Mercury Retrograde and Planetary Retrogrades

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venus retrograde 2026

Venus retrograde in 2026: dates, signs and the next cycle

Venus turns retrograde on October 3, 2026, at 3:10 am Eastern, at 8°29′ Scorpio, and returns to direct motion on November 13, at 7:20 pm, at 22°52′ Libra. That is 41.7 days of retrograde in a 106-day cycle with the shadows, and the first since 2025.

Venus's 2026 cycle and the 584-day rhythm

Venus's pre-shadow begins on August 31, 2026, at 10:43 am Eastern, when it touches 22°52′ Libra. It enters Scorpio on September 10 (4:12 am) and stations retrograde on October 3. Moving backward, it returns to Libra on October 25 at 4:56 am, and turns direct on November 13 at 22°52′ Libra, the same degree where the shadow began. It goes back into Scorpio on December 4 (3:14 am) and the post-shadow ends on December 15 at 1:36 pm. The total backward motion is 15.6 degrees.
Venus repeats its retrograde every 584 days, about 19 months, and each lasts between 41 and 43 days. The previous one ran from March 2, 2025 (00:32 UTC) to April 13 (01:02 UTC), from 10°50′ Aries to 24°37′ Pisces. After 2026, the next one runs from May 10, 2028 (7:01 pm Eastern) to June 22 (6:13 pm), in Gemini, from 19°41′ to 3°11′, and the following one from December 16, 2029 to January 26, 2030, in Capricorn. There are calendar years with no Venus retrograde at all, like 2027.
Venus and Mercury are in opposite situations: she has one retrograde every 19 months and he has three or four a year. In October 2026 both are retrograde at once, from October 24 to November 13, together with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. In astrology, Venus retrograde is linked to reviews of relationships, values and money, always as a symbolic tradition. The astronomical part is the one above: dates, degrees and signs checked against published almanacs.

Checked Venus milestones (UTC)

Start of the pre-shadow

Input: ♀ 2026-08-31 14:43Z
Expected output: 22°52′ ♎

32.7 days before the station retrograde.

Station retrograde

Input: ♀ 2026-10-03 07:10Z
Expected output: 8°29′ ♏

3:10 am in New York, 4:10 am in Brasília.

Back into Libra during the retrograde

Input: ♀ ♏→♎ 2026-10-25 08:56Z
Expected output: ℞

Retrograde ingress, 4:56 am in New York.

Station direct

Input: ♀ 2026-11-14 00:20Z
Expected output: 22°52′ ♎

Still the evening of November 13 in Brazil and the US.

End of the post-shadow

Input: ♀ 2026-12-15 18:36Z
Expected output: 8°29′ ♏

Back at the degree of the station retrograde.

Full tool FAQ

How can I tell if Mercury is retrograde right now?

The panel at the top answers with the current phase. Retrograde means Mercury's ecliptic longitude is decreasing at this moment, between the station retrograde and the station direct. If it has not reached the station retrograde yet but has passed the degree where it will station direct, it is in the pre-shadow: still moving direct, and the panel shows when the retrograde starts. After the station direct comes the post-shadow, until it returns to the degree of the station retrograde. Outside those spans the motion is plain direct. In 2026 Mercury has three retrogrades: February 26 to March 20, June 29 to July 23, and October 24 to November 13, and on those dates New York and Brasília show the same day.

What are the pre-shadow and post-shadow, and how are they computed?

Why do the dates differ from one site to another?

How long does each planet's retrograde last?

How many times a year does Mercury go retrograde?

Is retrograde real or an optical illusion?

Do the Sun, the Moon, the nodes and Chiron go retrograde?

How accurate is it, and what years does it cover?

Can a planet change sign and then go back?

How do I use the .ics file and the link?

Frequently asked questions

When does Venus go retrograde in 2026 and when does it return to normal?

It goes retrograde on October 3 (07:10 UTC) and direct on November 13 (7:20 pm Eastern, already November 14 at 00:20 UTC). The full shadow runs from August 31 to December 15.

Does Venus retrograde change sign?

