Every Planet Goes Retrograde and Direct, 2026 to 2032
Every retrograde and direct station for all eight planets, from October 2026 through the end of 2032. That is 116 stations in total, and every date below is computed from an ephemeris and given in Eastern time.
You are probably here because something is retrograde and you want to know when it ends, or because you are picking a date and want to know what you are walking into. Both answers are in the tables. If you want the reasoning as well, it is underneath each one.
One thing worth knowing before you scroll. A planet is retrograde for a stretch, and the two dates that matter are the day it turns back and the day it turns forward again. Those are the stations. Everything in between is the retrograde.
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What a Retrograde Station Is
A station is the moment a planet stops. From where you are standing it appears to slow, halt, and then move the other way, which happens because Earth is passing it or it is passing Earth. Nothing in the sky reverses. You are watching from a moving planet, and that is the whole trick.
The station is where it bites. A planet at station is barely moving, so it sits on the same degree for days, and if that degree touches something in your chart you are likely to feel the stations more than the weeks between them. This is why two people can go through the same Mercury retrograde and only one of them has a story about it.
Retrograde motion in a natal chart is a different subject to retrograde motion in the sky right now, and the two get conflated constantly. If you are trying to understand a planet that was retrograde on the day you were born, retrograde planets in the natal chart is the one you want. This page is about the sky.
Mercury Retrograde Dates, 2026 to 2032
Mercury retrogrades three or four times a year for about three weeks at a time, which comes to twenty in this span. It is the one you have heard of, and on its own it matters least.
| Retrograde | Direct | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Oct 2026, 20°59′ Scorpio | 13 Nov 2026, 5°02′ Scorpio | 20 days |
| 9 Feb 2027, 5°59′ Pisces | 3 Mar 2027, 20°55′ Aquarius | 22 days |
| 10 Jun 2027, 6°22′ Cancer | 4 Jul 2027, 27°28′ Gemini | 24 days |
| 7 Oct 2027, 4°56′ Scorpio | 28 Oct 2027, 19°19′ Libra | 21 days |
| 24 Jan 2028, 19°42′ Aquarius | 14 Feb 2028, 3°59′ Aquarius | 21 days |
| 21 May 2028, 16°19′ Gemini | 14 Jun 2028, 7°45′ Gemini | 24 days |
| 19 Sep 2028, 18°36′ Libra | 11 Oct 2028, 3°29′ Libra | 22 days |
| 7 Jan 2029, 3°38′ Aquarius | 27 Jan 2029, 17°32′ Capricorn | 20 days |
| 1 May 2029, 26°40′ Taurus | 25 May 2029, 17°34′ Taurus | 24 days |
| 2 Sep 2029, 1°50′ Libra | 24 Sep 2029, 17°27′ Virgo | 22 days |
| 22 Dec 2029, 17°42′ Capricorn | 11 Jan 2030, 1°26′ Capricorn | 20 days |
| 12 Apr 2030, 7°48′ Taurus | 6 May 2030, 27°26′ Aries | 24 days |
| 15 Aug 2030, 14°30′ Virgo | 8 Sep 2030, 1°06′ Virgo | 24 days |
| 5 Dec 2030, 1°52′ Capricorn | 25 Dec 2030, 15°33′ Sagittarius | 20 days |
| 25 Mar 2031, 19°45′ Aries | 18 Apr 2031, 7°50′ Aries | 24 days |
| 29 Jul 2031, 26°26′ Leo | 22 Aug 2031, 14°18′ Leo | 24 days |
| 19 Nov 2031, 16°03′ Sagittarius | 9 Dec 2031, 29°49′ Scorpio | 20 days |
| 7 Mar 2032, 2°24′ Aries | 30 Mar 2032, 19°02′ Pisces | 23 days |
| 9 Jul 2032, 7°33′ Leo | 3 Aug 2032, 26°49′ Cancer | 25 days |
| 2 Nov 2032, 0°13′ Sagittarius | 22 Nov 2032, 14°08′ Scorpio | 20 days |
Notice how often it changes sign mid-retrograde. February 2027 starts in Pisces and finishes in Aquarius, which means the backing up crosses a boundary and the second half feels unlike the first. Those are the ones to watch, because whatever you thought the retrograde was about usually turns out to be about the earlier sign.
There is more on what it does, as opposed to when it happens, in what Mercury retrograde means.
Venus Retrograde Dates, 2026 to 2032
Venus retrogrades roughly every eighteen months for about six weeks, so you only get four in this whole span. That rarity is the point. A Venus retrograde is a period you will probably be able to name afterwards.
| Retrograde | Direct | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Oct 2026, 8°29′ Scorpio | 13 Nov 2026, 22°52′ Libra | 41 days |
| 10 May 2028, 19°41′ Gemini | 22 Jun 2028, 3°11′ Gemini | 43 days |
| 16 Dec 2029, 24°02′ Capricorn | 26 Jan 2030, 8°38′ Capricorn | 41 days |
| 20 Jul 2031, 26°26′ Leo | 1 Sep 2031, 10°01′ Leo | 43 days |
The one starting in days, on 3 October 2026, backs out of Scorpio and into Libra, so it begins somewhere intense and private and finishes somewhere social and comparative. That is a long six weeks to spend re-examining what you want from other people. I have written that one up properly in Venus in Scorpio, including what it did the last time it happened here.
