Mars

Mars in astrology

Mars, the red planet named for the Roman god of war, is the planet of action. In astrology it shows how you go after what you want, what fires you up and how you handle conflict.

Mars in each sign

Find your Mars sign with the birthday lookup below.

Mars retrograde

Mars turns retrograde about every two years for roughly two and a half months. Lore calls it a time when plans stall and tempers run short, best used to rethink strategy rather than charge ahead.

In astronomy, retrograde is an illusion: the planet only seems to move backward because Earth is passing it, or it is passing Earth, as we both orbit the Sun.

Mars facts

How to see it: Easy to spot by its orange-red color. It is brightest around opposition, every 26 months, when Earth passes between Mars and the Sun.

Source: NASA planetary fact sheets.

The planets on your birthday

Positions from NASA JPL for the US Eastern date. No birth time needed, except for the Moon, which changes signs every two or three days. We don’t save your birthdate or link it to you.