How many days a year is Uranus retrograde?

147 days on average between 2016 and 2036 — 40.3% of the time. It varies from 145 to 153 days depending on the year, because the synodic period does not divide evenly into a calendar year.

When is Uranus retrograde in 2026?

22 November to 4 February 2026 in Taurus; 10 September to 8 February 2027 in Gemini.

What is a retrograde shadow period?

The stretch before and after the retrograde when the planet is covering the same degrees it will go back over. We compute it from the definition: the shadow opens when the planet first reaches the degree the retrograde will end on, and closes when it returns to the degree it began on. That roughly doubles the affected window.

Is Uranus retrograde actually moving backwards?

No. It is an apparent effect: we are watching from a planet that is also moving, and when the geometry lines up the other planet appears to slide backwards against the stars. Nothing changes about its actual orbit.

Uranus retrograde 2026

Uranus is retrograde 146 days this year — 40.1% of it. It turns back once every 369.66 days, which is why the count drifts from one year to the next.

Year by year: Uranus retrograde 2023, Uranus retrograde 2024, Uranus retrograde 2025, Uranus retrograde 2026, Uranus retrograde 2027, Uranus retrograde 2028, Uranus retrograde 2029, Uranus retrograde 2030, Uranus retrograde 2031 and Uranus retrograde 2032.

The planets either side of it: Saturn retrograde and Neptune retrograde.

Uranus Retrograde 2026: Exact Dates, Shadow Periods and How Often It Happens

Right now · 15 September 2026

Yes — retrograde

♅ Gemini 5.31°

Moving backward 0.0044° per day. Direct again on 8 February 2027.

What the other pages do not tell you

The part that is measurable

40.3% of all days in 2016–2036, 147 a year on average — about one day in 2.

225 days of 2026 with the shadows counted, against 146 of retrograde proper — 62% of the year.

145–153 days in the lightest and heaviest year of 2016–2036.

2026 in detail

Uranus's stations in 2026, in UTC, with the degree inside the sign.

Period 1 of 2 · 74 days · retreats 1.97°

22 November → 4 February 2026

Stations retrograde 22 Nov 2025, 00:00 UTC · Taurus 29.06°

Stations direct 4 Feb 2026, 00:39 UTC · Taurus 27.1°

Post-retrograde shadow closes 15 Apr 2026 · 70 days after

Falls in Taurus, which traditionally colours it toward steadiness, comfort and a long attention span

Period 2 of 2 · 151 days · retreats 4.02°

10 September → 8 February 2027

Stations retrograde 10 Sep 2026, 15:27 UTC · Gemini 5.32°

Stations direct 8 Feb 2027, 10:30 UTC · Gemini 1.3°

Falls in Gemini, which traditionally colours it toward curiosity, quickness and a need for variety

Which signs it happens in

76 retrograde periods of Uranus between 2000 and 2050, grouped by the sign the station falls in. They fall in only 8 signs — Uranus spends years in each sign, so half a century of retrogrades covers just a few of them.

14 Taurus · 18.4% 14 Cancer · 18.4% 13 Gemini · 17.1% 10 Aries · 13.2% 9 Leo · 11.8% 7 Pisces · 9.2% 6 Virgo · 7.9% 3 Aquarius · 3.9%

Other years

2023 147 days retrograde 2024 148 days retrograde 2025 147 days retrograde 2026 146 days retrograde 2027 146 days retrograde 2028 147 days retrograde 2029 146 days retrograde 2030 146 days retrograde 2031 145 days retrograde 2032 146 days retrograde

Was Uranus retrograde when you were born? All retrograde planets How this is calculated

Why Uranus turns back

Uranus orbits outside Earth's path, so it appears to reverse around opposition — the weeks when Earth overtakes it on the inside track. Earth and Uranus line up again every 369.66 days, and across 2016–2036 a single retrograde lasted 111 days on average. Not one of those 21 years went without one.

Tradition ties Uranus to disruption, independence and what refuses to stay arranged, and reads its retrograde as the time to go back over them. At 40.3% of all days, that advice covers a sizeable part of any year; the shadow dates in the table are explained on the retrograde overview.