Happening now, 162.5 days
Pluto retrograde, May 2026
Pluto stations retrograde on Wednesday 6 May 2026, 15:34 UTC at 5°31′ Aquarius and turns direct on Friday 16 October 2026, 02:40 UTC at 3°04′ Aquarius. The shadow period runs from 12 January 2026 to 7 February 2027.
Pluto slows to a standstill and turns retrograde on 6 May 2026 at 15:34 UTC, at 5°31' Aquarius. It stations direct on 16 October 2026 at 02:40 UTC at 3°04' Aquarius, after 162.5 days, so the whole loop stays within Aquarius. With its shadow periods, the passage runs from 12 January 2026 to 7 February 2027. The backward motion is only apparent: Earth is overtaking the slower planet.
Astrologers read Pluto as the planet of depth, power and slow transformation, and Aquarius as the sign of groups, networks, shared ideals and independent thought. The tradition treats a Pluto retrograde as a season for inner review rather than outward push, especially around where influence sits within communities. One modest practice: list the groups you belong to and note which still reflect what you value.
By sign
Which house it walks through
| Sun sign | House | Pluto's retrograde (Aquarius) falls on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | eleventh | friends, groups, plans | |
| Taurus | tenth | career and public role | |
| Gemini | ninth | travel, study, beliefs | |
| Cancer | eighth | shared money, intimacy, endings | |
| Leo | seventh | partners and one-to-one relationships | |
| Virgo | sixth | daily work, routines, health | |
| Libra | fifth | romance, play, children, creative work | |
| Scorpio | fourth | home, family, roots | |
| Sagittarius | third | conversations, siblings, short trips | |
| Capricorn | second | money, possessions, values | |
| Aquarius | first | self, body, how you come across | |
| Pisces | twelfth | rest, privacy, what happens behind the scenes | |
Whole-sign houses counted from the Sun sign, the convention behind every Sun-sign horoscope. Your rising sign gives a more personal count: draw your chart.