What Mars retrograde means
Mars does not reverse. About every 26 months Earth, on its faster inner orbit, catches up with Mars and passes it. For a few weeks around that pass Mars seems to slow, stop, slide backward against the stars and then resume. The middle of the loop is the opposition, when Earth sits between the Sun and Mars and Mars shines brightest all night. This time it falls on February 19.
In astrology Mars stands for drive, anger, desire and the nerve to act. A retrograde is read as that energy turning inward. Plans stall, effort pays less than usual, and old conflicts come back for a second round. The tradition treats the weeks as a time to repair, rehearse and rework, and advises against starting fights or launching campaigns. It offers this as advice to slow down and makes no prediction that something will go wrong.
Mars retrogrades are rarer and longer than Mercury's. From 1930 to 2025 there were 45 of them, averaging 74 days. Mercury averaged 22 days and turned back three or four times a year.
Virgo, then Leo: the two halves of 2027
January 10 to February 21, in Virgo. Virgo is the sign of method, daily work, health and detail. Astrologers read this half as a slowdown in how things get done. A project hits problems of detail or staffing, and a job you rushed comes back for corrections. A workout plan may need scaling back, too. It favors editing, repairs and learning a skill properly. The opposition on February 19 falls at 0°46′ Virgo, two days before Mars leaves the sign.
February 21 to April 1, in Leo. Leo is the sign of pride, credit, creative work and being seen. Here the review turns personal: who leads and who gets the credit, and what you do for love rather than pay. Jupiter is retrograde in Leo at the same time, from December 12, 2026 to April 12, 2027, so the tradition expects ambitions that grew fast in late 2026 to be tested for substance.
Mars turns direct on April 1 but stays slow for weeks. It re-enters Virgo on May 14 and clears the shadow on June 7, 2027.
This is one of the longest of the 94 Mars retrogrades from 1900 to 2100. The longest runs only about 3 hours more, and at 19.5 degrees this loop matches the widest to a tenth of a degree. The shortest in the same two centuries lasted 60 days. The most recent loops that also started in Virgo and ended in Leo came in 1948, 1980, 1995; the next is in 2059.
Mars retrograde 2027 for your sign
Find your Sun sign, then read your rising sign too if you know it. Each heading gives the two houses the loop crosses for you, counted one sign per house from your sign: the Virgo house until February 21, then the Leo house. The usual rule among astrologers is that a retrograde is felt most in the signs it moves through, in the signs opposite, and in the signs the planet rules, Aries and Scorpio for Mars.
♈︎ Aries: 6th house, then 5th
You feel this retrograde in your own body first, because Mars rules your sign. From January 10 the slowdown sits in work routines and health habits. The training plan that worked in the fall may stop working, and a rushed job tends to come back for a second pass. After February 21 it moves into romance and play, where an old flame or a dropped hobby is said to return. Neither half is a ban; the tradition favors repair over new starts until April 1.
♉︎ Taurus: 5th house, then 4th
For you the loop runs through the two softest parts of the chart. Virgo is your house of romance, children and creative work, so January and most of February ask whether a hobby or a date still excites you or has turned into a habit. Leo is your home sector, and between February 21 and April 1 astrologers expect the friction there: a stalled renovation, a move or an old family argument. Fixing the leak you put off counts as using this transit well.
♊︎ Gemini: 4th house, then 3rd
Mars backs up through your 4th-house sign until February 21, so the first round lands at home. The tradition reads that as short tempers and repairs that take longer than quoted, with a parent or roommate pushing back. Next comes your sector of talk, siblings and short trips, and a sharp message sent in March can read worse than you meant it. Car trouble is the old cliché for this house, so the usual advice is a check-up before a long drive.
♋︎ Cancer: 3rd house, then 2nd
Until February 21 Mars sits in your house of messages and neighbors, and the advice is to argue in writing only after you have slept on it. After February 21, and until April 1, it turns to income and spending. Astrologers read that as a poor time to chase a raise by force or to buy on impulse, and a good one to fix the budget you stopped tracking. The last Mars retrograde ended in your own sign in February 2025; this one stays one step away from you.
