Fortune Cookies
All years Mars: 1900–2050
In 2023 Mars turns backward 1 time: 30.10 – 12.01. The stations happen in: Gemini. Mars runs drive and action. Mars retrograde is what it feels like when force turns inward: head-on attacks bog down, but whatever you already started moves well.
Exact Mars retrograde dates in 2023
| № | Turns retrograde | Turns direct | Lasts | Signs and shadow | Chart of the Sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25°36′ Gemini | 8°07′ Gemini | 74 days | Stays in Gemini Shadow: from to |
Retrogrades Mars on the timeline 2023
Solid fill is retrograde motion; the lighter band is the shadow period, when the planet covers the same stretch of zodiac moving direct.
What to watch for during Mars retrograde
What tends to help
- Finish what is open instead of opening new fronts
- Train at an easy pace, protect your back and your tendons
- Deal with an old irritation instead of stacking more on top of it
Where to leave yourself margin
- Starting a war of any kind: a lawsuit, a fight, a power struggle
- Launching something that needs one hard sprint to work
- Making medical decisions without your doctor: planetary motion is not a substitute for one
Who feels mars Retrograde most
Everyone feels a retrograde, but it lands hardest on people who have their own planets in the degrees involved. The simplest way to check is in your own birth chart. The signs Mars moves backward through in 2023:
Other retrograde planets in 2023
Mars Retrograde in other years
How this is calculated. Our numbers come from the Moira 6.1.0 engine running on NASA JPL DE440 ephemerides, tropical zodiac, Eastern Time, data updated Aug 8, 2026. More on our method →
Frequently Asked Questions
When Mars retrograde in 2023?
30.10 – 12.01 – Eastern Time, to the minute.
What to watch for during Mars retrograde?
Better to leave yourself margin for what comes next: starting a war of any kind: a lawsuit, a fight, a power struggle; launching something that needs one hard sprint to work; making medical decisions without your doctor: planetary motion is not a substitute for one.
What is the shadow period?
A planet first covers a stretch of zodiac going forward, then comes back over it, then crosses it a third time. The first and third passes are the shadow. The theme starts showing during the shadow and finishes after it.
Why is the date a day off on another site?
A station happens at a specific minute. If that minute falls at night, it can already be the next day in Eastern Time while in UT it is still the day before. We show Eastern Time, and the calendar tables have a time zone switch.
The wheel uses the tropical zodiac, 0° Aries on the left, signs running counterclockwise. The lines in the middle are the exact angles between planets at that moment.