On Friday, November 13, 2026, the two inner planets end their backward journeys almost together. Mercury stands still and turns direct late in the afternoon (Greek time), and Venus follows a few hours later, in the early hours of Saturday, November 14. Both pause in the same constellation, Virgo, and Venus does so only 1.4° from Spica, the brightest star of the Maiden.
What is happening in the sky
Retrograde motion is a trick of perspective. Mercury and Venus orbit the Sun inside the Earth's orbit, and they move faster than we do. When they pass between the Earth and the Sun, they overtake us, and for a few weeks they seem to slide backwards, westward against the stars.
Venus began its loop on October 3, at the very edge of Libra, and has since drifted 15.6° back into Virgo. Mercury reversed on October 24 in Libra, travelled 16° backwards and re-entered Virgo around November 8. Near a station a planet seems to hang motionless: between November 11 and November 17, Venus moves less than a tenth of a degree.
The distances add perspective. Venus is now only 0.32 AU from us, about 48 million kilometres, so its light reaches us in 2.7 minutes. Mercury is 0.81 AU away, 6.7 light-minutes. Spica, the star beside Venus, is roughly 250 light-years away. The "meeting" is only a line of sight.
How to see it
From Athens, look east-southeast about 40 minutes before sunrise (sunrise is around 07:05). At 06:30, Venus stands about 18° above the horizon, by far the brightest point in that part of the sky. Spica sits just below it, a pale blue-white star. Mercury is lower and to the left, about 9° high, so you will need a clear, flat horizon; binoculars help. Never sweep binoculars toward the horizon after the Sun has risen.
Turn around and look high in the south: Mars and Jupiter shine in Leo, about 65° up and only 1.6° apart, heading for their conjunction on Monday, November 16.
Over the next two weeks Venus climbs higher each morning and slowly moves away from Spica, while Mercury brightens on its way to its greatest distance from the Sun on November 21.
The 13-sign view
Many horoscopes today announce "Venus direct in Libra" and "Mercury direct in Scorpio". Look up, and you will find both planets among the stars of Virgo (September 17 – October 30). The difference comes from precession: over two thousand years the familiar signs have drifted away from the constellations that gave them their names. In the zodiac of the 13 signs, as described in the book Astrology of the 13 Signs of the Zodiac, each sign follows the real constellation the Sun crosses. Today the Sun itself is in Libra (October 31 – November 22).
For Virgo, this is a rare double gift: its two traditional patrons, Mercury and Venus, both turn forward inside the Maiden's own stars, beside the ear of wheat she holds. If you were born under Gemini (June 21 – July 20) or Taurus (May 14 – June 20), the signs linked with Mercury and Venus, you may also feel stalled plans begin to move.
Not sure which of the 13 signs is truly yours? Find your true zodiac sign now.
Vasilis Kanatas, Delphi, November 2026