♌︎ Leo: 2nd house, then 1st
This one ends in your sign. Mars turns back in Virgo, your money house, on January 10, so the first weeks are about what you earn and what you spend to look the part. On February 21 it backs into Leo and turns direct there on April 1 at 20°55′. That last stretch gets personal: patience runs short, and pride turns small disputes into big ones. If you were born from August 13 or 14 to the end of Leo season, your Sun sits inside the loop itself, and the birthday section below explains what that means.
♍︎ Virgo: 1st house, then 12th
Mars stations in your sign on January 10 at 10°25′. For six weeks the slowdown is about you: your energy and appetite for work, and how you come across when you are tired. Many Virgos feel it as a shorter fuse with their own mistakes. On February 21 Mars crosses into your 12th house, the quiet one, and the theme shifts to sleep and rest and to what you do alone. The shadow clears only on June 7, 2027, when Mars, moving forward again, gets back to the degree where it turned.
♎︎ Libra: 12th house, then 11th
Most of the cycle happens behind you, in your 12th and 11th houses, so it is quieter for you than for most signs. January and February suit finishing things privately: the course you paid for, the file you never closed. After February 21 the friction moves to friends and groups, and a shared project can stall or lose a member. Tradition calls Mars uncomfortable in Libra, so you may want to skip the fight. Saying the plain thing early serves you better.
♏︎ Scorpio: 11th house, then 10th
Mars ruled Scorpio before modern astrology gave the sign to Pluto, and many astrologers still count it as yours. The retrograde starts in your 11th house of friends and long-range plans, then moves on February 21 into your 10th, career and public standing. The later weeks need more care: the tradition advises against pushing for a promotion or forcing a showdown with a boss before April 1. Fix how the work gets done, then ask in April.
♐︎ Sagittarius: 10th house, then 9th
January and February fall in your career house. Expect a project or a manager to slow you down, and use the time to redo the plan. From February 21 Mars moves into your 9th: travel, study, belief. A trip may slip by a week or a course may need a second start, and arguments about principles get louder. Leo is a fire sign like yours, so the second half usually feels more familiar than the first.
♑︎ Capricorn: 9th house, then 8th
The tradition says Mars works best in your sign, but this loop is far from Capricorn. Until February 21 it runs through your 9th house, which puts school, visas, publishing and long trips under review. Then it moves into your 8th house of shared money, debt and intimacy, where astrologers expect arguments about who pays for what. Read loan terms twice, and leave the hard money talk with a partner until after April 1.
♒︎ Aquarius: 8th house, then 7th
Mars starts in your 8th house, and until February 21 that means taxes, joint accounts and debts, and how far you trust someone with them. Leo sits opposite your sign, so the retrograde then falls in your partnership house. From February 21 to April 1, partners push back, and an old argument with a spouse or business partner returns in nearly the same words. The tradition's advice is to settle the issue, and winning the round matters less.
♓︎ Pisces: 7th house, then 6th
The first half lands on partners, since Virgo is the sign opposite yours. From January 10 to February 21 expect friction with a spouse, a co-founder or a client, more about method than feelings. On February 21 Mars backs into your 6th house of daily work and health habits, where the advice is simple: more sleep and a gentler training plan, and no new job taken in a hurry. The opposition on February 19 puts the Sun in your sign straight across from Mars, the peak of the cycle for you.
The Mars retrograde shadow, 2026 to 2027
The shadow is the stretch of sky Mars covers three times: forward, backward, forward again. It starts when Mars first reaches 20°55′ Leo, the degree where it will later turn direct. That happens on November 5, 2026. It ends when Mars, moving forward again, passes 10°25′ Virgo, where the retrograde began, on June 7, 2027 at 10:00 p.m. EDT (02:00 UTC on June 8).
Pre-shadow, retrograde and post-shadow together take 214 days, about seven months, of which the retrograde is 81. Astrologers who use the shadow read November and December 2026 as the time an issue first shows up, and April to early June 2027 as the time it gets settled. The strongest warnings stay with the retrograde weeks and the station days.
