Retrograde calendar 2021
The year at a glance
Each bar runs from the day a planet turns retrograde to the day it turns direct.
Every retrograde in 2021
☿︎ Mercury retrograde 2021
- 30 Jan – 21 Feb · 21 daysAquarius 2°20′ back into Capricorn 16°52′
- 29 May – 22 Jun · 24 daysGemini 0°34′ back into Taurus 21°58′
- 27 Sep – 18 Oct · 21 daysLibra 1°19′ back into Virgo 15°58′
♀︎ Venus retrograde 2021
- 19 Dec – 29 Jan 2022 · 41 daysCapricorn 2°20′ back into Sagittarius 16°55′
♂︎ Mars retrograde 2021
Mars doesn't go retrograde in 2021.
♃︎ Jupiter retrograde 2021
- 20 Jun – 18 Oct · 120 daysAquarius 8°02′ back into Capricorn 28°10′
♄︎ Saturn retrograde 2021
- 23 May – 11 Oct · 141 daysCapricorn 19°22′ back to 12°43′
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.
Questions about retrogrades
When is Mercury retrograde in 2021?
3 times: 30 Jan – 21 Feb (in Aquarius back into Capricorn); 29 May – 22 Jun (in Gemini back into Taurus); 27 Sep – 18 Oct (in Libra back into Virgo). Dates are UT.
Which planets go retrograde in 2021?
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.