Astrology
Astrology Basics: Signs, Planets, Houses and 2027 Retrogrades
A plain-language reference to Western astrology: the twelve signs and their elements, modalities and ruling planets, what the planets and houses stand for, the Moon's journey through the zodiac, and the exact 2027 Mercury retrograde dates, computed from an ephemeris and checked against published tables.
Looking for your forecast? Monthly readings live in Horoscopes. This page is the reference behind them.
The 12 zodiac signs
Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac, which starts each year at the March equinox. Each sign has an element (fire, earth, air, water: its temperament) and a modality (cardinal signs begin seasons, fixed signs sustain them, mutable signs adapt and transition), plus a ruling planet. Dates shift by a day or so from year to year.
| Sign | Dates (approx.) | Element | Modality | Ruler | Keywords | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ♈︎ | Aries | Mar 21 – Apr 19 | Fire | Cardinal | Mars | courage, initiative, directness |
| ♉︎ | Taurus | Apr 20 – May 20 | Earth | Fixed | Venus | steadiness, pleasure, loyalty |
| ♊︎ | Gemini | May 21 – Jun 20 | Air | Mutable | Mercury | curiosity, wit, connection |
| ♋︎ | Cancer | Jun 21 – Jul 22 | Water | Cardinal | Moon | care, memory, belonging |
| ♌︎ | Leo | Jul 23 – Aug 22 | Fire | Fixed | Sun | warmth, creativity, generosity |
| ♍︎ | Virgo | Aug 23 – Sep 22 | Earth | Mutable | Mercury | care, skill, discernment |
| ♎︎ | Libra | Sep 23 – Oct 22 | Air | Cardinal | Venus | harmony, fairness, beauty |
| ♏︎ | Scorpio | Oct 23 – Nov 21 | Water | Fixed | Pluto / Mars | depth, intensity, transformation |
| ♐︎ | Sagittarius | Nov 22 – Dec 21 | Fire | Mutable | Jupiter | adventure, meaning, optimism |
| ♑︎ | Capricorn | Dec 22 – Jan 19 | Earth | Cardinal | Saturn | ambition, patience, integrity |
| ♒︎ | Aquarius | Jan 20 – Feb 18 | Air | Fixed | Uranus / Saturn | originality, community, vision |
| ♓︎ | Pisces | Feb 19 – Mar 20 | Water | Mutable | Neptune / Jupiter | imagination, compassion, intuition |
Where two rulers are listed, the first is modern and the second traditional. Click a sign for its profile and this month's horoscope.
The planets
| Planet | Stands for | Time in each sign |
|---|---|---|
| ☉︎ Sun | core self, vitality and purpose | about a month in each sign |
| ☽︎ Moon | feelings, needs and instincts | about two and a half days in each sign |
| ☿︎ Mercury | thinking, communication and travel | two to nine weeks per sign; retrograde three or four times a year |
| ♀︎ Venus | love, beauty, values and pleasure | about four weeks per sign; retrograde every 19 months |
| ♂︎ Mars | drive, courage and desire | about six to seven weeks per sign; retrograde every 26 months |
| ♃︎ Jupiter | growth, luck and meaning | about a year per sign |
| ♄︎ Saturn | structure, responsibility and time | about two and a half years per sign |
| ♅︎ Uranus | change, freedom and invention | about seven years per sign |
| ♆︎ Neptune | dreams, spirituality and imagination | about fourteen years per sign |
| ♇︎ Pluto | power, depth and transformation | 12 to 30 years per sign |
In astrology the Sun and Moon are counted among the "planets." A planet is retrograde when, seen from Earth, it appears to move backward against the stars for a while; it is an optical effect of our orbits, traditionally read as a time to review rather than launch.
The 12 houses
Houses divide the chart into twelve areas of life. A full birth chart needs your exact birth time to set the houses. Our horoscopes use whole-sign houses counted from your sun sign: your sun sign is your 1st house, the next sign your 2nd, and so on. It is the traditional method for sun-sign forecasts.
- 1st house: you, your body and the way you meet the world
- 2nd house: money, possessions and self-worth
- 3rd house: conversation, learning, siblings and your neighborhood
- 4th house: home, family and roots
- 5th house: creativity, romance, play and joy
- 6th house: daily routines, work habits and wellbeing
- 7th house: partnerships and one-to-one relationships
- 8th house: intimacy, trust, shared resources and deep change
- 9th house: travel, study, beliefs and the big picture
- 10th house: career, reputation and your public role
- 11th house: friendship, community and hopes for the future
- 12th house: rest, solitude, dreams and the inner life
The Moon through the signs
The Moon moves through the whole zodiac in about 27⅓ days, spending roughly two and a half days in each sign. Its sign colors the mood of those days. Our moon calendar lists the sign of every new and full moon, and the moon page shows the Moon's sign right now.
| Moon in | The mood, and what it's good for |
|---|---|
| Aries | Restless, brave feelings. A good day to start something quickly. |
| Taurus | Calm and comfort-seeking. Cook, garden or rest. |
| Gemini | Chatty and curious. Write, call, read. |
| Cancer | Tender and home-loving. Nest and nurture. |
| Leo | Warm and expressive. Create, perform, celebrate. |
| Virgo | Tidy and practical. Organize and care for your body. |
| Libra | Social and harmonizing. Mend, beautify, share. |
| Scorpio | Deep and private. Journal, research, be honest. |
| Sagittarius | Optimistic and roaming. Explore, learn, laugh. |
| Capricorn | Focused and serious. Plan and get things done. |
| Aquarius | Independent and inventive. Brainstorm, connect with friends. |
| Pisces | Dreamy and intuitive. Rest, make art, meditate. |
Where the planets are now
Positions as of October 25, 2026 (when this page was built). Tropical, geocentric.
