Double Retrograde in Virgo: Why Mercury and Venus Seem to Walk Backward
For a few days this November, two of our closest neighbours are doing something that has fascinated sky-watchers for thousands of years. Both Mercury and Venus appear to move backward against the stars, and in the real sky they are doing it in the same constellation: Virgo.
What retrograde motion really is
No planet ever stops or reverses in its orbit. Retrograde motion is an effect of perspective. Mercury and Venus orbit the Sun inside Earth's orbit and move faster than we do. When one of them passes between the Earth and the Sun, an alignment called inferior conjunction, it overtakes us on the "inside lane". For a few weeks around that moment, its position against the distant stars appears to slide westward instead of eastward.
Venus reached inferior conjunction around October 23–24, 2026, and Mercury on November 4. That is why both are retrograde at the same time. Venus has been moving backward since October 3, and Mercury since October 24. Both turn direct again around November 13–14, 2026.
Where it is happening in the real sky
Tropical astrology describes this retrograde season in Scorpio and Libra. The planets themselves tell a different story. Venus began its retrograde at the very edge of Libra and Virgo and has spent almost all of it in Virgo. It will turn direct close to Spica, the bright "ear of wheat" in the Maiden's hand, where it will appear to stand still for a few days.
Mercury began its backward loop in Libra, then slipped back into Virgo around November 7–8. It, too, will turn direct among Virgo's stars. So in the 13-sign zodiac, this is a Virgo story. Virgo (September 17 – October 30) is the constellation of careful work, review and harvest. Libra (October 31 – November 22), where the Sun is shining right now, is the constellation of balance.
How to see it
You can follow part of this dance yourself. Venus is already a brilliant morning star, low in the east before sunrise. As the days pass it climbs higher and moves slowly past Spica. Mercury is harder to see, but in the second half of November it should rise ahead of the Sun in the dawn sky. Look a little below and to the left of Venus, and be sure to stop before the Sun comes up. Never look at the Sun directly.
A season for second looks
Many astrologers see a retrograde as a time to revisit, repair and reconsider. With both Mercury and Venus retracing their steps in Virgo, the theme feels especially fitting. It is a good time to reread, revise and value the small details. In Astrology of the 13 Signs of the Zodiac, each constellation is read on the sky we can actually see, and this double retrograde is a lovely example of why that matters.
Curious which constellation the Sun was really in when you were born? Find your true zodiac sign and see the sky as it truly was.
Vasilis Kanatas, Delphi, November 2026
The Taurids: Autumn Fireballs from the Bull (Taurus)
If you are outdoors on a dark November night and see a slow, bright meteor gliding across the sky, there is a good chance it is a Taurid. This modest but much-loved meteor shower is active right now, and 2026 offers it a gift: a New Moon on November 9, just before the Northern Taurids reach their peak.
Two Showers from One Comet
The Taurids are really two streams of debris. The Southern Taurids are active from about September 20 to November 20 and peaked around November 4–5. The Northern Taurids run from about October 20 to December 10 and peak on the nights of November 11–12. Both come mainly from Comet 2P/Encke, which has one of the shortest orbits of any known comet, returning to the Sun every 3.3 years. Over thousands of years it has scattered a wide trail of dust and pebbles along its path, and the Earth crosses that trail every autumn.
Slow Meteors, Bright Fireballs
Don't expect a storm. Each branch gives only about five meteors per hour under a dark sky. What makes the Taurids special is their style. They meet our atmosphere at less than 30 km per second, slow compared with many other showers, so they seem to drift across the sky rather than flash. The stream also carries larger particles than usual, which is why the Taurids are famous for fireballs: meteors brighter than Venus that can leave a glowing trail. Every few years the Earth passes through a denser part of the stream and fireballs become more frequent. 2026 is not expected to be one of these "swarm" years, but a few bright Taurids are likely all the same.
Read more: The Taurids: Autumn Fireballs from the Bull (Taurus)
Spica, the Maiden’s Ear of Wheat: Venus and the Crescent Moon Meet in Virgo
This weekend the dawn sky offers one of the loveliest sights of the autumn. Low in the east-southeast before sunrise, Venus, the brilliant Morning Star, is shining right next to Spica, the brightest star of Virgo. On Saturday, November 7, a very thin crescent Moon joins them, completing a delicate trio against the stars of the Maiden.
