Ayana

Retrograde calendar 1979

Every retrograde of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn — the dates each planet turns back and turns forward again, and the signs it moves through, in the sidereal (Vedic) zodiac.

The year at a glance

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
☿︎ Mercury
♀︎ Venus
♂︎ Mars
♃︎ Jupiter
♄︎ Saturn

Each bar runs from the day a planet turns retrograde to the day it turns direct.

Every retrograde in 1979

☿︎ Mercury retrograde 1979

  • 15 Mar – 7 Apr · 23 daysPisces 14°58′ back to 2°10′
  • 17 Jul – 11 Aug · 24 daysCancer 20°53′ back to 9°35′
  • 9 Nov – 29 Nov · 20 daysScorpio 12°14′ back into Libra 26°05′

♀︎ Venus retrograde 1979

Venus doesn't go retrograde in 1979.

♂︎ Mars retrograde 1979

Mars doesn't go retrograde in 1979.

♃︎ Jupiter retrograde 1979

  • 25 Nov 1978 – 26 Mar · 120 daysCancer 15°30′ back to 5°26′
  • 26 Dec – 26 Apr 1980 · 122 daysLeo 16°40′ back to 6°40′

♄︎ Saturn retrograde 1979

  • 24 Dec 1978 – 9 May · 136 daysLeo 20°23′ back to 13°31′

Sidereal zodiac (lahiri ayanāṁśa), computed with the Swiss Ephemeris; stations to the minute in UT, so the local date can differ by a day. Periods that start in the year before or end in the year after are included. Rāhu and Ketu always move backwards.

How it works

  1. 01Pick a year — 1950 to 2100.
  2. 02The engine finds every Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn retrograde that touches it, with both stations to the minute (UT).
  3. 03See them on one chart — a row per planet, today marked — then every period listed.

Questions about retrogrades

When is Mercury retrograde in 1979?

3 times: 15 Mar – 7 Apr (in Pisces); 17 Jul – 11 Aug (in Cancer); 9 Nov – 29 Nov (in Scorpio back into Libra). Dates are UT.

Which planets go retrograde in 1979?

Mercury 3×, Venus — none, Mars — none, Jupiter 2×, Saturn 1×.

What does retrograde mean?

Seen from Earth, a planet sometimes appears to slow down, stop and move backwards through the zodiac for a while, then turn forward again. The two turning points are its stations. Classically, a retrograde planet's matters tend to come through review, delay or second attempts — tendencies, not verdicts.

Why are the signs different from Western retrograde calendars, but not the dates?

The stations are the same instants in any zodiac. Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac (here with the Lahiri ayanāṁśa), about 24° behind the tropical one, so the sign named is often the one before.

Do Rahu and Ketu go retrograde?

They always move backwards — that is their normal motion — so they have no retrograde periods to list.

How often does each planet go retrograde?

Mercury three or four times a year for about three weeks; Venus every 18 months for about six weeks; Mars every 26 months for two to three months; Jupiter and Saturn about once a year for four to five months.