Mars is retrograde from January 10 to April 1, 2027, eighty-one days. It stations retrograde at 10°25′ Virgo, backs out of Virgo into Leo on February 21, and turns direct at 20°55′ Leo. Counting the shadow periods, the whole cycle runs from November 5, 2026 to June 8, 2027: the stretch of zodiac from 20° Leo to 10° Virgo that Mars covers three times.
It is the only Mars retrograde of 2027. The previous one ran from December 2024 to February 2025, from Leo back into Cancer, and the next begins on February 14, 2029 in Libra.
Mars Retrograde 2027: The Full Timeline
| Date | Event | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2026 | Pre-shadow begins | 20°55′ Leo | Mars reaches the degree where it will later turn direct |
| Nov 16, 2026 | Mars conjunct Jupiter | 26° Leo | A charged start to the shadow period |
| Nov 26, 2026 | Mars enters Virgo | 0° Virgo | |
| Jan 10, 2027 | Mars stations retrograde | 10°25′ Virgo | The retrograde proper begins |
| Feb 19, 2027 | Mars at opposition | 0°43′ Virgo | Earth passes Mars; Mars at its brightest |
| Feb 21, 2027 | Retrograde Mars re-enters Leo | 29° Leo | |
| Apr 1, 2027 | Mars stations direct | 20°55′ Leo | Within a degree of the August 12, 2026 eclipse point |
| May 14, 2027 | Mars re-enters Virgo | 0° Virgo | |
| Jun 8, 2027 | Post-shadow ends | 10°25′ Virgo | Mars clears the retrograde zone |
Dates are UTC and computed from the Cosmos Daily ephemeris, cross-checked against the 2027 transit calendar. The station dates can fall a day earlier in the Americas.
Where does Mars retrograde land in your chart?
Mars backs up from 10° Virgo to 21° Leo. The Transit Reading dates it, and every other major transit of the next six to twelve months, against your exact birth chart.
Which two houses it runs through for you: free house chart · All of 2027 at a glance: 2027 forecast and horoscope by sign
Why the Warrior Walks Backward
About every twenty-six months Earth, on its faster inner orbit, overtakes Mars. For two to three months around that overtaking Mars appears to move backward against the stars. The midpoint is opposition, when Earth sits between the Sun and Mars and Mars is closest and brightest: in 2027 that is February 19, with Mars in the first degree of Virgo.
Astrologically Mars is drive, courage, conflict, sex and the will to act. When it retrogrades, that energy turns inward. Plans stall, anger resurfaces from old sources, and effort spent pushing forward tends to be wasted. The tradition treats Mars retrograde as a time to revise, repair and train rather than to start fights or launch campaigns, and to expect earlier disputes to return for a second round.
Retrograde in the Sign of Work
Virgo is the sign of work, health, skill, craft and systems. Mars retrograde here slows the machinery: projects hit problems of detail, supply and staffing, and the body asks for maintenance instead of performance. It is a good window for editing, debugging, repairs, health routines and learning a technique properly; a poor one for starting new jobs, new training regimes that go too hard, or disputes with colleagues.
The phase peaks at opposition on February 19. The next evening, the February 20 penumbral lunar eclipse falls at 2° Virgo, in the same degrees as Mars, and it is the last eclipse of the Virgo and Pisces series that began in 2025. Mid-February is the point where the old workload, and whatever it cost you, comes into full view.
Back Into the Sign of Kings
On February 21 Mars retreats into Leo, the sign of leadership, pride, creativity and visibility, and the review turns personal: who leads, who gets credit, and what you do for love rather than for pay. Jupiter is retrograde in Leo at the same time (until April 12), so ambitions that grew quickly through late 2026 are being tested for substance. The pre-shadow opened with a Mars and Jupiter conjunction at 26° Leo on November 16, 2026, and the retrograde revisits that ground.
Mars turns direct on April 1 at 20°55′ Leo, within a degree of the August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse point at 20° Leo. Whatever that eclipse started, especially around leadership and public roles, gets its engine back in April. From there Mars moves forward, re-enters Virgo on May 14 and clears the shadow on June 8.