Which birthdays the 2027 loop touches
Anything in your chart between 20°55′ Leo and 10°25′ Virgo meets Mars three times in this cycle instead of once, which astrologers count as the stronger contact. The Sun sits in that stretch from August 13 or 14 to September 2 or 3, depending on the year. If you were born in those weeks, late Leo or early Virgo, your Sun is inside the loop. A Moon, Venus or other planet at those degrees counts the same way, whatever your birthday. The calculator above lists the dates Mars crosses each of your planets.
What not to do during Mars retrograde
The traditional list stays inside Mars's territory: conflict, competition, cutting and starting. The Old Farmer's Almanac advises against filing a lawsuit or starting a new business while Mars is retrograde, and Astrology.com suggests putting off elective procedures such as tattoos, piercings and even haircuts. Add to that a fight you could have later, a big vehicle or machinery purchase that can wait, and a new training record pushed through pain.
What the tradition favors: finishing projects you started earlier, repairs, going back to an old goal, and settling an old argument calmly, this time on substance rather than pride. None of it is a ban. People launch companies and sign leases in every Mars retrograde. And no retrograde is a reason to delay urgent medical care, a safety repair or a legal deadline.
Mars retrograde vs. Mercury retrograde
Mercury turns back three or four times a year for about three weeks, and its themes are messages, travel, paperwork and second thoughts. Mars turns back once every two years or so for two to two and a half months, and its themes are energy, anger, desire and effort. A canceled flight is Mercury's territory in the tradition; a stalled project and a short fuse are Mars's.
In 2027 the two overlap. Mercury is retrograde from February 9 to March 3, inside the Mars loop, so for 22 days both planets move backward. Astrologers read that as the stretch to double-check both the plan and the message about it. Dates and shadows for each Mercury retrograde are on our Mercury retrograde page. Venus is not retrograde in 2027; its last retrograde is on the Venus retrograde page.
Natal Mars retrograde: were you born with it?
In our count of 35,064 birth dates from 1930 to 2025, 3,320 fall in a Mars retrograde, 9.5% or about one in 11. That is half as often as Mercury (19.2%) and a little more often than Venus (7.2%). Astrologers read a retrograde Mars in a birth chart as drive that works inward: slow to anger and slow to start, steady once committed, and more likely to rework a plan than to charge at it. Astrologers treat it as a style of working and do not count it as a weakness.
The share depends on the sign. Mars retrograde is most common for people with Mars in Leo (12.7%) and Virgo (12.5%), and rarest with Mars in Pisces (5.3%) and Aquarius (5.7%), because Mars turns back more often in some parts of the zodiac than in others. Each Mars sign page explains the placement itself.
| Mars in | Birth dates | Mars retrograde |
|---|---|---|
| ♈︎ Aries | 2,599 | 8.2% |
| ♉︎ Taurus | 2,633 | 6.8% |
| ♊︎ Gemini | 3,041 | 10.1% |
| ♋︎ Cancer | 3,336 | 11.4% |
| ♌︎ Leo | 3,549 | 12.7% |
| ♍︎ Virgo | 3,527 | 12.5% |
| ♎︎ Libra | 3,364 | 11.8% |
| ♏︎ Scorpio | 3,023 | 9.9% |
| ♐︎ Sagittarius | 2,756 | 8.6% |
| ♑︎ Capricorn | 2,494 | 6.1% |
| ♒︎ Aquarius | 2,384 | 5.7% |
| ♓︎ Pisces | 2,358 | 5.3% |
Every day from January 1, 1930 to December 31, 2025, checked at noon UTC. Mars next to the other planets: retrograde statistics.
