Updated October 19, 2026. Positions calculated with astronomy-engine and checked against Swiss Ephemeris.
What Is Mars Retrograde?
Mars retrograde is the period of two to two and a half months, once every 26 months, when Mars appears to move backward through the zodiac as seen from Earth.
Mars never actually reverses. Earth orbits closer to the Sun and moves faster, so roughly every 780 days we catch up with Mars and pass it on the inside. For the weeks around that overtaking, our line of sight to Mars swings backward against the background stars, the way a slower car seems to drift backward when you pass it on the highway. The middle of the retrograde is the opposition, when Earth sits directly between the Sun and Mars and the planet is at its brightest, rising at sunset and visible all night.
A Mars retrograde lasts between 60 and 81 days, 74 on average, and Mars spends about 9.5% of the time retrograde. That makes it rarer than Mercury retrograde, which comes three times a year, and roughly as rare as Venus retrograde, which comes every 19 months but is shorter. Between one Mars retrograde and the next, Mars travels once around the whole zodiac and about a sign and a half further.
In astrology, Mars is the planet of drive, action, anger, desire, competition and courage. The tradition reads a Mars retrograde as a time when that energy turns inward: plans stall or need rethinking, old conflicts come back, and effort works better on finishing than on starting. The astronomy is fixed and measurable; the meaning is interpretation, and this page keeps the two apart.
Mars Retrograde 2027: Dates, Times and Degrees
The next Mars retrograde begins on January 10, 2027 at 13:01 UTC, when Mars stations at 10°26′ Virgo, and ends on April 1, 2027 at 14:10 UTC, when Mars stations direct at 20°56′ Leo. At 81 days it is among the longest Mars retrogrades possible, and Mars backs up 19.5°, close to the widest a Mars retrograde ever gets. Section 5 explains why.
Mars reaches opposition on February 19, 2027, at 0°46′ Virgo, about 101 million kilometers from Earth. Two days later, on February 21, it backs out of Virgo into Leo, so the 2027 Mars retrograde has two chapters: six weeks in Virgo, then six weeks in Leo. Around the opposition Mars is the bright orange point opposite the Sun all night, though fainter than at a close opposition like 2018's.
Other planets are retrograde at the same time. Jupiter is retrograde in Leo from December 13, 2026 to April 13, 2027, covering the whole Mars retrograde, and Mercury is retrograde from February 9 to March 3, 2027. If you are following Venus too, its own dates are on our Venus retrograde tracker, and Mercury's on the Mercury retrograde page.
In the Americas the stations fall on the same calendar days (January 10 at 8:01 AM in New York, April 1 at 10:10 AM daylight time); only in New Zealand and the Pacific do they move to January 11 and April 2. Published station times also differ by a few minutes between ephemerides. The tracker above converts every time to your own time zone, and you can switch zones if you are planning for someone elsewhere.
Is There a Mars Retrograde in 2026 or 2028?
No. There is no Mars retrograde in 2026 and none in 2028. Because Mars turns retrograde only every 26 months or so, the retrogrades fall in alternating calendar years: late 2024 into early 2025, then early 2027, then early 2029. What 2026 does have is the start of the shadow: from November 5, 2026, Mars is moving through the degrees it will later cover backward.
After 2027 the next Mars retrograde runs from February 14 to May 5, 2029, from 13°55′ Libra back to 24°56′ Virgo. Then come March 29 to June 13, 2031 in Scorpio, and May 26 to August 1, 2033 from Capricorn back into Sagittarius. Some calendars list the 2029 retrograde as ending in early March; it actually lasts 80 days, until May 5.
The Mars Retrograde Shadow Period
A retrograde does not start and stop abruptly. Before the station retrograde, Mars first moves through the stretch of the zodiac it is about to cover backward; after the station direct, it has to cross the same stretch a third time before it is clear. Those two stretches are the pre-retrograde and post-retrograde shadow, and for Mars they are long: the full Mars retrograde cycle averages about six months.
The 2027 shadow zone runs from 20°56′ Leo to 10°26′ Virgo. Mars first reaches 20°56′ Leo on November 5, 2026, enters Virgo on November 25, turns retrograde at 10°26′ Virgo on January 10, walks back to 20°56′ Leo by April 1, re-enters Virgo on May 14, and returns to 10°26′ Virgo on June 8, 2027. That is seven months from the first day of the shadow to the last.