Mars Retrograde Dates, 2026 to 2032
Mars retrogrades about every two years for roughly eighty days, so you get three in this span. It is the rarest of the personal planets and the easiest to underestimate, because it runs long enough that you stop attributing anything to it.
| Retrograde | Direct | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Jan 2027, 10°26′ Virgo | 1 Apr 2027, 20°56′ Leo | 81 days |
| 14 Feb 2029, 13°55′ Libra | 5 May 2029, 24°56′ Virgo | 80 days |
| 28 Mar 2031, 21°38′ Scorpio | 13 Jun 2031, 4°26′ Scorpio | 77 days |
Eighty days is most of a season. If you have ever had a spring where every effort seemed to cost double and you put it down to being tired, check it against this table.
Jupiter Retrograde Dates, 2026 to 2032
From Jupiter outward the pattern becomes annual and the retrogrades get long. Jupiter turns back once a year for about four months, so roughly a third of every year you live through, Jupiter is retrograde.
| Retrograde | Direct | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Dec 2026, 27°01′ Leo | 12 Apr 2027, 17°00′ Leo | 121 days |
| 12 Jan 2028, 27°31′ Virgo | 13 May 2028, 17°32′ Virgo | 122 days |
| 10 Feb 2029, 27°25′ Libra | 13 Jun 2029, 17°30′ Libra | 123 days |
| 13 Mar 2030, 27°38′ Scorpio | 14 Jul 2030, 17°46′ Scorpio | 123 days |
| 15 Apr 2031, 28°59′ Sagittarius | 16 Aug 2031, 19°09′ Sagittarius | 123 days |
| 19 May 2032, 2°09′ Aquarius | 17 Sep 2032, 22°19′ Capricorn | 121 days |
Because it happens every year, a Jupiter retrograde behaves like weather. It marks the months when growth goes inward, so the thing you are building keeps developing with nothing visible to show for it.
Saturn Retrograde Dates, 2026 to 2032
Saturn turns back annually for about four and a half months. You will see the table opens with a direct station on its own, because that retrograde began before this span starts.
| Retrograde | Direct | Length |
|---|---|---|
| began before this table | 10 Dec 2026, 7°56′ Aries | |
| 9 Aug 2027, 27°53′ Aries | 23 Dec 2027, 21°01′ Aries | 136 days |
| 22 Aug 2028, 11°19′ Taurus | 5 Jan 2029, 4°25′ Taurus | 136 days |
| 6 Sep 2029, 25°01′ Taurus | 18 Jan 2030, 18°05′ Taurus | 134 days |
| 20 Sep 2030, 8°57′ Gemini | 1 Feb 2031, 2°00′ Gemini | 134 days |
| 5 Oct 2031, 23°02′ Gemini | 16 Feb 2032, 16°04′ Gemini | 134 days |
| 18 Oct 2032, 7°11′ Cancer | after this table |
The signs matter more than the dates on this one. Saturn crosses from Aries into Taurus during 2028 and into Gemini during 2030, and those handovers change the subject far more than any single station does. The last line is the first time Saturn stations from Cancer, so 18 October 2032 is where the Gemini years close. There is more on the current passage in Saturn in Aries.
Uranus Retrograde Dates, 2026 to 2032
Uranus turns back every year for about five months. It spends this entire span in Gemini apart from the very end, and the last line in the table is the one you want to mark.
| Retrograde | Direct | Length |
|---|---|---|
| began before this table | 8 Feb 2027, 1°41′ Gemini | |
| 15 Sep 2027, 9°57′ Gemini | 12 Feb 2028, 5°56′ Gemini | 150 days |
| 18 Sep 2028, 14°14′ Gemini | 16 Feb 2029, 10°12′ Gemini | 151 days |
| 23 Sep 2029, 18°33′ Gemini | 20 Feb 2030, 14°30′ Gemini | 150 days |
| 28 Sep 2030, 22°54′ Gemini | 25 Feb 2031, 18°50′ Gemini | 150 days |
| 2 Oct 2031, 27°16′ Gemini | 29 Feb 2032, 23°12′ Gemini | 150 days |
| 6 Oct 2032, 1°40′ Cancer | after this table |
That final station on 6 October 2032 is the first one Uranus makes from Cancer, so it is the marker that the Gemini years are ending. If you have been living through the Gemini passage, that date is where the subject changes. The years before it are covered in Uranus retrograde in Taurus, which is the passage most people are still recovering from.
