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The moving sky · A Zodiaris field guide

What planets are retrograde right now?

Eight planets, one view of the sky. See which are moving backward from Earth’s perspective, where they are in the zodiac and when they next change direction.

One event, the same moment worldwide.
Checked
4/ 8

Retrograde right now

Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto

Apparent direction as seen from Earth. Current positions use the tropical zodiac.

Venus

Direct

8° Scorpio 06′

Next: turns retrograde

At 8° Scorpio 29′

View station in Sky →

Jupiter

Direct

19° Leo 12′

Next: turns retrograde

At 27° Leo 01′

View station in Sky →

Saturn

Retrograde

11° Aries 45′

Next: turns direct

At 7° Aries 56′

View station in Sky →

Uranus

Retrograde

5° Gemini 34′

Next: turns direct

At 1° Gemini 41′

View station in Sky →

Neptune

Retrograde

2° Aries 56′

Next: turns direct

At 1° Aries 37′

View station in Sky →

Pluto

Retrograde

3° Aquarius 08′

Next: turns direct

At 3° Aquarius 04′

View station in Sky →

“Direct” describes forward motion. A planet can be direct while in a shadow period; the detailed Mercury page separates those phases.

The astronomy

What actually changes?

Apparent motion, a moving viewpoint

Earth and the other planets travel around the Sun at different speeds. From our moving viewpoint, a planet can appear to travel backward through the zodiac for a while. It continues along its orbit around the Sun.

What is a station?

A station is the turning point where the rate of change in a planet’s geocentric ecliptic longitude passes through zero. A retrograde station starts the backward interval; a direct station ends it.

Why several planets can be retrograde

Each planet has its own cycle relative to Earth. Several cycles can overlap, and the more distant planets spend months in apparent retrograde motion. The count above describes those overlapping intervals.

Dates depend on the clock

A station happens at one instant worldwide. It can fall on different calendar dates in New York, Los Angeles and UTC. The time-zone selector converts every event using the offset in effect on that date, including daylight saving time.

Calculation method & sources

Positions use the tropical zodiac and geocentric apparent ecliptic longitude calculated with Astronomy Engine 2.1.19. Stations are the same prepared events used by the Zodiaris Sky calendar. They are found from a sign change in longitude speed, sampled symmetrically one hour before and after the instant, with the time search narrowed to one second.

Shadow crossings use those station longitudes. Times are displayed to the minute; this display precision is not a claim of one-minute agreement with every ephemeris. Small differences can arise from the astronomical model, coordinate conventions and rounding.

Reference: Astronomy Engine documentation. Shadow convention and independent date checks: Cafe Astrology’s retrograde tables. No personal birth data is used.