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Pluto retrograde 2003

Pluto retrograde 2003: 1 period, 159 days inside the year — 43.5% of 2003. Pluto turned retrograde at 5:13 AM UTC on March 23 at 19°57′ Sagittarius and turned direct at 3:34 AM UTC on August 29 at 17°14′ Sagittarius.

Turns retrograde
Mar 23 5:13 AM UTC
Turns direct
Aug 29 3:34 AM UTC
Retrograde in 2003
159 days 43.5% of the year
Sign
Sagittarius retreats 2.72°
Pluto Retrograde 2003 Dates: Mar 23 – Aug 29

Pluto’s path through 2003, day by day

Apparent position of Pluto against the zodiac, 2003
Apparent position of Pluto against the zodiac, 2003. Pluto starts 2003 at 18°16′ Sagittarius and ends it at 20°30′ Sagittarius — 2.2° of net progress: 4.9° forward, 2.7° given back. The loop retraces 2.72° in 159 days, from 19°57′ Sagittarius on Mar 23 back to 17°14′ Sagittarius on Aug 29. Fastest day: Jan 9, 0.04° forward; fastest backward: May 11, 0.03°. Counting the shadows, 365 days of 2003 sit inside a retrograde window. Pre-retrograde shadow: Dec 4, 2002 – Mar 23, 2003Post-retrograde shadow: Aug 29, 2003 – Dec 17, 2003Pre-retrograde shadow: Dec 6, 2003 – Mar 24, 2004Retrograde: Mar 23, 2003 – Aug 29, 200317° Sagittarius18° Sagittarius20° SagittariusStations retrograde Mar 23, 2003, 5:13 AM UTC, 19°57′ SagittariusR Mar 23Stations direct Aug 29, 2003, 3:34 AM UTC, 17°14′ SagittariusD Aug 29JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecSource: NASA JPL DE440 ephemerisastrohot.com Apparent position of Pluto against the zodiac, 2003. Pluto starts 2003 at 18°16′ Sagittarius and ends it at 20°30′ Sagittarius — 2.2° of net progress: 4.9° forward, 2.7° given back. The loop retraces 2.72° in 159 days, from 19°57′ Sagittarius on Mar 23 back to 17°14′ Sagittarius on Aug 29. Fastest day: Jan 9, 0.04° forward; fastest backward: May 11, 0.03°. Counting the shadows, 365 days of 2003 sit inside a retrograde window. Pre-retrograde shadow: Dec 4, 2002 – Mar 23, 2003Post-retrograde shadow: Aug 29, 2003 – Dec 17, 2003Pre-retrograde shadow: Dec 6, 2003 – Mar 24, 2004Retrograde: Mar 23, 2003 – Aug 29, 200317° SagittariusStations retrograde Mar 23, 2003, 5:13 AM UTC, 19°57′ SagittariusR Mar 23Stations direct Aug 29, 2003, 3:34 AM UTC, 17°14′ SagittariusD Aug 29JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecSource: NASA JPL DE440 ephemerisastrohot.com
Retrograde Shadow R — stations retrograde · D — stations direct

Pluto starts 2003 at 18°16′ Sagittarius and ends it at 20°30′ Sagittarius — 2.2° of net progress: 4.9° forward, 2.7° given back. The loop retraces 2.72° in 159 days, from 19°57′ Sagittarius on Mar 23 back to 17°14′ Sagittarius on Aug 29. Fastest day: Jan 9, 0.04° forward; fastest backward: May 11, 0.03°. Counting the shadows, 365 days of 2003 sit inside a retrograde window.

Exact times

Pluto retrograde 2003: exact times in your city

Pluto turned retrograde at 5:13 AM UTC on March 23, 2003 at 19°57′ Sagittarius — 1:13 AM in Santiago, 12:13 AM in New York, 5:13 AM in London and 2:13 PM in Tokyo.

