Is Mars retrograde in October 2026? No. The next Mars retrograde starts January 10, 2027 and ends April 1, 2027.
Status as of 1 October 2026
Mars is direct. It stations retrograde 10 January 2027, 13:00 UTC at 10° Virgo and turns direct 1 April 2027 at 20° Leo (81 days). That is 101 days from now; the pre-shadow begins 5 November 2026.
Mars turns retrograde about every 26 months, for two to two and a half months. Below: every period in 2025, 2026 and 2027, with the exact minute of each station, the sign and degree it turns at, and the shadow periods, all computed from the planet’s actual position.
No Mars retrograde begins in 2025.
No Mars retrograde begins in 2026.
| Retrograde from | Direct again | Length | Pre-shadow from | Post-shadow until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 January 2027, 13:00 UTC 10°25' Virgo | 1 April 2027, 14:11 UTC 20°55' Leo | 81 days | 5 November 2026 | 8 June 2027 |
Mars retrograde is the rarest and longest of the three: roughly every two years and two months, lasting two to two and a half months. Mars is how we want, push, fight and start. The retrograde reading is that the push goes inward or stalls: efforts that were racing lose momentum, anger turns to frustration or simmers instead of discharging, and the thing you were fighting for gets questioned.
Because it is long, Mars retrograde is less an event than a season. Projects begun with a burst under direct Mars get reworked; conflicts that were avoided come back around; energy has to be managed rather than spent freely. Astrologers often note that the sign Mars retrogrades through, which it occupies for months instead of weeks, colours the whole period.
Machine-readable: retrograde/mars.json (stations, signs, degrees, shadows for 2025–2027; CC0).
Where it lands in your own chart matters more than the calendar. Compute your chart free and find the house Mars is moving through and any natal planet it crosses three times.
Mars stations retrograde on 10 January 2027 in Virgo and turns direct in Leo on 1 April 2027; it is read here from Virgo, the sign where it stations. Each sun sign meets it in a different house, counted with whole-sign houses. If you know your rising sign, read that one too: it gives the more precise house.
6th house · work routines and health
Mars retrograde in your sixth house affects daily work, fitness and health habits. Pushing through fatigue tends to backfire, so rest when your body asks for it. Friction at work can rise; handle it through clear process rather than confrontation. It is a good period to rebuild an exercise routine carefully and fix workflows that waste your effort.
5th house · romance, creativity and play
In your fifth house, Mars retrograde touches passion, creativity and risk-taking. Desire can feel stop-start, and competitive games more heated than they need to be. Creative projects often benefit from reworking rather than launching. Avoid big gambles: if something excites you, test it small first and see whether the enthusiasm lasts.
4th house · home and family
The fourth house is home and family, and Mars retrograde here can stir old tensions or stalled projects. DIY and repairs may take longer than planned, so double-check tools and measurements. Family disagreements go better after a cooling-off period than in the heat of the moment. Finishing a home project suits the time better than starting a new one.
3rd house · communication and daily contacts
Mars retrograde in your third house can make everyday exchanges sharper than you intend. Debates flare up easily, so choose which ones matter. Drive with extra patience and allow time for local trips. It is a useful period for revising writing, finishing a course, or calmly restarting a conversation with a sibling or neighbour.
2nd house · money and values
In your second house, Mars retrograde affects how you earn and how you spend. Impulse buys and hasty money moves are worth pausing. The work that brings in your income may need extra effort or a rethink. It is a good stretch for reviewing what you work so hard for, and whether the effort matches what you are paid.
1st house · self and image
Mars retrograde in your first house can make energy and confidence feel uneven. Frustration may show up faster, or motivation may dip for no clear reason. Pace yourself, keep exercise steady rather than extreme, and notice where you push too hard. It is a strong period for rebuilding strength gradually and rethinking how you assert yourself.
12th house · rest and the inner life
In your twelfth house, Mars retrograde works below the surface. Energy may feel low and anger may turn inward, showing up as restlessness or poor sleep. Rest, therapy, gentle exercise and time alone are good outlets. It is a strong period for letting go of old habits and facing the things you usually avoid.
11th house · friends and community
The eleventh house is friends, groups and causes. Mars retrograde here can bring friction inside teams or communities, or tiredness with a group you pushed hard for. Step back before reacting. It is a good time to reassess which causes deserve your energy, and to reconnect with allies you had drifted away from.
10th house · career and reputation
In your tenth house, Mars retrograde affects career drive and ambition. Progress may slow, or a project may need rework before it goes further. Fighting authority tends to be counterproductive now; turn the frustration into strategy. It is a useful time to reassess long-term goals and prepare, so you are ready to move when momentum returns.
9th house · travel, study and beliefs
Mars retrograde in your ninth house turns your drive toward beliefs, study and travel. Heated debates about politics or philosophy are easy to fall into and rarely change minds. Travel plans may need rerouting. It is a good period to return to an unfinished course or project, and to test your convictions quietly before defending them loudly.
8th house · intimacy and shared resources
In your eighth house, Mars retrograde touches shared money, debt, intimacy and power. Arguments over resources can resurface; calm documentation helps more than force. Desire and trust may need an honest conversation. It is a strong period for clearing old debts, reviewing contracts and working through the things you tend to avoid.
7th house · partnerships
The seventh house is partnership, and Mars retrograde here can bring old conflicts back up with a partner, a colleague or a rival. Anger is more useful when it is named calmly than when it is swallowed or thrown. It is a good time to renegotiate how you handle disagreement with the people closest to you, not a time to pick the fight.
Your sun sign gives the broad picture. Compute your chart free to see the exact house and which natal planets it touches.
No. The next Mars retrograde starts January 10, 2027 and ends April 1, 2027.
Mars is not retrograde at any point in 2026. The previous retrograde ended 24 February 2025. The next one begins 10 January 2027, 13:00 UTC, at 10° Virgo and ends 1 April 2027; its pre-shadow starts 5 November 2026.
Mars is retrograde from 10 January 2027, 13:00 UTC (10° Virgo) to 1 April 2027, 14:11 UTC (20° Leo), 81 days. Including the shadow periods: 5 November 2026 to 8 June 2027.
About every 26 months, lasting 58 to 81 days. Because of that gap, Mars is the personal planet most often direct.
It is longer and rarer, so astrologers weight it more, but it is felt in a different register: energy and motivation rather than communication and logistics.
It changes each cycle. The dates above show the sign at each station; the whole retrograde stays inside one or two signs, and that sign colours the period.