2027 Forecast

Mars retrograde 1978

Mars retrograde 1978: 1 period, 60 days inside the year — 16.6% of 1978. Mars turned direct at 9:56 AM UTC on March 2 at 22°16′ Cancer.

Turns direct
Mar 2 9:56 AM UTC
Retrograde in 1978
60 days 16.6% of the year
Sign
Leo retreats 19.29°
Mars Retrograde 1978 Dates: Until Mar 2

Mars’s path through 1978, day by day

Apparent position of Mars against the zodiac, Dec 6, 1977 – Dec 31, 1978
Apparent position of Mars against the zodiac, Dec 6, 1977 – Dec 31, 1978. Mars starts 1978 at 8°44′ Leo and ends it at 14°24′ Capricorn — 155.7° of net progress: 172.4° forward, 16.8° given back. The loop retraces 19.28° in 80 days, from 11°33′ Leo on Dec 12 back to 22°16′ Cancer on Mar 2 1978. Fastest day: Dec 31, 0.77° forward; fastest backward: Jan 20, 0.4°. Counting the shadows, 128 days of 1978 sit inside a retrograde window. Pre-retrograde shadow: Oct 10, 1977 – Dec 12, 1977Post-retrograde shadow: Mar 2, 1978 – May 8, 1978Retrograde: Dec 12, 1977 – Mar 2, 1978CancerLeoVirgoLibraScorpioSagittariusCapricorn1978Stations retrograde Dec 12, 1977, 7:12 PM UTC, 11°33′ LeoR Dec 12Stations direct Mar 2, 1978, 9:56 AM UTC, 22°16′ CancerD Mar 2DecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecSource: JPL orbital elements; stations NASA JPL DE440astrohot.com Apparent position of Mars against the zodiac, Dec 6, 1977 – Dec 31, 1978. Mars starts 1978 at 8°44′ Leo and ends it at 14°24′ Capricorn — 155.7° of net progress: 172.4° forward, 16.8° given back. The loop retraces 19.28° in 80 days, from 11°33′ Leo on Dec 12 back to 22°16′ Cancer on Mar 2 1978. Fastest day: Dec 31, 0.77° forward; fastest backward: Jan 20, 0.4°. Counting the shadows, 128 days of 1978 sit inside a retrograde window. Pre-retrograde shadow: Oct 10, 1977 – Dec 12, 1977Post-retrograde shadow: Mar 2, 1978 – May 8, 1978Retrograde: Dec 12, 1977 – Mar 2, 1978CancerLeoVirgoLibraScorpioSagittariusCapricorn1978Stations retrograde Dec 12, 1977, 7:12 PM UTC, 11°33′ LeoR Dec 12Stations direct Mar 2, 1978, 9:56 AM UTC, 22°16′ CancerD Mar 2DecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecSource: JPL orbital elements; stations NASA JPL DE440astrohot.com
Retrograde Shadow R — stations retrograde · D — stations direct

Mars starts 1978 at 8°44′ Leo and ends it at 14°24′ Capricorn — 155.7° of net progress: 172.4° forward, 16.8° given back. The loop retraces 19.28° in 80 days, from 11°33′ Leo on Dec 12 back to 22°16′ Cancer on Mar 2 1978. Fastest day: Dec 31, 0.77° forward; fastest backward: Jan 20, 0.4°. Counting the shadows, 128 days of 1978 sit inside a retrograde window.

Exact times

Mars retrograde 1978: exact times in your city

Mars turned direct at 9:56 AM UTC on March 2, 1978 at 22°16′ Cancer — 6:56 AM in Santiago, 4:56 AM in New York, 9:56 AM in London and 6:56 PM in Tokyo.

