Planetary Retrograde Calendar
You're looking for a full picture of when planets turn retrograde, and this calendar gives you exactly that — every retrograde and direct station, for every planet, across whatever date range you set. No birth data required: this is a shared sky event, not a personal reading, so what you see here is the same for anyone who visits on the same day.How it works ↓
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Every planet appears to move backward through the zodiac at points in its cycle, as seen from Earth. This calendar lists every retrograde and direct station across your date range, so you can plan around the shifts that matter to you.
Retrograde motion is an illusion of relative speed
No planet actually stops and reverses course. Every planet in the solar system keeps moving the same direction around the Sun, all the time. Retrograde is what happens when Earth, moving at its own orbital speed, laps a slower outer planet or gets lapped by a faster inner one — from where you're standing, the other planet appears to drift backward against the stars for a while.
This applies to Mercury, Venus, Mars, and the outer planets alike. It's a geometry effect of watching one moving object from another moving object, not a change in how any planet actually travels.
This calendar covers every planet at once, by default
Set a date range and you'll see every retrograde and direct station in it — Mercury next to Mars next to Saturn, in the order they happen. That's useful if you just want a running list of "what's retrograde right now" without committing to one planet.
If you already know you only care about one planet, the single-planet calendars (Mercury, Venus, Mars) filter this same data down for you and load a bit faster to scan.
Filter by date range and by planet tag
The date range picker sets your window — this month, the next six months, next year, whatever you're planning around. The tag chips narrow the list to specific planets or event types, so you can combine a wide date range with a narrow planet filter, or the reverse.
Both filters update the list live, so you can widen or narrow your search without starting over.
Shadow periods extend the effect before and after the station date
Each retrograde has a shadow on either side of it: the planet re-crosses the same stretch of zodiac it's about to retrograde through (pre-shadow), and again after it stations direct and clears that stretch for good (post-shadow). Traditional astrology treats the effects as ramping up and fading out across these windows, rather than switching on and off exactly at the station date.
This calendar lists station dates; treat the days immediately around each one as a transition rather than a hard boundary.
Some planets retrograde far more often than others
Mercury turns retrograde three to four times a year. Venus does it about once every 18 months. Mars is rarer still, roughly once every two years. The outer planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto — each go retrograde about once a year and stay that way for months at a stretch, since they move so slowly to begin with.
The practical result: on any given day, odds are decent that at least one planet is retrograde somewhere. What matters for planning is which planet, since each carries its own traditional themes.
Add your birth data for retrograde transits to your own chart
Everything above is the same for every visitor — it's an ephemeris, not a personal reading. If you add your birth data, this calendar can layer on which of your natal placements each retrograde is crossing, which is the part that varies from person to person.
That layer is optional. The calendar works fully without it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean when a planet is retrograde?
It means the planet appears to move backward through the zodiac as seen from Earth, due to the relative difference in orbital speed between Earth and that planet — not an actual reversal in its orbit.
How often do planets go retrograde?
Mercury retrogrades three to four times a year, Venus about every 18 months, Mars about every two years, and the outer planets roughly once a year each, for months at a time.
Is Mercury retrograde actually bad luck?
No — traditional astrology reads retrogrades as a time to revisit and review a planet's themes rather than a source of bad luck, and Mercury's reputation comes mostly from how often and publicly it's discussed.