Mars retrograde dates, 2014 to 2033
| Turns retrograde | Turns direct | Signs | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2014 27°32′ Libra | May 19, 2014 9°01′ Libra | ♎︎ Libra | 79 days |
| Apr 17, 2016 8°54′ Sagittarius | Jun 29, 2016 23°03′ Scorpio | ♐︎ Sagittarius → ♏︎ Scorpio | 73 days |
| Jun 26, 2018 9°13′ Aquarius | Aug 27, 2018 28°36′ Capricorn | ♒︎ Aquarius → ♑︎ Capricorn | 62 days |
| Sep 9, 2020 28°08′ Aries | Nov 13, 2020 15°14′ Aries | ♈︎ Aries | 65 days |
| Oct 30, 2022 25°36′ Gemini | Jan 12, 2023 8°07′ Gemini | ♊︎ Gemini | 74 days |
| Dec 6, 2024 6°10′ Leo | Feb 23, 2025 17°00′ Cancer | ♌︎ Leo → ♋︎ Cancer | 79 days |
| Jan 10, 2027 10°25′ Virgo | Apr 1, 2027 20°55′ Leo | ♍︎ Virgo → ♌︎ Leo | 81 days |
| Feb 14, 2029 13°55′ Libra | May 5, 2029 24°55′ Virgo | ♎︎ Libra → ♍︎ Virgo | 80 days |
| Mar 28, 2031 21°38′ Scorpio | Jun 13, 2031 4°26′ Scorpio | ♏︎ Scorpio | 77 days |
| May 26, 2033 12°30′ Capricorn | Aug 1, 2033 29°47′ Sagittarius | ♑︎ Capricorn → ♐︎ Sagittarius | 67 days |
Dates in US Eastern time. The 2022 retrograde stayed in Gemini; the 2024 one backed from Leo into Cancer. After 2027 Mars moves forward all through 2028, and the 2029 shadow begins on December 9, 2028.
Questions about Mars retrograde
When is Mars retrograde in 2027?
From January 10 to April 1, 2027, 81 days. Mars turns retrograde at 10°25′ Virgo, backs into Leo on February 21 and turns direct at 20°55′ Leo. It is the only Mars retrograde of 2027.
What time does Mars retrograde start?
Mars stations retrograde on January 10 at 8:02 a.m. EST (5:02 a.m. PST), which is 13:02 UTC. It turns direct on April 1 at 10:10 a.m. EDT (7:10 a.m. PDT). Mars barely moves for days around each station, so the minute matters little.
How long is the Mars retrograde shadow in 2027?
The pre-shadow begins on November 5, 2026 and the post-shadow ends on June 7, 2027 at 10:00 p.m. EDT (June 8 in UTC). Shadow to shadow, that is 214 days.
Is Mars retrograde right now?
Only between January 10 and April 1, 2027. The box at the top of this page checks today's date on your device and says whether Mars is direct, in a shadow or retrograde, and how many days are left.
Which signs are most affected by Mars retrograde 2027?
Virgo and Leo, the signs it moves through, then Pisces and Aquarius on the opposite side, and Aries and Scorpio, the signs Mars rules. Your rising sign counts as much as your Sun.
When was the last Mars retrograde, and when is the next?
The last ran from December 6, 2024 to February 23, 2025, from Leo back into Cancer. The next runs from February 14, 2029 to May 5, 2029, from Libra into Virgo. Mars does not turn retrograde in 2028.
What should you not do during Mars retrograde?
The traditional list: do not start a fight, a lawsuit or a business you could start in April, and hold off on elective cuts such as tattoos and piercings. Repairs, finishing old projects and settling old arguments are favored. Never put off urgent medical care or a safety repair because of a retrograde.
Is it bad to buy a car during Mars retrograde?
Astrologers link Mars with engines, metal and speed, so traditional advice is to wait until April 1 if the purchase can wait. Nothing we can calculate shows that a car bought in those weeks breaks down more often. If you need one now, get it inspected and read the contract twice.
Does Mars retrograde affect relationships?
Astrologers say it does in two ways: desire runs lower, and old arguments come back. The tradition advises against forcing a decision about a relationship before Mars turns direct, and favors settling the old dispute calmly.
Is Mercury retrograde during Mars retrograde in 2027?
Yes, for 22 days. Mercury turns retrograde on February 9 and direct on March 3, both inside the Mars retrograde. Venus is not retrograde in 2027.
What does it mean to be born with Mars retrograde?
About 9.5% of birth dates in our count from 1930 to 2025 have Mars retrograde, one person in 11. Astrologers read it as drive that works inward: slow to anger, slow to start, strong once committed. The calculator on this page checks your date.
Sources
- Astronomy Engine: the open-source ephemeris library behind our planet positions, dates and statistics
- How we create our readings: our own calculation of sign dates, positions and the 1930 to 2025 statistics
Related pages
Mars sign calculator · Mercury retrograde · Venus retrograde · horoscopes 2027 · planets today · birth chart calculator.