VelaraRetrogrades
When planets seem to turn back.
Every retrograde from October 2026 to December 2027, with dates and signs — and the astronomy behind the illusion.
Calendar
All retrogrades, Oct 2026 – Dec 2027.
| Planet | Turns retrograde | Turns direct | Sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pluto | Earlier in 2026 | 16 Oct 2026 | Aquarius (~3°) |
| Neptune | 7 Jul 2026 | 12 Dec 2026 | Aries |
| Saturn | 26 Jul 2026 | 10 Dec 2026 | Aries (14°45′ → 7°56′) |
| Uranus | 10 Sep 2026 | 8 Feb 2027 | Gemini (5°42′ → 1°41′) |
| Venus | 3 Oct 2026 | 14 Nov 2026 | Scorpio → Libra |
| Mercury | 24 Oct 2026 | 13 Nov 2026 | Scorpio |
| Jupiter | 13 Dec 2026 | 13 Apr 2027 | Leo (~27° → ~17°) |
| Mars | 10 Jan 2027 | 1 Apr 2027 | Virgo → Leo |
| Mercury | 9 Feb 2027 | 3 Mar 2027 | Pisces → Aquarius |
| Pluto | 8 May 2027 | 18 Oct 2027 | Aquarius |
| Mercury | 10 Jun 2027 | 4 Jul 2027 | Cancer → Gemini |
| Neptune | 9 Jul 2027 | 15 Dec 2027 | Aries |
| Saturn | 9 Aug 2027 | 24 Dec 2027 | Aries (27°53′ → 21°01′) |
| Mercury | 7 Oct 2027 | 28 Oct 2027 | Scorpio → Libra |
Dates in UTC. Outer-planet stations are calculated; Mercury, Venus and Mars stations are cross-checked against published ephemerides.
The astronomy
An illusion with a pattern.
No planet ever reverses. Retrograde motion is what a planet's path looks like from a moving Earth. Mercury goes retrograde three to four times a year for about three weeks; Venus about every 19 months for around six weeks; Mars about every 26 months, for two to three months around the time Earth overtakes it.
The outer planets spend months retrograde every year — which is why Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto appear in the table above so often.
Astrologers traditionally read a retrograde as a time to review and revisit the themes of that planet. Velara frames it as a prompt for reflection, not a list of things you mustn't do.
FAQ
Retrogrades, quickly
Does a planet really move backwards when it's retrograde?
No. Retrograde motion is an optical effect of watching from a moving Earth. When Earth overtakes an outer planet — or Mercury and Venus overtake Earth on their inside track — the planet appears to drift backwards against the stars for a while, like a slower car seeming to roll back as you pass it on a highway.
Why do retrograde dates differ by a day between websites?
Time zones. A station at 00:28 UTC on 14 November is still 13 November in the Americas. Velara's pages give dates in UTC; the app shows them in your own time zone.
What is the retrograde shadow?
The stretch of the zodiac the planet will retrace. The pre-shadow begins when the planet first reaches the degree where the retrograde will end; the post-shadow ends when it gets back to the degree where the retrograde began.
Does a retrograde affect everyone the same way?
In astrology, no: what matters is which part of your own chart the planet is moving through. Velara+ shows each transit against your chart — how it touches you, and what you might do with it.
Sources
- NASA — Planetary Fact Sheet
- The Planetary Society — What Mercury retrograde actually means
- Old Farmer's Almanac — Mercury retrograde dates
- Café Astrology — 2026 overview and event pages
- ALPO — Mars 2027 apparition
Dates are given in UTC unless noted; local dates can differ by a day. Last checked 4 October 2026.
See where it lands in your chart.
Velara shows every transit against your own chart — with dates in your time zone.
Free to start — birth chart, daily scores and a daily tarot card included.
