AstroCalcs

Calculators

Big 3 (Sun, Moon, Rising) Rising Sign Black Moon Lilith Saturn Return Solar Return Birth Moon Phase Moon Phase Compatibility Natal Retrograde Mercury Retrograde
About Methodology
94 retrograde periods, 1900–2100

Mars Retrograde Dates

Mars turns back about every 26 months and stays back for two and a half. Every loop from 1900 to 2100, dated and placed.

As of Sep 8, 2026, Mars is not retrograde.

The next Mars retrograde starts on in Virgo and ends on in Leo, about 81 days.

Highlighted in the table: the next period

Mars retrograde calendar

A number first: Mars is retrograde 9.4% of the time, rarer than anything but Venus, because Earth laps it only about every 26 months. The lap happens at opposition, when Mars rises at sunset and is at its brightest, so the middle of every Mars retrograde is the best fortnight in two years to go outside and look at it. It is also the least regular loop in the archive: 94 periods running from 60 to 81 days, over anything from ten to nearly twenty degrees, because Mars's orbit is lopsided and Earth catches it at a different distance each time.

Each row runs from the station where Mars appears to stop and turn back to the one where it turns forward again. These near-term tables are solved from the ephemeris to the second and shown as UTC calendar dates with the degree at each station. An almanac working in local time can put a station a day either side.

2027 Mars retrograde dates

Mars retrograde and direct station dates for 2027, with the zodiac sign of each station and the number of days between them.
Goes retrograde Turns direct Duration
10°25′ Virgo Next up 20°55′ Leo 81 days
Past dates (2024)

2024 Mars retrograde dates

Mars retrograde and direct station dates for 2024, with the zodiac sign of each station and the number of days between them.
Goes retrograde Turns direct Duration
6°10′ Leo 17°00′ Cancer 79 days

How often Mars is retrograde

Every figure here is measured from the 94 complete periods between 1900 and 2100. Nothing is quoted from a reference book or rounded to the month, which is where most retrograde tables start to drift.

Share of the time
9.4%
of all days between 1900 and 2100
Typical length
76 days
median period; the mean is 74 days
Shortest to longest
60–81 days
across every catalogued period
How often
About every 26 months
94 periods in 201 years

What people report during a Mars retrograde is a stall rather than a stop: the gym membership that lapses, the argument that goes round again, the launch date that slips a week and then another. Astrologers would expect that. They file drive, anger, the ability to start and the urge to win under Mars, and read the retrograde as that engine idling. The traditional advice is to finish rather than start, and to be suspicious of your own temper. Then Mars turns direct, and whatever got shelved is still on the shelf.

Birthdays fall on retrograde days as often as on any other, so the share above is also, near enough, the share of birth charts with Mars retrograde. The natal retrograde calculator checks a date against the same stations.

Every Mars retrograde, 1900–2100

All 94 periods, by decade. Each degree links to the Cycle Lab query for that point of the zodiac, so you can see what else has ever stood there.