City Turns direct
UTC Thu, Mar 2 · 22°16′ Cancer
Honolulu United States 11:56 PM Wed, Mar 1 · UTC−10
Anchorage United States 11:56 PM Wed, Mar 1 · UTC−10
Los Angeles United States 1:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−8
Phoenix United States 2:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−7
Denver United States 2:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−7
Chicago United States 3:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−6
Mexico City Mexico 3:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−6
New York United States 4:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−5
Toronto Canada 4:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−5
Bogotá Colombia 4:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−5
Lima Peru 4:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−5
Caracas Venezuela 5:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−4
Santiago Chile 6:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−3
Buenos Aires Argentina 6:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−3
São Paulo Brazil 6:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC−3
Reykjavík Iceland 9:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC
London United Kingdom 9:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC
Lagos Nigeria 10:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+1
Paris France 10:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+1
Berlin Germany 10:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+1
Johannesburg South Africa 11:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+2
Cairo Egypt 11:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+2
Athens Greece 11:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+2
Istanbul Turkey 11:56 AM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+2
Moscow Russia 12:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+3
Nairobi Kenya 12:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+3
Tehran Iran 1:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+4
Dubai United Arab Emirates 1:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+4
Karachi Pakistan 2:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+5
New Delhi India 3:26 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+5:30
Kathmandu Nepal 3:26 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+5:30
Dhaka Bangladesh 3:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+6
Bangkok Thailand 4:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+7
Jakarta Indonesia 4:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+7
Singapore 5:26 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+7:30
Beijing China 5:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+8
Manila Philippines 5:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+8
Perth Australia 5:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+8
Seoul South Korea 6:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+9
Tokyo Japan 6:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+9
Adelaide Australia 8:26 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+10:30
Brisbane Australia 7:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+10
Sydney Australia 8:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+11
Auckland New Zealand 10:56 PM Thu, Mar 2 · UTC+13

Stations from the NASA JPL DE440 ephemeris. Swiss Ephemeris agrees on every Mars station 1900–2050: all within a minute. Local times: IANA time zones, to the minute.

80 days · retreats 19.29° · crosses the year boundary

December 12, 1977 → March 2, 1978 in Leo

Stations retrograde Dec 12, 1977, 7:12 PM UTC at 11°33′ Leo
Stations direct Mar 2, 1978, 9:56 AM UTC at 22°16′ Cancer
Shadow opens Oct 10, 1977, 6:33 AM UTC (64 days before)
Shadow closes May 8, 1978, 10:12 PM UTC (68 days after)
Full window including shadows 211 days
The December loop up close, shadow to shadow
The December loop up close, shadow to shadow. Mars crosses the 19.29° between 22°16′ Cancer and 11°33′ Leo three times: forward in the pre-shadow (64 days), back while retrograde (80 days), forward again in the post-shadow (68 days). Pre-retrograde shadow: Oct 10, 1977 – Dec 12, 1977Post-retrograde shadow: Mar 2, 1978 – May 8, 1978Retrograde: Dec 12, 1977 – Mar 2, 197820° Cancer0° Leo10° LeoStations retrograde Dec 12, 1977, 7:12 PM UTC, 11°33′ LeoR Dec 12 · 11°33′ LeoStations direct Mar 2, 1978, 9:56 AM UTC, 22°16′ CancerD Mar 2 · 22°16′ CancerOct 3Oct 31Nov 28Dec 26Jan 23Feb 20Mar 20Apr 17Source: JPL orbital elements; stations NASA JPL DE440astrohot.com The December loop up close, shadow to shadow. Mars crosses the 19.29° between 22°16′ Cancer and 11°33′ Leo three times: forward in the pre-shadow (64 days), back while retrograde (80 days), forward again in the post-shadow (68 days). Pre-retrograde shadow: Oct 10, 1977 – Dec 12, 1977Post-retrograde shadow: Mar 2, 1978 – May 8, 1978Retrograde: Dec 12, 1977 – Mar 2, 197810° LeoStations retrograde Dec 12, 1977, 7:12 PM UTC, 11°33′ LeoR Dec 12 · 11°33′ LeoStations direct Mar 2, 1978, 9:56 AM UTC, 22°16′ CancerD Mar 2 · 22°16′ CancerOct 3Nov 28Jan 23Mar 20Source: JPL orbital elements; stations NASA JPL DE440astrohot.com

Mars crosses the 19.29° between 22°16′ Cancer and 11°33′ Leo three times: forward in the pre-shadow (64 days), back while retrograde (80 days), forward again in the post-shadow (68 days).

