Astrology events and transits: 2026 calendar
Retrogrades, eclipses, ingresses, and zodiac seasons
Retrogrades
7 planets
Eclipses
4 total
Mars Rx
None
2026 is a year of water-sign retrogrades, eclipses across the Virgo-Pisces and Leo-Aquarius axes, and slow outer planets settling into new signs. This page collects every major astrological event of 2026 into one reference: retrograde dates, eclipse windows, zodiac season start dates, and planetary ingresses.
Whether you are tracking Mercury retrograde for practical scheduling, watching Saturn in Aries reshape your career path, or just want to know when Aries season starts, the dates are below. Bookmark this page and come back throughout the year.
Mercury Retrograde 2026
Dates based on published ephemeris data. All three retrogrades fall in water signs.
Retrograde #1: Pisces
Dates
February 26 -- March 20
Shadow Periods
Pre-shadow from Feb 11 | Post-shadow until Apr 9
Communication gets foggy. Misunderstandings stem from vagueness, not hostility. Creative work benefits. Contracts do not. Old friends or past relationships may resurface.
Retrograde #2: Cancer
Dates
June 29 -- July 23
Shadow Periods
Pre-shadow from Jun 13 | Post-shadow until Aug 7
Family conversations, household logistics, and childhood patterns come up for review. Avoid signing leases if you can wait. Home repairs may hit unexpected delays.
Retrograde #3: Scorpio
Dates
October 24 -- November 13
Shadow Periods
Pre-shadow from Oct 4 | Post-shadow until Nov 30
The heaviest of the three. Secrets surface. Financial details you missed become visible. Venus is also retrograde during part of this period, compounding relationship and money themes.
Venus Retrograde 2026
October 3 -- November 13 in Scorpio/Libra
Venus retrograde happens roughly every 18 months and lasts about 40 days. In 2026 it moves through Scorpio and back into Libra, bringing themes of jealousy, power dynamics in relationships, shared finances, and reassessing what you value in partnerships.
This overlaps with the third Mercury retrograde (Oct 24 -- Nov 13), making late October through mid-November the most communication- and relationship-heavy stretch of the year. Not ideal for starting new romantic relationships, cosmetic procedures, or major purchases. Good for reassessing existing commitments and financial agreements.
- +Old relationships or unresolved feelings resurface for review
- +Spending habits come under scrutiny -- impulse purchases carry regret risk
- +What you find attractive may shift temporarily
- +Good for renegotiating existing financial arrangements
Saturn Retrograde 2026
July 26 -- December 10 in Aries
Saturn retrogrades for about four and a half months every year. In 2026 it moves backward through Aries, a sign that wants to move fast while Saturn insists on patience. This retrograde tests your long-term commitments, career direction, and ability to tolerate delayed gratification.
Saturn retrograde is not the dramatic disruption of Mercury retrograde. It is slower and more structural: rules you have been living under come up for reassessment. Authority relationships get tested. Projects that lack solid foundations reveal their cracks. Use this period to audit what is actually working in your life versus what you are maintaining out of obligation.
Jupiter Retrograde 2026
Two periods bookending the year
November 11, 2025 -- March 10, 2026 in Cancer. The first Jupiter retrograde of the year wraps up in March. Jupiter in Cancer retrograde turns expansion inward -- growth through emotional processing, family healing, and reassessing what home and security mean to you.
December 12, 2026 -- April 12, 2027 in Leo. The second Jupiter retrograde begins in December and extends into 2027. Jupiter in Leo retrograde asks whether your ambitions and creative expression are genuinely yours or performances for an audience.
Eclipse Season 2026
Eclipses accelerate change. They act as cosmic wildcards -- opening and closing chapters in the houses they activate in your chart. In 2026, eclipses fall across the Virgo-Pisces and Leo-Aquarius axes, continuing themes from 2025 around service versus surrender and self-expression versus collective responsibility.
Annular Solar Eclipse
Aquarius-Pisces cuspFebruary 17, 2026
New beginnings around collective ideals, humanitarian work, and spiritual boundaries. Solar eclipses open doors -- watch for opportunities in the house this activates in your chart.
Total Lunar Eclipse
VirgoMarch 3, 2026
Culminations around health, daily routines, work habits, and service. Lunar eclipses bring things to a head -- something you have been building toward (or avoiding) reaches a tipping point.
Partial Solar Eclipse
LeoAugust 12, 2026
New creative or romantic beginnings. Leo eclipses put the spotlight on self-expression, children, and what brings you joy. A chapter opens.
Partial Lunar Eclipse
PiscesAugust 28, 2026
Emotional release around faith, forgiveness, and letting go of what you cannot control. Pisces lunar eclipses can feel overwhelming but carry deep healing potential.