A Gathering in the Real Constellation of Virgo
In the 13-sign zodiac, which follows the real constellations, Venus and the Moon are both in Virgo (September 17 – October 30) this weekend, even though the Sun itself has already moved on to Libra (October 31 – November 22). Venus is retrograde at the moment, slowly drifting westward. It turns direct around mid-November and stays close to Spica for the rest of the month.
On Friday morning, November 6, the crescent Moon, about 8% lit, stands higher up and to the right of Venus. By Saturday morning it has slipped down to just a few degrees from the planet and the star, only about 4–5% illuminated. Look about 45 minutes before sunrise, with a clear view of the horizon. Venus is unmistakable; binoculars will help you catch the Moon and Spica in the brightening twilight. The next Venus, Moon and Spica gathering this close will not happen until 2034.
Who Is the Maiden?
Virgo is the largest constellation of the zodiac and the second-largest in the whole sky. The Greeks saw in it several goddesses. For the poet Aratus, she was Dike, or Astraea, the goddess of justice, who lived among people in the Golden Age. As humanity grew greedy and violent, she withdrew to the mountains and finally rose to the sky, where she still shines beside the Scales of Libra.
Others saw her as Demeter, the goddess of grain and harvest, or her daughter Persephone. That is why the Maiden is often pictured holding an ear of wheat, and the name Spica means exactly that: "the ear of grain" in Latin. In ancient times, the Sun's passage through Virgo coincided with the harvest.
Read more: Spica, the Maiden’s Ear of Wheat: Venus and the Crescent Moon Meet in Virgo
Libra: The Scales That Were Once a Scorpion’s Claws
Right now the Sun is passing in front of the stars of Libra, the only figure in the zodiac that is an object rather than a living being. In 13-sign astrology, which follows the real constellations, the Sun stays in Libra (October 31 – November 22) before moving on to Scorpio (November 23 – November 29). Libra is faint and easy to overlook, yet it has one of the most interesting stories in the sky.
From Claws to Scales
For the ancient Greeks, these stars did not form a constellation of their own. They were the Chelae, the outstretched claws of the great Scorpion next door. Even in Ptolemy's Almagest, the standard star catalogue of antiquity, the region still appears under the name "the Claws".
The idea of a balance is older still. Babylonian astronomers already linked this part of the sky with scales, and the Romans later revived the image and made Libra a firm member of the zodiac. In their version, the scales often belong to the neighbouring maiden Virgo, pictured as Astraea, the goddess of justice.
Star Names That Remember the Past
The old claws survive in the names of Libra's two brightest stars. Zubenelgenubi (Alpha Librae) means "the southern claw", and Zubeneschamali (Beta Librae) means "the northern claw". Both come from Arabic and preserve the time when Libra was part of Scorpius.
Zubenelgenubi lies about 77 light-years from us. Binoculars show it as a wide pair of stars. It also sits very close to the ecliptic, the path of the Sun, so the Moon and the planets often pass near it. Zubeneschamali is the constellation's brightest star, roughly 185 light-years away. Some observers have described it as having a greenish tint, although most people see it as blue-white.
Read more: Libra: The Scales That Were Once a Scorpion’s Claws
Mercury Meets the Sun in Libra: The Inferior Conjunction of November 4, 2026
On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at about 14:24 UT (16:24 Greek time), the planet Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun. Astronomers call this moment an inferior conjunction. It marks the midpoint of Mercury's current retrograde loop – and it takes place against the stars of Libra, not Scorpio, where tropical horoscopes place it.
What is an inferior conjunction?
Mercury and Venus are the two "inferior" planets: their orbits lie inside the Earth's. Twice in each cycle they line up with the Sun as seen from Earth. When a planet is on the far side of the Sun, we speak of a superior conjunction. When it swings between us and the Sun, at its closest to Earth, it is an inferior conjunction.
Mercury is the fastest planet in the Solar System, so it repeats this cycle about every 116 days – three or four times a year. Around inferior conjunction, Mercury turns its unlit side towards us and is completely lost in the Sun's glare. You could call it a "new Mercury", much like a New Moon.
Read more: Mercury Meets the Sun in Libra: The Inferior Conjunction of November 4, 2026
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