Neptune Retrograde Dates, 2026 to 2032
Neptune turns back every July and goes direct every December, for about five months, and it stays in the first degrees of Aries the whole time you are reading this table.
| Retrograde | Direct | Length |
|---|---|---|
| began before this table | 12 Dec 2026, 1°37′ Aries | |
| 9 Jul 2027, 6°40′ Aries | 15 Dec 2027, 3°51′ Aries | 159 days |
| 11 Jul 2028, 8°54′ Aries | 16 Dec 2028, 6°06′ Aries | 158 days |
| 13 Jul 2029, 11°08′ Aries | 19 Dec 2029, 8°20′ Aries | 159 days |
| 16 Jul 2030, 13°23′ Aries | 21 Dec 2030, 10°34′ Aries | 158 days |
| 19 Jul 2031, 15°38′ Aries | 24 Dec 2031, 12°49′ Aries | 158 days |
| 20 Jul 2032, 17°52′ Aries | 25 Dec 2032, 15°04′ Aries | 158 days |
Neptune moves so slowly that it covers about sixteen degrees across these seven years. If you have a planet in the early degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn, it will be contacted again and again over that stretch, and the repetition is the whole experience. Neptune in Aries by rising sign covers where that lands for you.
Pluto Retrograde Dates, 2026 to 2032
Pluto turns back every May and goes direct every October, for about five and a half months, and it stays in Aquarius throughout.
| Retrograde | Direct | Length |
|---|---|---|
| began before this table | 15 Oct 2026, 3°04′ Aquarius | |
| 8 May 2027, 7°11′ Aquarius | 17 Oct 2027, 4°45′ Aquarius | 162 days |
| 9 May 2028, 8°50′ Aquarius | 18 Oct 2028, 6°24′ Aquarius | 162 days |
| 11 May 2029, 10°27′ Aquarius | 20 Oct 2029, 8°03′ Aquarius | 162 days |
| 12 May 2030, 12°04′ Aquarius | 22 Oct 2030, 9°40′ Aquarius | 163 days |
| 14 May 2031, 13°39′ Aquarius | 24 Oct 2031, 11°16′ Aquarius | 163 days |
| 15 May 2032, 15°13′ Aquarius | 25 Oct 2032, 12°51′ Aquarius | 163 days |
Pluto covers about twelve degrees in seven years, so it works on one small stretch of your chart for a very long time. Pluto in Aquarius has the longer read on what that passage is doing.
Why the Dates You See Elsewhere Disagree
If you check one of these against another site you will sometimes find it listed a day later. That is a time zone difference, and both dates are right.
A station happens at a single moment everywhere on Earth, and the calendar date of that moment depends on where you are standing. Pluto goes direct at 2:40 in the morning UTC on 16 October 2026, which is 10:39 on the evening of 15 October in New York. Same instant, two dates, both correct.
Everything on this page is Eastern, because that is where I am. If you are somewhere else and the timing matters to you, work from the moment and convert it yourself.
These are computed from an ephemeris. Dates get typed from memory, passed between sites, and drift, and a wrong date on a page like this one is the only error that matters, because the date is the entire reason you came.
Where These Land in Your Own Chart
A table tells you when. It cannot tell you whether it is happening to you.
The same Mercury retrograde lands in your money or your work or your closest relationship depending on your rising sign, and a station sitting on a degree where you have nothing is a quiet three weeks. That is why two people compare notes about the same retrograde and one of them has nothing to report.
Your Beautiful Birth Chart shows your placements by sign and house, every aspect with its exact orb, and date navigation, so you can move to any station in these tables and see which of your houses it falls in and whether it touches anything of yours.
If you would rather not look anything up, what the sky is doing today keeps the running view, and the transit calendar holds every one of these dates alongside the ingresses, eclipses and lunations.
Retrograde Dates Frequently Asked Questions
When does Pluto go direct?
15 October 2026, at 3°04′ Aquarius, Eastern time. After that it turns direct every October: 17 October 2027, 18 October 2028, 20 October 2029, 22 October 2030, 24 October 2031 and 25 October 2032.
How many times a year does Mercury go retrograde?
Three or four, for about three weeks each. Across 2026 to 2032 there are twenty, so a little over three a year on average. The length runs from 20 to 25 days.
When is the next Venus retrograde?
3 October 2026, starting at 8°29′ Scorpio and ending on 13 November at 22°52′ Libra. After that the next one is not until 10 May 2028, because Venus only turns back about every eighteen months.
When is the next Mars retrograde?
10 January 2027 at 10°26′ Virgo, going direct on 1 April 2027 at 20°56′ Leo. Mars retrogrades about every two years, so the following ones are February 2029 and March 2031.
Which planets are retrograde right now?
That changes weekly, so a table is the wrong tool for it. What the sky is doing today answers it for the day you are reading.
Why do outer planets spend so long retrograde?
Because retrograde motion is Earth overtaking them, and the slower the planet the longer the overtaking takes. Pluto is retrograde for about 163 days a year and Neptune for about 158, which is close to half of every year for both.
Do these dates work for my time zone?
They are Eastern. A station near midnight Eastern falls on the following day in Europe and possibly the day after in Australia. If the exact day matters to you, subscribe to the transit calendar, which converts every event into whatever time zone your phone is set to.