1900s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 1900s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
12°33′ Virgo 23°03′ Leo 81
16°17′ Libra 27°26′ Virgo 80
25°06′ Scorpio 8°19′ Scorpio 75
18°54′ Capricorn 6°58′ Capricorn 65
6°48′ Aries 25°27′ Pisces 62
1910s (4 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 1910s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
10°57′ Gemini 24°18′ Taurus 72
24°33′ Cancer 5°40′ Cancer 78
29°49′ Leo 10°19′ Leo 81
3°04′ Libra 13°51′ Virgo 81
1920s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 1920s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
9°06′ Scorpio 21°14′ Libra 78
25°16′ Sagittarius 11°06′ Sagittarius 70
5°18′ Pisces 25°19′ Aquarius 60
19°27′ Taurus 4°31′ Taurus 69
9°17′ Cancer 20°59′ Gemini 76
1930s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 1930s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
16°48′ Leo 27°25′ Cancer 80
20°16′ Virgo 0°51′ Virgo 81
24°37′ Libra 6°03′ Libra 79
5°31′ Sagittarius 19°31′ Scorpio 74
4°42′ Aquarius 23°55′ Capricorn 62
1940s (4 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 1940s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
23°43′ Aries 11°04′ Aries 65
22°13′ Gemini 4°51′ Gemini 74
3°13′ Leo 14°06′ Cancer 79
7°36′ Virgo 18°06′ Leo 81
1950s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 1950s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
11°02′ Libra 22°00′ Virgo 80
18°28′ Scorpio 1°10′ Scorpio 77
8°31′ Capricorn 25°35′ Sagittarius 67
23°39′ Pisces 13°09′ Pisces 61
2°32′ Gemini 16°34′ Taurus 71
1960s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 1960s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
18°39′ Cancer 29°59′ Gemini 77
24°48′ Leo 5°20′ Leo 80
28°03′ Virgo 8°43′ Virgo 81
3°12′ Scorpio 14°58′ Libra 79
16°45′ Sagittarius 1°42′ Sagittarius 72
1970s (4 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 1970s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
21°57′ Aquarius 11°53′ Aquarius 60
9°16′ Taurus 25°18′ Aries 67
2°39′ Cancer 14°43′ Gemini 75
11°33′ Leo 22°16′ Cancer 80
1980s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 1980s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
15°21′ Virgo 25°52′ Leo 81
19°10′ Libra 0°22′ Libra 80
28°21′ Scorpio 11°42′ Scorpio 75
23°06′ Capricorn 11°25′ Capricorn 64
11°28′ Aries 29°52′ Pisces 63
1990s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 1990s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
14°33′ Gemini 27°45′ Taurus 73
27°37′ Cancer 8°40′ Cancer 78
2°40′ Virgo 13°10′ Leo 81
5°55′ Libra 16°44′ Virgo 81
12°12′ Scorpio 24°27′ Libra 78
2000s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 2000s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
29°03′ Sagittarius 15°06′ Sagittarius 69
10°07′ Pisces 0°07′ Pisces 60
23°22′ Taurus 8°13′ Taurus 69
12°27′ Cancer 24°04′ Gemini 77
19°42′ Leo 0°17′ Leo 80
2010s (4 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 2010s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
23°05′ Virgo 3°40′ Virgo 81
27°31′ Libra 9°01′ Libra 79
8°54′ Sagittarius 23°03′ Scorpio 73
9°13′ Aquarius 28°36′ Capricorn 62
2020s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 2020s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
28°08′ Aries 15°13′ Aries 65
25°36′ Gemini 8°07′ Gemini 74
6°10′ Leo 17°00′ Cancer 79
10°25′ Virgo 20°55′ Leo 81
13°55′ Libra 24°55′ Virgo 80
2030s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 2030s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
21°38′ Scorpio 4°26′ Scorpio 76
12°30′ Capricorn 29°47′ Sagittarius 67
28°26′ Pisces 17°45′ Pisces 61
6°15′ Gemini 20°07′ Taurus 71
21°45′ Cancer 3°01′ Cancer 78
2040s (4 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 2040s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
27°39′ Leo 8°10′ Leo 81
0°52′ Libra 11°34′ Virgo 81
6°13′ Scorpio 18°06′ Libra 79
20°22′ Sagittarius 5°31′ Sagittarius 71
2050s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 2050s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
26°42′ Aquarius 16°42′ Aquarius 60
13°22′ Taurus 29°11′ Aries 67
5°54′ Cancer 17°53′ Gemini 76
14°28′ Leo 25°09′ Cancer 80
18°09′ Virgo 28°41′ Leo 81
2060s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 2060s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
22°04′ Libra 3°19′ Libra 80
1°36′ Sagittarius 15°06′ Scorpio 75
27°23′ Capricorn 15°55′ Capricorn 64
16°06′ Aries 4°16′ Aries 63
18°04′ Gemini 1°07′ Gemini 73
2070s (4 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 2070s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
0°35′ Leo 11°36′ Cancer 78
5°28′ Virgo 15°57′ Leo 81
8°45′ Libra 19°36′ Virgo 81
15°16′ Scorpio 27°36′ Libra 78
2080s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 2080s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
2°48′ Capricorn 19°05′ Sagittarius 69
14°56′ Pisces 4°51′ Pisces 60
27°16′ Taurus 11°55′ Taurus 70
15°37′ Cancer 27°10′ Gemini 77
22°34′ Leo 3°09′ Leo 80
2090s (5 periods)
Every Mars retrograde period beginning in the 2090s, with the zodiac degree of each station and the length of the period.
Goes retrograde At Turns direct At Days
25°54′ Virgo 6°31′ Virgo 81
0°30′ Scorpio 12°04′ Libra 79
12°22′ Sagittarius 26°42′ Scorpio 73
13°48′ Aquarius 3°22′ Aquarius 61
2°29′ Taurus 19°20′ Aries 66

The archive comes from the shared event catalogue, and I store each station there floored to the hour, so the UTC calendar date is exact but no time of day is shown. It also means a degree here can sit an arc-minute below the same station in the near-term table above, which is solved to the second. Degrees are apparent geocentric ecliptic longitude for the equinox of date, the tropical position an astrologer reads. The catalogue is published under CC BY 4.0. Cite as: AstroCalcs, Mars retrograde dates 1900–2100, https://astrocalcs.com/mars-retrograde-dates/ (CC BY 4.0).

Retrograde dates for the other planets

The same tables, built the same way, for each of the eight planets that ever appear to run backward.

Looking at one chart rather than the calendar? The natal retrograde calculator says which planets were retrograde on a birth date, and Cycle Lab finds every station and eclipse near any degree.

Mars retrograde FAQ

When is Mars retrograde in 2026?

Mars makes no retrograde station in 2026. It can still be retrograde in the early part of the year if a period began the December before, and the calendar above shows whether that happened. Otherwise Mars is direct all year, and the next station is in the table with its sign and degree. Dates there are UTC, so a local calendar can differ by a day.

How long does Mars retrograde last?

About 76 days, taking the median of the 94 periods between 1900 and 2100. The shortest ran 60 days and the longest 81. Each is the gap between a period's two stations as the catalogue stores them, floored to the hour, so lengths come out in whole days rather than hours. Nothing here is a rule of thumb; the figures are counted from the stations themselves.

How often does Mars go retrograde?

About every 26 months. Sampled at noon UTC on every day from 1900 to 2100, Mars is retrograde 9.4% of the time. Birthdays are spread over those same days, so that is also, near enough, the share of birth charts with Mars retrograde. It is a small share, and astrologers make more of a rare retrograde than a common one.

Is Mars retrograde right now?

The banner at the top of the page answers that. It is written into the page at build time, then rechecked in your browser against your device's clock, using the station dates the page already carries, so it stays right between rebuilds. It also marks the matching row in the calendar as happening now or next up. It reads your clock and nothing else.