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Retrograde Calendar 2026
Are we in a retrograde right now? Track exactly when planets turn backward and how it impacts your energy.
Upcoming in 2026
♀ Venus
2026-10-03 — 2026-11-14
Relationship re-evaluations and financial reviews. Avoid major cosmetic changes or new financial investments.
☿ Mercury
2026-10-24 — 2026-11-13
Communication misfires and delayed plans. Best for revising old projects rather than starting new ones.
♃ Jupiter
2026-12-12 — 2027-04-13
Inner growth overtakes external expansion. Good for reconnecting with past beliefs, studies, and long-term direction.
These dates are universal. Whether a retrograde disrupts your life or barely touches it depends entirely on your chart.
Vedara tells you which retrogrades this year are in YOUR sensitive zones — and which ones you can safely ignore.
Past Retrogrades in 2026
How retrogrades work and how to read this calendar
A retrograde is an optical effect, not a planet reversing course. Because Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun at different speeds, there are stretches when a planet appears to drift backward against the stars from our vantage point — the same way a slower car seems to move backward as you overtake it. This calendar computes those apparent-motion windows from actual planetary positions and sorts them into what is active right now, what is coming up, and what has already passed this year.
Frequency varies a lot by planet. Mercury retrogrades three to four times a year for about three weeks at a time, which is why it gets most of the attention. Venus and Mars go retrograde roughly every one and a half to two years. The outer planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto — spend four to five months of every year retrograde, so an outer-planet retrograde is closer to background weather than an event.
In Vedic astrology (Jyotish), a retrograde planet is called vakri and is traditionally read as strong but indirect — its themes turn inward, favouring review over launch. In practice that means retrograde windows of the faster planets suit re-doing work — revising, renegotiating, repairing, reconnecting — more than starting fresh. For example, if Mercury is retrograde from the 5th to the 26th, that is a period to double-check contracts and travel plans and to finish stalled correspondence, rather than to sign or ship something new if it can reasonably wait.
These dates are the same for everyone on Earth. Whether a given retrograde matters to you personally is a different question — a Mercury retrograde crossing your natal Moon is nothing like one passing through an empty house. The calendar tells you when; your chart tells you whether it is your business.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Mercury retrograde right now?
- The "Right Now" section at the top of this page lists every planet currently retrograde, with exact start and end dates, calculated from real planetary positions. If Mercury is retrograde today, it appears there.
- Do planets actually move backward during a retrograde?
- No. Retrograde motion is an illusion of perspective caused by Earth and the other planet moving at different orbital speeds. The planet keeps orbiting the Sun normally — it only appears to reverse against the background stars.
- How does Vedic astrology treat retrograde planets?
- In Jyotish a retrograde planet is called vakri and is generally considered strengthened but indirect in its expression. Retrograde periods are traditionally used for revision, repair, and reflection in the planet’s domain rather than for fresh starts.
- Should I avoid signing contracts during Mercury retrograde?
- The traditional advice is to double-check rather than avoid: read the fine print, confirm details, and build in slack for miscommunication. Life does not pause for three weeks — and whether a specific retrograde genuinely affects you depends on where it falls in your own birth chart.