Which Areas of Life It Reviews for You
Read your Sun sign, and your rising sign if you know it. The retrograde crosses two signs, so it reviews two houses: the Virgo house first, then the Leo house. Whole-sign houses, counted from your sign.
January 10 to February 21 in your 6th house (work, health and daily routines); February 21 to April 1 in your 5th house (creativity, romance and children). Mars rules your sign, so you feel every retrograde more than most.
January 10 to February 21 in your 5th house (creativity, romance and children); February 21 to April 1 in your 4th house (home, family and roots).
January 10 to February 21 in your 4th house (home, family and roots); February 21 to April 1 in your 3rd house (communication, siblings and daily errands).
January 10 to February 21 in your 3rd house (communication, siblings and daily errands); February 21 to April 1 in your 2nd house (money, possessions and self-worth).
January 10 to February 21 in your 2nd house (money, possessions and self-worth); February 21 to April 1 in your 1st house (self, body and how you come across). Mars backs into your sign on February 21 and turns direct there on April 1, so the second half is personal.
January 10 to February 21 in your 1st house (self, body and how you come across); February 21 to April 1 in your 12th house (rest, retreat and what happens out of sight). Mars retrogrades in your own sign first, so energy and confidence dip in January; plan recovery time.
January 10 to February 21 in your 12th house (rest, retreat and what happens out of sight); February 21 to April 1 in your 11th house (friends, groups and long-range plans).
January 10 to February 21 in your 11th house (friends, groups and long-range plans); February 21 to April 1 in your 10th house (career, reputation and authority). Mars is your traditional ruler, so the slowdown is personal as well as practical.
January 10 to February 21 in your 10th house (career, reputation and authority); February 21 to April 1 in your 9th house (travel, study, belief and the law).
January 10 to February 21 in your 9th house (travel, study, belief and the law); February 21 to April 1 in your 8th house (shared money, debt and intimacy).
January 10 to February 21 in your 8th house (shared money, debt and intimacy); February 21 to April 1 in your 7th house (partners, contracts and open rivals). Leo is your opposite sign: from February 21 a partner or rival sets the pace.
January 10 to February 21 in your 7th house (partners, contracts and open rivals); February 21 to April 1 in your 6th house (work, health and daily routines). Virgo is your opposite sign: partners carry the Mars energy, and a relationship dispute is the classic form of this retrograde for you.
Revise, Repair, Rehearse
Use January to April for work that goes backward on purpose: finishing, fixing, re-training, renegotiating and returning to unfinished projects. Keep new launches, lawsuits and deliberate confrontations for after April 1, and ideally after the shadow clears on June 8. Expect old conflicts to reappear; the retrograde is a chance to settle them better than the first time.
Physically, Mars rules energy and stamina. Many people find their capacity lower during a Mars retrograde, especially Virgo and Leo natives and anyone with personal planets between 10° Virgo and 21° Leo. Build rest into the calendar rather than waiting for the body to demand it.
When is Mars retrograde in 2027?
Mars is retrograde from January 10 to April 1, 2027. It stations retrograde at 10°25′ Virgo, moves back into Leo on February 21, and turns direct at 20°55′ Leo.
How long is Mars retrograde in 2027?
Eighty-one days, from January 10 to April 1. With the shadow periods the full cycle runs from November 5, 2026 to June 8, 2027, about seven months.
What signs is Mars retrograde in during 2027?
Virgo and Leo. It begins in Virgo on January 10, retreats into Leo on February 21, and turns direct in Leo on April 1. It re-enters Virgo moving forward on May 14.
When is the Mars retrograde shadow in 2026 and 2027?
The pre-shadow begins on November 5, 2026, when Mars first reaches 20°55′ Leo. The post-shadow ends on June 8, 2027, when Mars returns to 10°25′ Virgo.
When is Mars at opposition in 2027?
February 19, 2027, in the middle of the retrograde, at 0°43′ Virgo. Mars is at its brightest in the night sky around this date.
When was the last Mars retrograde and when is the next?
The previous Mars retrograde ran from December 2024 to February 2025, from Leo back into Cancer. The next begins on February 14, 2029 in Libra and ends in early May 2029 in Virgo.