City Turns retrograde Turns direct
UTC Sun, Mar 23 · 19°57′ Sagittarius Fri, Aug 29 · 17°14′ Sagittarius
Honolulu United States 7:13 PM Sat, Mar 22 · UTC−10 5:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−10
Anchorage United States 8:13 PM Sat, Mar 22 · UTC−9 7:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−8
Los Angeles United States 9:13 PM Sat, Mar 22 · UTC−8 8:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−7
Phoenix United States 10:13 PM Sat, Mar 22 · UTC−7 8:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−7
Denver United States 10:13 PM Sat, Mar 22 · UTC−7 9:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−6
Chicago United States 11:13 PM Sat, Mar 22 · UTC−6 10:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−5
Mexico City Mexico 11:13 PM Sat, Mar 22 · UTC−6 10:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−5
New York United States 12:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC−5 11:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−4
Toronto Canada 12:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC−5 11:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−4
Bogotá Colombia 12:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC−5 10:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−5
Lima Peru 12:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC−5 10:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−5
Caracas Venezuela 1:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC−4 11:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−4
Santiago Chile 1:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC−4 11:34 PM Thu, Aug 28 · UTC−4
Buenos Aires Argentina 2:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC−3 12:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC−3
São Paulo Brazil 2:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC−3 12:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC−3
Reykjavík Iceland 5:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC 3:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC
London United Kingdom 5:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC 4:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+1
Lagos Nigeria 6:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+1 4:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+1
Paris France 6:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+1 5:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+2
Berlin Germany 6:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+1 5:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+2
Johannesburg South Africa 7:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+2 5:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+2
Cairo Egypt 7:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+2 6:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+3
Athens Greece 7:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+2 6:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+3
Istanbul Turkey 7:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+2 6:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+3
Moscow Russia 8:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+3 7:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+4
Nairobi Kenya 8:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+3 6:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+3
Tehran Iran 9:43 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+4:30 8:04 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+4:30
Dubai United Arab Emirates 9:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+4 7:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+4
Karachi Pakistan 10:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+5 8:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+5
New Delhi India 10:43 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+5:30 9:04 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+5:30
Kathmandu Nepal 10:58 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+5:45 9:19 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+5:45
Dhaka Bangladesh 11:13 AM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+6 9:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+6
Bangkok Thailand 12:13 PM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+7 10:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+7
Jakarta Indonesia 12:13 PM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+7 10:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+7
Singapore 1:13 PM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+8 11:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+8
Beijing China 1:13 PM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+8 11:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+8
Manila Philippines 1:13 PM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+8 11:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+8
Perth Australia 1:13 PM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+8 11:34 AM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+8
Seoul South Korea 2:13 PM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+9 12:34 PM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+9
Tokyo Japan 2:13 PM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+9 12:34 PM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+9
Adelaide Australia 3:43 PM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+10:30 1:04 PM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+9:30
Brisbane Australia 3:13 PM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+10 1:34 PM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+10
Sydney Australia 4:13 PM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+11 1:34 PM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+10
Auckland New Zealand 5:13 PM Sun, Mar 23 · UTC+12 3:34 PM Fri, Aug 29 · UTC+12

Stations from the NASA JPL DE440 ephemeris. Swiss Ephemeris agrees on every Pluto station 1900–2050: median 1.1 minutes, largest 16.1 minutes. Near a station Pluto barely moves, so almanacs differ by minutes. Local times: IANA time zones, to the minute.

159 days · retreats 2.72°

March 23 → August 29, 2003 in Sagittarius

Stations retrograde Mar 23, 2003, 5:13 AM UTC at 19°57′ Sagittarius
Stations direct Aug 29, 2003, 3:34 AM UTC at 17°14′ Sagittarius
Shadow opens Dec 4, 2002, 6:42 AM UTC (109 days before)
Shadow closes Dec 17, 2003, 8:46 AM UTC (110 days after)
Full window including shadows 378 days

It begins in Aries season and ends in Virgo season.

Also retrograde at the same time

  • Jupiter in Leo — Mar 23 to Apr 4, 2003 (12 days of overlap)
  • Mercury in Taurus — Apr 26 to May 20, 2003 (24 days of overlap)
  • Neptune in Aquarius — May 16 to Aug 29, 2003 (105 days of overlap)
  • Uranus in Pisces — Jun 7 to Aug 29, 2003 (83 days of overlap)
  • Mars in Pisces — Jul 29 to Aug 29, 2003 (31 days of overlap)

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

Computed from the actual motion

The nearest Pluto retrogrades either side of 2003

Previous

2002 Ended August 26, 2002 after 159 days, moving back 2.73° through the zodiac.

Next

2004 Begins March 24, 2004 and runs 159 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 2003

Pluto through the zodiac in 2003

Every sign Pluto occupies during 2003, 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.

Pluto in Sagittarius From Jan 1 – Dec 31 and beyond

The whole year is spent in one sign — a sign of how slowly Pluto moves.

2003 at a glance

Every other retrograde in 2003

Saturn in Gemini Oct 11, 2002 – Feb 22, 2003 · 134 days
Jupiter in Leo Dec 4, 2002 – Apr 4, 2003 · 121 days
Mercury in Capricorn Jan 2, 2003 – Jan 23, 2003 · 20 days
Mercury in Taurus Apr 26, 2003 – May 20, 2003 · 24 days
Neptune in Aquarius May 16, 2003 – Oct 23, 2003 · 160 days
Uranus in Pisces Jun 7, 2003 – Nov 8, 2003 · 154 days
Mars in Pisces Jul 29, 2003 – Sep 27, 2003 · 60 days
Mercury in Virgo Aug 28, 2003 – Sep 20, 2003 · 23 days
Saturn in Cancer Oct 25, 2003 – Mar 7, 2004 · 134 days
Mercury in Capricorn Dec 17, 2003 – Jan 6, 2004 · 20 days
← 2002 Pluto retrograde in 2002. All Pluto retrogrades Averages, shadow periods and the sign distribution over fifty years. 2004 → Pluto retrograde in 2004.

Cite this page

AstroHot. “Pluto Retrograde 2003 Dates: Mar 23 – Aug 29.” Accessed October 30, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/pluto/2003/

For Wikipedia {{cite web |title=Pluto Retrograde 2003 Dates: Mar 23 – Aug 29 |url=https://astrohot.com/retrograde/pluto/2003/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-30}}