Retrograde calendar

Start with this tool

Explore calculated retrograde and direct station times from Mercury to Pluto. Choose a month and an IANA time zone and export events to your calendar.

Calculation and interpretation method

Events are searched within the local date boundaries of a month. Longitude, relative-angle and velocity crossings are solved between ephemeris samples. The view uses the chosen IANA time zone and its historical daylight-saving rules, while exports preserve each event's UTC instant.

Follow the stations in sequence

Find a planet's retrograde station and its following direct station. Record the interval separately from either station instant. To observe a communication routine, try writing the purpose of a message before sending it. Use the experiment to follow a change in your own behaviour rather than expecting a period of disruption. Record actual circumstances too, without assigning every delay to retrograde motion.

Near a station, apparent motion can be very slow. A small daily speed and a sign change are separate data. If another calendar shows a different local date, compare time zones first: the astronomical event keeps the same UTC instant while its local day may differ.

Separate an event time from a period theme

A calendar timestamp is the calculated crossing of a defined astronomical condition. A retrograde station and the entire retrograde period are different kinds of records, and a sign ingress does not establish a personal event. Month and IANA time-zone choices affect the local dates listed. Exports retain the event's UTC instant. If your calendar application uses another region, a different displayed clock time is expected: the underlying event occurs at the same moment.