What to do
- Check facts behind situations you have idealized
- Spend time on creative or spiritual practice
- Pay attention to dreams and recurring feelings
Neptune retrograde: now and in 2026
Neptune is retrograde right now, in Aries, and turns direct on December 12, 2026. Neptune retrograde covers 158 days of 2026, 43.4% of the year. It turns back once every 367.49 days, which is why the count drifts from one year to the next.
- Right now
- Retrograde since Jul 7, 2026
- Turns direct
- Dec 12 2026, 10:18 PM UTC
- Retrograde in 2026
- 158 days 43.4% of the year
- On average
- 43.3% of days, 2016–2036
Exact times
Next Neptune stations: exact times in your city
Neptune turns direct at 10:18 PM UTC on December 12, 2026 at 1°36′ Aries — 7:18 PM in Santiago, 5:18 PM in New York, 10:18 PM in London and 7:18 AM on December 13 in Tokyo.
| City | Turns direct · Dec 12, 2026 | Turns retrograde · Jul 9, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · 1°36′ Aries | Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · 6°39′ Aries |
| Honolulu United States | 12:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−10 | 12:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−10 |
| Anchorage United States | 1:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−9 | 2:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−8 |
| Los Angeles United States | 2:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−8 | 3:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−7 |
| Phoenix United States | 3:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−7 | 3:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−7 |
| Denver United States | 3:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−7 | 4:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−6 |
| Chicago United States | 4:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−6 | 5:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−5 |
| Mexico City Mexico | 4:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−6 | 4:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−6 |
| New York United States | 5:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−5 | 6:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−4 |
| Toronto Canada | 5:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−5 | 6:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−4 |
| Bogotá Colombia | 5:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−5 | 5:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−5 |
| Lima Peru | 5:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−5 | 5:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−5 |
| Caracas Venezuela | 6:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−4 | 6:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−4 |
| Santiago Chile | 7:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−3 | 6:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−4 |
| Buenos Aires Argentina | 7:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−3 | 7:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−3 |
| São Paulo Brazil | 7:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC−3 | 7:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC−3 |
| Reykjavík Iceland | 10:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC | 10:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC |
| London United Kingdom | 10:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC | 11:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC+1 |
| Lagos Nigeria | 11:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC+1 | 11:41 PM Fri, Jul 9, 2027 · UTC+1 |
| Paris France | 11:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC+1 | 12:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+2 |
| Berlin Germany | 11:18 PM Sat, Dec 12, 2026 · UTC+1 | 12:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+2 |
| Johannesburg South Africa | 12:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+2 | 12:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+2 |
| Cairo Egypt | 12:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+2 | 1:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+3 |
| Athens Greece | 12:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+2 | 1:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+3 |
| Istanbul Turkey | 1:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+3 | 1:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+3 |
| Moscow Russia | 1:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+3 | 1:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+3 |
| Nairobi Kenya | 1:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+3 | 1:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+3 |
| Tehran Iran | 1:48 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+3:30 | 2:11 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+3:30 |
| Dubai United Arab Emirates | 2:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+4 | 2:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+4 |
| Karachi Pakistan | 3:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+5 | 3:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+5 |
| New Delhi India | 3:48 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+5:30 | 4:11 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+5:30 |
| Kathmandu Nepal | 4:03 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+5:45 | 4:26 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+5:45 |
| Dhaka Bangladesh | 4:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+6 | 4:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+6 |
| Bangkok Thailand | 5:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+7 | 5:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+7 |
| Jakarta Indonesia | 5:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+7 | 5:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+7 |
| Singapore | 6:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+8 | 6:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+8 |
| Beijing China | 6:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+8 | 6:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+8 |
| Manila Philippines | 6:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+8 | 6:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+8 |
| Perth Australia | 6:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+8 | 6:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+8 |
| Seoul South Korea | 7:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+9 | 7:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+9 |
| Tokyo Japan | 7:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+9 | 7:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+9 |
| Adelaide Australia | 8:48 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+10:30 | 8:11 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+9:30 |
| Brisbane Australia | 8:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+10 | 8:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+10 |
| Sydney Australia | 9:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+11 | 8:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+10 |
| Auckland New Zealand | 11:18 AM Sun, Dec 13, 2026 · UTC+13 | 10:41 AM Sat, Jul 10, 2027 · UTC+12 |
Stations from the NASA JPL DE440 ephemeris. Swiss Ephemeris agrees on every Neptune station 1900–2050: median under a minute, largest 1.8 minutes. Near a station Neptune barely moves, so almanacs differ by minutes. Local times: IANA time zones, to the minute.