2026 Zodiac Season Calendar
The Sun moves through each zodiac sign for roughly 30 days, creating the "seasons" that color the collective mood. Dates shift by a day or two each year depending on exact solar ingress times.
| Season | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| ♑Capricorn | Continues from Dec 21, 2025 | ~Jan 19 |
| ♒Aquarius | ~Jan 19 | ~Feb 18 |
| ♓Pisces | ~Feb 18 | ~Mar 20 |
| ♈Aries | ~Mar 20 | ~Apr 19 |
| ♉Taurus | ~Apr 19 | ~May 20 |
| ♊Gemini | ~May 20 | ~Jun 20 |
| ♋Cancer | ~Jun 20 | ~Jul 22 |
| ♌Leo | ~Jul 22 | ~Aug 22 |
| ♍Virgo | ~Aug 22 | ~Sep 22 |
| ♎Libra | ~Sep 22 | ~Oct 22 |
| ♏Scorpio | ~Oct 22 | ~Nov 21 |
| ♐Sagittarius | ~Nov 21 | ~Dec 21 |
| ♑Capricorn | ~Dec 21 | Continues into 2027 |
Dates are approximate. Exact ingress times vary by a day depending on year. The tilde (~) indicates plus or minus one day.
Major Planetary Ingresses in 2026
An ingress is when a planet changes signs. Inner planets change signs every few weeks and are unremarkable. Outer planet ingresses are rare and define entire eras. Here are the notable sign changes in 2026.
Saturn in Aries (entered May 2025)
Saturn settled into Aries in 2025 and stays through 2028. This is Saturn's first transit through Aries since 1996-1999. Aries wants immediate action; Saturn demands earned results. Expect collective themes around leadership accountability, individual responsibility, and the tension between urgency and discipline. If Aries is prominent in your chart, this is your Saturn transit period.
Neptune in Aries (entered March 2025)
Neptune moved into Aries in 2025 for the first time since the 1860s. This is a generational shift: collective dreams and illusions reorganize around identity, independence, and pioneering vision. Neptune in Aries dissolves old ideas about what it means to be a leader or to go first. Expect new spiritual movements, shifts in how society imagines heroism, and confusion around individual versus collective identity.
Uranus in Gemini (entered July 2025)
Uranus entered Gemini in 2025 and remains until 2032. The last time Uranus was in Gemini: 1942-1949. Expect disruption in communication systems, media, education, and information technology. AI, language models, and how people consume and share information are all Uranus-in-Gemini territory. Local communities and sibling/neighbor dynamics also get the Uranus treatment.
Jupiter enters Leo (~June 9, 2026)
Jupiter moves from Cancer into Leo around June 9, 2026, shifting the year's growth themes from home and family toward creative expression, leadership, and public visibility. Jupiter in Leo is generous, dramatic, and confident. It rewards boldness and creative risk-taking but can also inflate ego if unchecked.
How these events affect your chart
Every transit hits differently depending on your natal placements. A Mercury retrograde through your 7th house is a different experience than one through your 2nd. An eclipse conjunct your natal Moon is life-changing; one in an empty house barely registers. Your birth chart tells you where to pay attention.
Calculate your birth chart free →Your natal chart is one lens.
What happens when your Western chart, Chinese astrology, numerology, and tarot birth cards all point to the same pattern? That's convergence , and it reveals things no single system can see alone.
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Related Reading
Last updated March 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Mercury retrograde in 2026?
Mercury goes retrograde three times in 2026: February 26 to March 20 in Pisces, June 29 to July 23 in Cancer, and October 24 to November 13 in Scorpio. All three retrogrades fall in water signs, which is unusual and puts extra emphasis on emotional communication and intuition.
What retrogrades are happening in 2026?
Seven planets retrograde in 2026: Mercury (three times), Venus (October 3 to November 13), Jupiter (continuing from late 2025 and starting again December 12), Saturn (July 26 to December 10), Uranus (September 10 to February 2027), Neptune (July 7 to December 12), and Pluto (May 6 to October 15). Mars does not retrograde in 2026.
When does Aries season start in 2026?
Aries season begins around March 20, 2026, which is also the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. This marks the start of the astrological new year. The Sun moves into Aries at the vernal equinox and remains there until approximately April 19, when Taurus season begins.
Is Mercury in retrograde right now in 2026?
Mercury retrograde periods in 2026 are February 26 to March 20, June 29 to July 23, and October 24 to November 13. If the current date falls within one of those windows, Mercury is retrograde. Shadow periods extend roughly two weeks before and after each retrograde, during which effects begin building and then unwind.
When are the eclipses in 2026?
There are four eclipses in 2026. A total lunar eclipse on March 3 in Virgo, an annular solar eclipse on February 17 in Pisces area, a partial lunar eclipse on August 28 in Pisces, and a partial solar eclipse on August 12 in Leo. Eclipse seasons cluster around February-March and August, bringing accelerated change to the signs and houses they activate in your chart.