Dates use Eastern Time (America/New_York), including daylight-saving changes. Event cards below also show UTC; the same station can fall on a different calendar date in another time zone.
Neptune turns retrograde at 6°57′ Scorpio on Feb 7, 1959, 8:49 AM ET (1959-02-07 13:49 UTC) and direct at 4°11′ Scorpio on Jul 16, 1959, 12:57 PM ET (1959-07-16 16:57 UTC).
Astrologers link this retrograde to shared money, secrets and emotional depth.
Shadow: Oct 19, 1958 – Nov 6, 1959.
What Neptune retrograde means
Neptune is associated with dreams, imagination, spirituality and blurred boundaries. Its retrograde lasts about five months every year. Astrologers describe it as a time when illusions are easier to see through and old ideals come back for review.
Retrograde motion is an optical effect: Earth and Neptune move at different speeds, so Neptune appears to drift backward against the stars for a while. Our dates are station times — when the apparent motion reverses — calculated with Astronomy Engine; see the methodology.
Why Neptune appears to go backward
Neptune works the same way as Mars, only more slowly: Earth overtakes it once a year. Simplified circular orbits; the dates above come from the full ephemeris.
Neptune is retrograde once in 1959: Feb 7 – Jul 16 in Scorpio.
How long is Neptune retrograde in 1959?
About 159 days in total during 1959; each retrograde lasts 159 days. Including the pre- and post-shadow, each cycle spans roughly 383 days.
What is the Neptune retrograde shadow?
The pre-shadow starts when Neptune first reaches the degree where it will turn direct; the post-shadow ends when it passes the degree where it turned retrograde. The dates are in the table above.
Why do Neptune retrograde dates differ by time zone?
A station is one instant worldwide, but its calendar date depends on the time zone. This calendar displays Eastern Time, including daylight-saving changes, and the event cards also show UTC. A station shortly after midnight UTC can fall on the previous date in the Americas. Compare full timestamps before concluding that two calendars disagree.
Is Neptune still retrograde during the post-shadow?
No. The retrograde phase ends at the direct station. During the post-shadow, Neptune moves direct through the degrees it covered while retrograde, until it passes the earlier retrograde-station longitude. The direct date and post-shadow end date describe different events.
Astrology is a symbolic and cultural tradition. The planetary positions on this site are calculated with astronomical accuracy; the interpretations describe what astrologers associate with them and are not scientifically validated predictions about personality, relationships or the future.