18 pages · printable
The 2027 Sky Calendar — free PDF
Every retrograde, eclipse, new and full moon of 2027 to the minute, already converted to your city. A month to a page, ready to print.
Is Neptune retrograde right now?
Right now · November 2, 2026
Yes — retrograde
♆ Aries 2.06°
Moving backward 0.0205° per day. Direct again on December 12, 2026.
The traditional reading
What does Neptune retrograde mean?
Neptune rules dreams, intuition, imagination and illusion. It is retrograde for about five months each year, and tradition reads the period as a time when illusions are easier to see through: idealized people and plans come back into focus, and the gap between hope and reality becomes visible. It favors reality checks, creative work and quiet reflection.
What to avoid
- Escapism through alcohol, screens or wishful thinking
- Trusting offers that seem too good to be true
- Making decisions based only on how things feel
What the other pages do not tell you
The part that is measurable
43.3%
of all days in 2016–2036,
158.3 a year on average — about one day in 2.
365 days
of 2026 with the shadows counted, against 158 of
retrograde proper — 100% of the year.
156–159
days in the lightest and heaviest year of 2016–2036.
Neptune is retrograde 158 days in 2026 — 76 of the 101 years from 1950 to 2050 have more. The most is 160 days, in 48 of those years, first in 1962; the fewest is 154, in 2049 and 2050.
2026 in detail
Neptune's stations in 2026, in UTC, with the degree inside the sign.
Period 1 of 1 · 158 days · retreats 2.81°
July 7 → December 12, 2026
Stations retrograde
Jul 7, 2026, 10:54 AM UTC ·
Aries 4.42°
Stations direct
Dec 12, 2026, 10:18 PM UTC ·
Aries 1.61°
Pre-retrograde shadow opens
Mar 16, 2026 · 113 days early
Post-retrograde shadow closes
Apr 2, 2027 · 111 days after
Full affected window
382 days
Falls in Aries, which traditionally colors it toward initiative, appetite and the willingness to go first
Which signs it happens in
51 retrograde periods of Neptune between 2000 and 2050, grouped by the sign the station falls in. They fall in only 4 signs — Neptune spends years in each sign, so half a century of retrogrades covers just a few of them.
Answered from the ephemeris, 1950–2050
Neptune retrograde in numbers
How often is Neptune retrograde?
Once a year, give or take: every 367.5 days on average, so each loop starts about 2.2 days later in the calendar than the one before. That makes 101 loops between 1950 and 2050.
How long does Neptune retrograde last?
159.2 days on average, from 156.9 to 160.3 days in 1950–2050. The longest of them began on April 10, 1987. Counting both shadows, the whole window averages 382.8 days — longer than the 367.5 days between loops, so Neptune is never clear of a shadow.
When is the next Neptune retrograde?
Neptune is retrograde right now and turns direct on December 12, 2026. The loop after that starts on July 9, 2027 at 10:41 PM UTC, at 6°39′ Aries, and ends on December 15, 2027 — 158 days.
When is Neptune retrograde in 2027?
Once: July 9 to December 15 in Aries.
Why Neptune turns back
Neptune orbits outside Earth's path, so it appears to reverse around opposition — the weeks when Earth overtakes it on the inside track. Earth and Neptune line up again every 367.49 days, and across 2016–2036 a single retrograde lasted 158 days on average. Not one of those 21 years went without one.
Neptune retrograde on 43.3% of days, 2016–2036
Tradition ties Neptune to dissolution, imagination and the blurring of edges, and reads its retrograde as the time to go back over them. In practice that advice applies on about one day in two. The shadow dates in the table are explained on the retrograde overview.
Sources
- Park, Folkner, Williams & Boggs, “The JPL Planetary and Lunar Ephemerides DE440 and DE441”, The Astronomical Journal 161:105 (2021)
- Astrodienst, Swiss Ephemeris
Statements of fact on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. How we choose and check sources: editorial policy.
Cite this page
AstroHot. “Is Neptune Retrograde Right Now? Neptune Retrograde 2026.” Accessed November 2, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/neptune/
For Wikipedia
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