Ayana

Retrograde calendar 1981

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 1981

☿︎ Mercury retrograde 1981

  • 8 Feb – 2 Mar · 22 daysAquarius 11°20′ back into Capricorn 26°16′
  • 9 Jun – 3 Jul · 24 daysGemini 11°37′ back to 2°44′
  • 6 Oct – 27 Oct · 21 daysLibra 10°16′ back into Virgo 24°40′

♀︎ Venus retrograde 1981

  • 31 Dec – 10 Feb 1982 · 41 daysCapricorn 15°18′ back into Sagittarius 29°46′

♂︎ Mars retrograde 1981

Mars doesn't go retrograde in 1981.

♃︎ Jupiter retrograde 1981

  • 24 Jan – 27 May · 123 daysVirgo 16°48′ back to 6°51′

♄︎ Saturn retrograde 1981

  • 18 Jan – 5 Jun · 137 daysVirgo 16°12′ back to 9°24′

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 1981?

3 times: 8 Feb – 2 Mar (in Aquarius back into Capricorn); 9 Jun – 3 Jul (in Gemini); 6 Oct – 27 Oct (in Libra back into Virgo). Dates are UT.

Which planets go retrograde in 1981?

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