Astrologers read the pre-shadow as the time the themes first appear and the post-shadow as the time they settle. The progress bar at the top of this page marks where today falls, and the key moments list gives every date in your time zone.
Why the 2027 Mars Retrograde Is So Long
Not every Mars retrograde is the same size. The shortest last about 60 days and cover 10°; the longest last 81 days and cover nearly 20°. The difference comes from Mars's oval orbit. When Earth overtakes Mars while Mars is near the far end of its orbit, Mars is moving at its slowest, Earth gains on it fastest, and the backward swing lasts longer and reaches further, even though Mars is farther away.
In February 2027 Mars is near that far point, about 101 million kilometers from Earth at opposition, so this Mars retrograde is long and wide. The close opposition of July 2018, at 58 million kilometers, produced one of the shortest. The table below comes from our ephemeris.
| Opposition | Distance (million km) | Days retrograde | Degrees back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2018 | 57.8 | 61.7 | 10.6° |
| Oct 2020 | 62.7 | 65.1 | 12.9° |
| Dec 2022 | 82.2 | 74.3 | 17.5° |
| Jan 2025 | 96.3 | 79.1 | 19.2° |
| Feb 2027 | 101.4 | 81.0 | 19.5° |
| Mar 2029 | 97.1 | 80.4 | 19.0° |
| May 2031 | 83.6 | 76.5 | 17.2° |
| Jun 2033 | 63.9 | 66.6 | 12.7° |
| Sep 2035 | 57.1 | 60.9 | 10.7° |
Because the retrogrades come every 26 months, each lands about 49° further around the zodiac than the last, roughly a sign and a half on. The figure shows every Mars retrograde from 2010 to 2035 as the stretch of zodiac it covers: the long arcs of 2009–10, 2012 and 2027 against the short ones of 2018, 2020 and 2035.
The 15- and 17-Year Mars Cycles
Mars retrogrades do not repeat as neatly as Venus's, but they do echo. Seven Mars retrogrades take almost exactly 15 years and land 13° to 32° earlier in the zodiac; eight take 17 years and land 20° to 50° later. So the retrograde 15 years ago often overlaps part of the current one, and the closest repeats come at 32 and 79 years.
For 2027 the echoes are January to April 2012, when Mars was retrograde from 23°06′ to 3°41′ Virgo and overlapped the Virgo half of this one; January to March 1995, from 2°40′ Virgo back to 13°10′ Leo, which covered much of the same ground; and January to March 1948, from 7°37′ Virgo to 18°06′ Leo, almost the same stretch 79 years earlier.
Astrologers use these echoes as a lens: look at what you were starting, fighting for or giving up in early 2012, and, if you are old enough, in early 1995. The 2027 Mars retrograde often brings the same kind of question back with more experience behind it.
What Mars Retrograde Means for Energy, Anger and Ambition
Mars is how we go after what we want: physical energy, ambition, sexual desire, the courage to compete and the temper that flares when we are blocked. In the traditional reading, a Mars retrograde turns that drive back on itself. Progress slows, plans hit delays, and frustration builds when you push against them.
The more useful reading is review. Mars retrograde is a good time to finish what you started, repair what broke, train steadily instead of hard, and look at what actually makes you angry. Old rivals and unfinished arguments often come back; they are easier to settle now than to win. Many astrologers advise against launching campaigns, picking fights or making aggressive moves until Mars is direct again.
The 2027 Mars retrograde has two chapters. In Virgo, from January 10 to February 21, the review is practical: work methods, health routines, the details you have been rushing. In Leo, from February 21 to April 1, it turns personal: creative projects, pride, romance and the urge to be seen. If either placement is in your birth chart, see Mars in Virgo and Mars in Leo.
None of this forecasts trouble. Read it as an invitation to redirect rather than force. How it plays out depends on your own chart, which the section at the top of this page reads for you; for work questions, a career reading goes further.
