Retrogrades
Why planets appear to move backwards.
- Mercury retrograde: what it is and what it isn’tMercury retrograde is the period, about three weeks and usually three times a year, when Mercury appears to move backwards against the stars as seen from Earth. Astrologers link it with communication, travel and technology. The motion is an optical effect and there is no scientific evidence that it changes events.
- What does retrograde mean? Why planets seem to move backwardsA planet is retrograde when, seen from Earth, it appears to move backwards against the stars for a few weeks or months. It is an optical effect caused by the relative speeds of Earth and the planet, not a real reversal.
- Venus retrograde explained: what it is and how often it happensVenus turns retrograde about every 19 months for roughly 40 days. Astrologers associate it with revisiting relationships, values and money habits rather than starting something new. Over eight years its retrograde points trace a five-petal pattern in the zodiac.
- Mars retrograde explained: energy, anger and the slow stretchMars turns retrograde about every 26 months and stays retrograde for around two months, near the time it is opposite the Sun and at its brightest. Astrologers read it as a period when drive and anger turn inward and when it pays to pace yourself.