Mars retrograde in Leo

Mars retrograde in Leo tests pride, ambition and creative drive. Plans for recognition stall, conflicts with authority figures flare, and people reconsider what they are fighting for. It suits reworking creative ambitions rather than forcing them.

…and back into Cancer

Mars retrograde in Cancer turns frustration inward and toward home. Family tensions surface, household projects stall and anger comes out indirectly. It suits addressing emotional grievances openly and repairing the home rather than starting new battles.

It begins in Sagittarius season and ends in Pisces season.

Also retrograde at the same time

  • Mercury in Capricorn — Dec 12 to Dec 31, 1977 (19 days of overlap)
  • Jupiter in Cancer — Dec 12 to Feb 20, 1978 (69 days of overlap)
  • Saturn in Virgo — Dec 12 to Mar 2, 1978 (80 days of overlap)
  • Pluto in Libra — Jan 19 to Mar 2, 1978 (42 days of overlap)
  • Uranus in Scorpio — Feb 19 to Mar 2, 1978 (11 days of overlap)

For the sign itself, see Leo and its daily horoscope.

Computed from the actual motion

The nearest Mars retrogrades either side of 1978

Previous

1976 Ended January 20, 1976 after 75 days, moving back 17.93° through the zodiac.

Next

1980 Begins January 16, 1980 and runs 81 days.

Both dates are computed from the planet’s apparent motion, not taken from a table. A retrograde begins the moment its daily movement against the stars turns negative, and that moment is findable to the hour.

Computed for 1978

Mars through the zodiac in 1978

Every sign Mars occupies during 1978, with the dates it enters and leaves. A sign that appears twice means the planet backed into the previous sign during a retrograde and crossed again.

Mars in Leo From Jan 1 – Jan 26
Mars in Cancer Jan 26 – Apr 10
Mars in Leo Apr 10 – Jun 14
Mars in Virgo Jun 14 – Aug 4
Mars in Libra Aug 4 – Sep 19
Mars in Scorpio Sep 19 – Nov 2
Mars in Sagittarius Nov 2 – Dec 12
Mars in Capricorn Dec 12 – Dec 31 and beyond

8 segments in 1978. Dates from NASA JPL’s DE440 ephemeris.

1978 at a glance

Every other retrograde in 1978

Jupiter in Cancer Oct 24, 1977 – Feb 20, 1978 · 119 days
Saturn in Virgo Dec 11, 1977 – Apr 25, 1978 · 135 days
Pluto in Libra Jan 19, 1978 – Jun 24, 1978 · 156 days
Uranus in Scorpio Feb 19, 1978 – Jul 21, 1978 · 152 days
Neptune in Sagittarius Mar 20, 1978 – Aug 28, 1978 · 160 days
Mercury in Aries Apr 1, 1978 – Apr 25, 1978 · 24 days
Mercury in Virgo Aug 4, 1978 – Aug 28, 1978 · 24 days
Venus in Scorpio Oct 18, 1978 – Nov 28, 1978 · 41 days
Jupiter in Leo Nov 25, 1978 – Mar 26, 1979 · 120 days
Mercury in Sagittarius Nov 25, 1978 – Dec 15, 1978 · 20 days
Saturn in Virgo Dec 24, 1978 – May 9, 1979 · 136 days
← 1977 Mars retrograde in 1977. All Mars retrogrades Averages, shadow periods and the sign distribution over fifty years. 1979 → Mars retrograde in 1979.

Cite this page

AstroHot. “Mars Retrograde 1978 Dates: Until Mar 2.” Accessed October 31, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mars/1978/

For Wikipedia {{cite web |title=Mars Retrograde 1978 Dates: Until Mar 2 |url=https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mars/1978/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-31}}