Probably, each of us has heard about Mercury retrograde, because astrologers so often scare, predicting impending trouble. But did you know that retrograde motion is a very routine event, typical for all solar system planets, and it has a logical scientific explanation?
Here you will find answers to the questions: What does retrograde mean? What planets are in retrograde in 2024? And why exactly does Mercury always take the rap for everyone?
What Does It Mean When A Planet Is In Retrograde?
Planets moving in retrograde are an astronomical phenomenon when they appear to be moving against their normal direction across the celestial sphere. The word comes from Latin and means “step back”—retro (back) and gradus (step).
In fact, nothing of the kind happens since astronomy has long proven that all planets move strictly in their orbits around the Sun, following the same direction — along the ecliptic, from West to East. This movement is referred to as “direct”. Retrograde motion is just an optical illusion caused by our perspective from Earth. But why does it happen?
The reason hides in the different orbital speeds and planets’ positions. The closer a planet is to the Sun, the faster it moves around it. Imagine that you are driving a car and overtaking another car — while overtaking, it will seem that this car is going backwards, even though it is moving in the same direction as you, only slower.
Mercury and Venus move faster than the Earth and have a shorter orbit, so when they overtake the Earth, “backward motion” occurs. At this moment, from the point of view of an observer on Earth, Mercury begins to move from West to East.
The outer planets—Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—move slower than Earth. So, when the Earth overtakes them during its orbital movement, it creates the illusion that they are moving from East to West.
On the animation below, you can see Jupiter’s apparent retrograde motion.
For ancient astronomers, who believed that the Earth was the centre of the Universe, the phenomenon of planets in retrograde was a mystery. Only in the 16th century, when Nicolaus Copernicus published his work On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, outlining and justifying the heliocentric system of the world, did it become obvious that the retrograde planet’s motion was just an illusion.
Is There A Retrograde Right Now?
Yes. Guess who? In the table below, you can see the schedule of planet retrogrades for 2025-2026.
| # | Planet | Retrograde Periods in 2025-2026 (GMT) | Duration |
| 1 | Mercury | March 15 – April 7, 2025 July 18 – August 11, 2025 November 9 – November 29, 2025 February 26 – March 20, 2026 June 29 – July 24, 2026 October 24 – November 13, 2026 | 20–23 days |
| 2 | Venus | March 1 – April 12, 2025 October 10 – November 21, 2026 | 42 days |
| 3 | Mars | December 6, 2024 – February 24, 2025; December 25, 2026 – March 15, 2027 | 79 days |
| 4 | Jupiter | October 9, 2024 – February 4, 2025 November 11, 2025 – March 11, 2026 December 14, 2026 – April 13, 2027 | 118 days |
| 5 | Saturn | 0July 13 – November 28, 2025 July 27 – December 11, 2026 | 138 days |
| 6 | Uranus | September 1, 2024 – January 30, 2025 September 6, 2025 – February 4, 2026 September 11, 2026 – February 9, 2027 | 151 days |
| 7 | Neptune | July 4 – December 10, 2025 July 6 – December 12, 2026 | 158 days |
| 8 | Pluto | 01 March 20May 4 – October 14, 2025 May 6 – October 16, 2026 | 162 days |
How Do Planets In Retrograde Affect Us?
Scientifically speaking, the retrograde planet movement does not affect our lives in any way. The problem is that at least 30% of people on Earth are more than willing to believe in astrology, horoscopes, and astrological forecasts and listen to astrologers’ advice. But besides disadvantages, this also has an upside. It all depends on how a person reacts to the information received.
What Does Retrograde Mean Spiritually?
In a spiritual context, the term is often associated with a period of introspection and reassessment of life values. It is seen as a time when the normal forward motion of life slows down, providing an opportunity to look back, analyse past actions, resolve unresolved issues, focus on problems, and adjust one’s tasks and goals.
What Does Retrograde Mean In Astrology?
Astrologers represent the celestial sphere as a Zodiac circle, divided into 12 equal parts, each corresponding to a specific Zodiac sign. Each planet rules a specific zodiac sign, with the exceptions of Cancer and Leo, which are governed by the Moon and the Sun, respectively.
Depending on our retrograde, a person born under one or another Zodiac sign feels the planets’ influence on various aspects of their life, to a lesser or greater extent. For example, if the planet that rules your Zodiac sign passes through your Zodiac sign in ‘irregular’ motion, then the influence on you is believed to be especially strong.
Let’s explore how each planet influences us during its retrograde and what we should be mindful of to avoid potential challenges.
Mercury In Retrograde
Zodiac: Gemini, Virgo
Associated with various communications, travel, and technologies. While retrograde is in effect, you may experience communication breakdowns, issues with technology and transportation, unexpected travel or relocation setbacks, and complications with documents or signing contracts.
It is recommended to carefully consider your actions and words, check routes and documents, the service conditions of vehicles, and refrain from risky trips and transactions.