Mars Retrograde Through the 12 Houses
Where a Mars retrograde lands in your life depends on your houses, which come from your birth time and place. This one covers the part of your chart from 20°56′ Leo to 10°26′ Virgo: for most people one house, sometimes two. Here is what each house traditionally brings up during Mars retrograde. The section at the top of this page works out which applies to you, and our transit chart shows everything else moving through your chart right now.
| House | Where the energy goes |
|---|---|
| 1st house | Your body, energy and how you assert yourself. Pace yourself and return to training you once kept up rather than starting something extreme. |
| 2nd house | Earning and spending. Effort goes into income you already have; impulsive purchases and money fights are the traps. |
| 3rd house | Words, siblings and daily errands. Old arguments resurface; think twice before sending the angry message. |
| 4th house | Home and family. Repairs, renovations and family tension come up; finish projects before starting new ones. |
| 5th house | Romance, creativity and play. A past passion or creative project returns; competitive games run hot. |
| 6th house | Work and health routines. Frustration with the daily grind; rebuild habits steadily and watch for strain injuries. |
| 7th house | Partnerships and rivals. Conflicts with a partner or an old opponent return for a better resolution. |
| 8th house | Shared money, intimacy and power. Debts, joint finances and desire are reviewed; avoid power struggles. |
| 9th house | Beliefs, travel and study. You revisit a cause, a course or a journey you once pursued with fire. |
| 10th house | Career and ambition. Goals stall or need rethinking; push less and rework the plan. |
| 11th house | Friends and groups. Team friction or an old group project; decide which alliances are worth the energy. |
| 12th house | The hidden and unconscious. Suppressed anger surfaces; rest, sleep and solitude restore your drive. |
What to Do (and Avoid) During Mars Retrograde
Traditional astrology gives fairly consistent advice for a Mars retrograde. Treat it as guidance, not rules: people start jobs, train and move house during every retrograde, and life goes on.
Good uses of the time
- Finish, repair and rework projects you already started.
- Keep exercising, but build steadily and return to routines that worked before.
- Settle old conflicts calmly, and notice what sets off your temper.
- Rethink your strategy for goals that have stalled, then act after the station direct.
Traditionally avoided
- Starting fights, lawsuits or rivalries you could leave until later.
- Launching an aggressive campaign, business or competitive bid in a hurry.
- Elective surgery, if the date is yours to choose; astrologers traditionally avoid it under a retrograde Mars.
- Buying vehicles or heavy machinery in a rush, or taking physical risks to prove a point.
If a date can move, astrologers suggest waiting until after the station direct on April 1, 2027, and ideally until the shadow ends on June 8.
Born With Mars Retrograde?
About 9% of people, roughly one in eleven, were born while Mars was retrograde. You can check with just your birth date in the section at the top of this page; if you were born within a day of a station, add your birth time and place for a definite answer.
Astrologers read a natal Mars retrograde as drive that works from the inside out. People with this placement often think before they act, hold anger in rather than let it out, and do their best work on their own terms rather than in open competition. Many feel the Mars retrograde periods of later life as a return to their natural rhythm. To see which sign your Mars is in, use the Mars sign calculator.
Every Mars Retrograde From 2010 to 2035
Here is every Mars retrograde from 2010 to 2035, calculated from our ephemeris, with the degree of both stations and the full shadow period. The most searched recent one ran from December 6, 2024 to February 23–24, 2025, from Leo back into Cancer; the 2022 Mars retrograde in Gemini ran from October 30, 2022 to January 12, 2023. Dates follow the time zone you choose, and the current and next periods are highlighted.
| Retrograde | From → to | Shadow period |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 20, 2009 – Mar 10, 2010 | Leo 19°42′ → Leo 0°18′ | Shadow period: Oct 17, 2009 – May 17, 2010 |
| Jan 24 – Apr 14, 2012 | Virgo 23°06′ → Virgo 3°41′ | Shadow period: Nov 18, 2011 – Jun 19, 2012 |
| Mar 1 – May 20, 2014 | Libra 27°32′ → Libra 9°02′ | Shadow period: Dec 26, 2013 – Jul 21, 2014 |
| Apr 17 – Jun 29, 2016 | Sagittarius 8°54′ → Scorpio 23°04′ | Shadow period: Feb 18 – Aug 22, 2016 |
| Jun 26 – Aug 27, 2018 | Aquarius 9°13′ → Capricorn 28°37′ | Shadow period: May 12 – Oct 8, 2018 |
| Sep 9 – Nov 14, 2020 | Aries 28°09′ → Aries 15°14′ | Shadow period: Jul 25, 2020 – Jan 2, 2021 |
| Oct 30, 2022 – Jan 12, 2023 | Gemini 25°37′ → Gemini 8°08′ | Shadow period: Sep 3, 2022 – Mar 16, 2023 |
| Dec 6, 2024 – Feb 24, 2025 | Leo 6°10′ → Cancer 17°01′ | Shadow period: Oct 5, 2024 – May 2, 2025 |
| Jan 10 – Apr 1, 2027Next | Virgo 10°26′ → Leo 20°56′ | Shadow period: Nov 5, 2026 – Jun 8, 2027 |
| Feb 14 – May 5, 2029 | Libra 13°55′ → Virgo 24°56′ | Shadow period: Dec 10, 2028 – Jul 9, 2029 |
| Mar 29 – Jun 13, 2031 | Scorpio 21°38′ → Scorpio 4°26′ | Shadow period: Jan 25 – Aug 10, 2031 |
| May 26 – Aug 1, 2033 | Capricorn 12°30′ → Sagittarius 29°48′ | Shadow period: Apr 5 – Sep 16, 2033 |
| Aug 15 – Oct 15, 2035 | Pisces 28°26′ → Pisces 17°46′ | Shadow period: Jul 3 – Nov 28, 2035 |
A station near midnight can fall on different dates in different time zones, which is why published calendars sometimes differ by a day.