Mercury retrograde 2027
Mercury turns retrograde three times in 2027: first in Pisces sliding back into Aquarius, then in Cancer sliding back into Gemini, and finally in Scorpio sliding back into Libra. Traditionally it's a time to review, revise, back up files and double-check travel plans, rather than a time to fear.
| Stations retrograde | At | Stations direct | At |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Feb 9, 202712:35 p.m. EST · 17:35 UTC | 6.0° Pisces | Wed, Mar 3, 20277:34 a.m. EST · 12:34 UTC | 20.9° Aquarius Backs into Aquarius Thu, Feb 18, 2027 |
| Thu, Jun 10, 20272:18 p.m. EDT · 18:18 UTC | 6.4° Cancer | Sun, Jul 4, 20273:40 p.m. EDT · 19:40 UTC | 27.5° Gemini Backs into Gemini Sat, Jun 26, 2027 |
| Thu, Oct 7, 202710:40 a.m. EDT · 14:40 UTC | 4.9° Scorpio | Thu, Oct 28, 202710:10 a.m. EDT · 14:10 UTC | 19.3° Libra Backs into Libra Sat, Oct 16, 2027 |
Times in US Eastern and UTC. Mercury also ends a retrograde on Fri, Nov 13, 2026 (it stationed retrograde on Oct 24, 2026 in Scorpio).
How we checked: computed with Astronomy Engine (apparent geocentric longitude, stations found where daily motion changes sign), then compared with the published 2027 table at AstroShepard. All three periods match to the date, and station times agree within about a minute.
Other retrogrades, late 2026 through 2027
| Planet | Turns retrograde | Turns direct |
|---|---|---|
| ♀︎ Venus | Sat, Oct 3, 2026 (8° Scorpio) | Fri, Nov 13, 2026 (23° Libra) |
| ♂︎ Mars | Sun, Jan 10, 2027 (10° Virgo) | Thu, Apr 1, 2027 (21° Leo) |
| ♃︎ Jupiter | Sat, Dec 12, 2026 (27° Leo) | Mon, Apr 12, 2027 (17° Leo) |
| ♄︎ Saturn | already retrograde | Thu, Dec 10, 2026 (8° Aries) |
| ♄︎ Saturn | Mon, Aug 9, 2027 (28° Aries) | Thu, Dec 23, 2027 (21° Aries) |
| ♅︎ Uranus | Thu, Sep 10, 2026 (6° Gemini) | Mon, Feb 8, 2027 (2° Gemini) |
| ♅︎ Uranus | Wed, Sep 15, 2027 (10° Gemini) | after Jan 2028 |
| ♆︎ Neptune | already retrograde | Sat, Dec 12, 2026 (2° Aries) |
| ♆︎ Neptune | Fri, Jul 9, 2027 (7° Aries) | Wed, Dec 15, 2027 (4° Aries) |
| ♇︎ Pluto | already retrograde | Thu, Oct 15, 2026 (3° Aquarius) |
| ♇︎ Pluto | Sat, May 8, 2027 (7° Aquarius) | Sun, Oct 17, 2027 (5° Aquarius) |
Venus has no retrograde in 2027; its next one begins in 2028. Dates in US Eastern time. Slow planets can differ by a few minutes between sources because they barely move near a station.
2027 Sun sign seasons
| Date | Time (ET) | Sun enters |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Jan 20, 2027 | 2:30 a.m. EST | Aquarius |
| Thu, Feb 18, 2027 | 4:33 p.m. EST | Pisces |
| Sat, Mar 20, 2027 | 4:24 p.m. EDT | Aries |
| Tue, Apr 20, 2027 | 3:17 a.m. EDT | Taurus |
| Fri, May 21, 2027 | 2:17 a.m. EDT | Gemini |
| Mon, Jun 21, 2027 | 10:10 a.m. EDT | Cancer |
| Thu, Jul 22, 2027 | 9:04 p.m. EDT | Leo |
| Mon, Aug 23, 2027 | 4:13 a.m. EDT | Virgo |
| Thu, Sep 23, 2027 | 2:01 a.m. EDT | Libra |
| Sat, Oct 23, 2027 | 11:32 a.m. EDT | Scorpio |
| Mon, Nov 22, 2027 | 8:16 a.m. EST | Sagittarius |
| Tue, Dec 21, 2027 | 9:42 p.m. EST | Capricorn |