Venus In Retrograde
Zodiac: Taurus, Libra
Venus is considered the planet of love, beauty, harmony and personal values. When it is in apparent backwards motion, it is believed that these life areas may face revision or delays. There may be problems in relationships, financial matters, and creative endeavours. Venus retrograde can also bring back old love interests or memories of past relationships. This can be a good opportunity to heal old emotional wounds and close unfinished emotional chapters.
Mars In Retrograde
Zodiac: Aries, Scorpio
Mars is associated with ambition, drive, and power. When in retrograde, it is believed that this planet’s energy diminishes, leading to reduced motivation, difficulty in accomplishing tasks, and a heightened risk of conflicts or aggressive behaviour. During this time, it’s advisable to manage your energy wisely and prioritise both physical and emotional well-being. Staying mindful and maintaining emotional control is also essential to avoid straining your relationships with others.
Jupiter in retrograde
Zodiac: Sagittarius, Pisces
Usually associated with a period of delayed internal growth. At this time, Jupiter’s energy and influence are supposed to be weakened and require special attention and reflection. It may require more patience and effort, but if you invest it in self-realisation and rethinking your beliefs and desires, the result will not keep you waiting.
Saturn In Retrograde
Zodiac: Capricornus
Associated with responsibility and safety. During this period, difficulties or changes in the professional sphere are possible. You should avoid arguing with influential people and take care of the impression you make. It is better to place financial investments and new projects on hold.
Uranus Planet In Retrograde
Zodiac: Aquarius
Uranus is associated with innovation, change, and the destruction of the old ways of life. This is a time to acquire new perspectives and opportunities, but you will need determination and enthusiasm. Dreams during this period can become very vivid and symbolic to help you realise the real situation and break the stalemate.
Neptune Planet In Retrograde
Zodiac: Pisces
The eighth planet, Neptune, is linked to intuition, illusions, dreams, and idealisation. During its retrograde period, you may face deception, the collapse of hopes, and feelings of disappointment. Perception becomes distorted, and it becomes more difficult to distinguish reality from fiction. At this time, it is important to stay aware and critical to avoid getting trapped by illusions.
Pluto Planet In Retrograde
Zodiac: Scorpius
Even though Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006, astrologers continue to pay attention to it along with other planets.
Pluto retrograde is a time of transformation and rebirth. Things may go your way, so just accept it. View the ending of old relationships or events as making room for new ones. Remember that the feeling of uncertainty will not last long.
Remember, astrology is not a scientific discipline, and its interpretations can vary significantly. You should not entirely rely on astrology, but its warnings can serve as an additional spiritual incentive to break your daily routine and start changing your life for the better.
Why Is Mercury Always Guilty If All The Planets Are Retrograde?
So, as you understand, all planets can be in apparent backward motion, but why do we often hear about retrograde Mercury? There are several reasons.
First, if you check how often a planet is in retrograde, you will find that the first planet from the Sun holds the record. Due to its high speed and short orbit, Mercury needs only 88 days to complete one revolution around the Sun, compared to 365 days on Earth. Thus, it overtakes us three to four times a year, and each time it stays in apparent backwards motion for about three weeks. Such periods for the planets of the outer group occur no more than once a year; for Venus and Mars, once every 1.5 and 2 years, respectively.
The second reason is astrology. Even though other planets stay in apparent backwards motion longer (for the outer planets, the duration reaches several months at a time), astrologers most often associate negative predictions with Mercury. Therefore, it has to take the rap for everyone. This tradition dates back to antiquity, to “horoscopic astrology.” A person asked a question, and a “star specialist” determined the answer by consulting an astrological chart. If Mercury was ‘backwards,’ the answer was negative.
The third reason is technological progress. At the end of the 20th century, thanks to radio, the press, and television, interest in astrology was revived, and knowledge about apparent backwards planet motion spread more widely. The rapid development of the Internet and the boom of social networks in the 21st century have made the first planet from the Sun into the most famous celestial culprit of our troubles.
Celestial Murphy’s Law In Action
Today, Mercury retrograde is the subject of jokes and memes and is associated with Murphy’s law, which states, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
1949 Air Force Captain and Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Edward Murphy was stationed at Edwards Air Force Base. While researching the causes of airplane crashes, Murphy suggested that if technicians could do something wrong, they would. This statement appeared after one of the aircraft engines began to rotate the propeller in REVERSE because of mistakes made while assembling.
So, when something goes wrong for us, or we have a “crappy” day, we don’t rush to find out what planets are in retrograde now. We rely on stereotypes and blame Mercury for all our troubles, even if the time’s not right. After all, why not?
References And Additional Information:
- The apparent motions of planets https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1940ASPL….3..238A
- Planet Retrograde https://www.prokerala.com/astrology/planet-retrograde.php
- Retrograde motion of the planets: Everything you need to know https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/retrograde
- How Mercury Retrograde Affects Each Zodiac Sign https://www.almanac.com/mercury-retrograde-and-zodiac-signs
- Murphy’s Law. When things go wrong https://singularity-app.com/blog/murphys-law/
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