Other Planets in Retrograde
Mars is rarely retrograde alone. The timeline shows every planet's retrogrades in 2026 and 2027: Mercury three times a year, Venus from October 3 to November 14, 2026, and the outer planets for four to five months of every year. Because Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto spend a third or more of each year retrograde, astrologers give their retrogrades far less weight than those of Mercury, Venus and Mars.
For the other personal planets, see our Mercury retrograde tracker and Venus retrograde tracker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mars in retrograde right now?
No. Mars is moving direct. The next Mars retrograde runs from January 10, 2027 to April 1, 2027 (UTC); the tracker at the top of this page counts down to it.
When is the next Mars retrograde?
From January 10 to April 1, 2027, from 10°26′ Virgo back to 20°56′ Leo, with the shadow running from November 5, 2026 to June 8, 2027. After that, the next Mars retrograde is from February 14 to May 5, 2029.
When does Mars retrograde end?
The 2027 Mars retrograde ends on April 1, 2027 at 14:10 UTC, when Mars turns direct at 20°56′ Leo. Mars then stays in its post-retrograde shadow until June 8, 2027, when it gets back to the degree where the retrograde began.
How long does Mars retrograde last?
Between 60 and 81 days, about ten weeks on average. The 2027 one lasts 81 days, close to the longest possible. With the shadows, the whole cycle takes about six months, and seven months in 2027. Mars retrograde comes around every 26 months.
What were the Mars retrograde 2025 dates?
Mars was retrograde from December 6, 2024 to February 23, 2025 in the Americas (February 24 in UTC), moving from 6°10′ Leo back to 17°01′ Cancer. Its shadow ran from October 5, 2024 to May 2, 2025.
What does Mars retrograde mean?
In astrology it is a period when the energy of Mars, meaning drive, ambition, anger and desire, turns inward. Plans tend to slow down, old conflicts resurface, and effort pays off better on finishing and rethinking than on starting. Astronomically it is the stretch around Mars's opposition when Earth overtakes it.
Can you start a new job or have surgery during Mars retrograde?
You can, and many people do. Traditional astrology advises against elective surgery and aggressive new starts when the date is yours to choose, and suggests waiting for the station direct. A new job you have been offered is not a reason to wait; focus on preparing well rather than rushing.
What does it mean to be born with Mars retrograde?
About 9% of people have Mars retrograde in their birth chart. Astrologers read it as drive that works from the inside out: reflective rather than impulsive, strong in independent work, slow to anger but slow to let it go. You can check whether you have it with your birth date in the tool at the top of this page.
How We Calculate
Every date, time and degree on this page comes from our own calculation, not a copied table. We compute the apparent geocentric position of Mars with the astronomy-engine library, which is built on the VSOP87 planetary theory, and find each station as the moment its speed in ecliptic longitude changes sign. We then check the stations against Swiss Ephemeris, the reference behind most astrology software: across 25 stations from 2010 to 2035 the median difference is 2 minutes, the largest is 8 minutes, and the station degrees agree within 0.2′. Station moments are soft by nature because the planet is barely moving, which is also why published times differ by a few minutes.
The shadow dates are the moments Mars crosses the two station degrees, and the opposition is when Mars and the Sun are 180° apart in ecliptic longitude. Distances are measured from Earth's center. Times are converted to your time zone in your browser. Daily positions for every planet are in our ephemeris.