In 2026 yes: it stations in Scorpio, moves back into Libra on October 25 and only returns to Scorpio on December 4, after the station direct. Between October 25 and December 4 it sits in Libra, on the other side of the boundary.

When is the next Venus retrograde after 2026?

From May 10 to June 22, 2028, in Gemini. There is no Venus retrograde in 2027. The interval between them is about 584 days, which explains why the retrograde hops between calendar years irregularly.

How long does a Venus retrograde last?

From 41 to 43 days across every cycle from 1900 to 2100. The 2026 one lasts 41.7 days between the stations and 106.2 with the two shadows of about 32 days each.

Next steps

Venus's 2026 cycle and the 584-day rhythm

Venus's pre-shadow begins on August 31, 2026, at 10:43 am Eastern, when it touches 22°52′ Libra. It enters Scorpio on September 10 (4:12 am) and stations retrograde on October 3. Moving backward, it returns to Libra on October 25 at 4:56 am, and turns direct on November 13 at 22°52′ Libra, the same degree where the shadow began. It goes back into Scorpio on December 4 (3:14 am) and the post-shadow ends on December 15 at 1:36 pm. The total backward motion is 15.6 degrees.

Venus repeats its retrograde every 584 days, about 19 months, and each lasts between 41 and 43 days. The previous one ran from March 2, 2025 (00:32 UTC) to April 13 (01:02 UTC), from 10°50′ Aries to 24°37′ Pisces. After 2026, the next one runs from May 10, 2028 (7:01 pm Eastern) to June 22 (6:13 pm), in Gemini, from 19°41′ to 3°11′, and the following one from December 16, 2029 to January 26, 2030, in Capricorn. There are calendar years with no Venus retrograde at all, like 2027.

Venus and Mercury are in opposite situations: she has one retrograde every 19 months and he has three or four a year. In October 2026 both are retrograde at once, from October 24 to November 13, together with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. In astrology, Venus retrograde is linked to reviews of relationships, values and money, always as a symbolic tradition. The astronomical part is the one above: dates, degrees and signs checked against published almanacs.

Checked Venus milestones (UTC)

Start of the pre-shadow

Input: ♀ 2026-08-31 14:43Z
Expected output: 22°52′ ♎

32.7 days before the station retrograde.

Station retrograde

Input: ♀ 2026-10-03 07:10Z
Expected output: 8°29′ ♏

3:10 am in New York, 4:10 am in Brasília.

Back into Libra during the retrograde

Input: ♀ ♏→♎ 2026-10-25 08:56Z
Expected output: ℞

Retrograde ingress, 4:56 am in New York.

Station direct

Input: ♀ 2026-11-14 00:20Z
Expected output: 22°52′ ♎

Still the evening of November 13 in Brazil and the US.

End of the post-shadow

Input: ♀ 2026-12-15 18:36Z
Expected output: 8°29′ ♏

Back at the degree of the station retrograde.

Full tool FAQ

How can I tell if Mercury is retrograde right now?

What are the pre-shadow and post-shadow, and how are they computed?

Why do the dates differ from one site to another?

How long does each planet's retrograde last?

How many times a year does Mercury go retrograde?

Is retrograde real or an optical illusion?

Do the Sun, the Moon, the nodes and Chiron go retrograde?

How accurate is it, and what years does it cover?

Can a planet change sign and then go back?

How do I use the .ics file and the link?

Frequently asked questions

When does Venus go retrograde in 2026 and when does it return to normal?

It goes retrograde on October 3 (07:10 UTC) and direct on November 13 (7:20 pm Eastern, already November 14 at 00:20 UTC). The full shadow runs from August 31 to December 15.

Does Venus retrograde change sign?

When is the next Venus retrograde after 2026?

From May 10 to June 22, 2028, in Gemini. There is no Venus retrograde in 2027. The interval between them is about 584 days, which explains why the retrograde hops between calendar years irregularly.

How long does a Venus retrograde last?

From 41 to 43 days across every cycle from 1900 to 2100. The 2026 one lasts 41.7 days between the stations and 106.2 with the two shadows of about 32 days each.