Retrogrades › Pluto › 1981
Pluto is retrograde once in 1981: Jan 26 – Jul 1 in Libra.
| Pre-shadow begins | Retrograde | Direct | Post-shadow ends | Signs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 10, 1980 | Jan 26, 1981, 7:51 AM ET | Jul 1, 1981, 12:30 PM ET | Oct 19, 1981 | 24°21′ ♎︎ Libra 21°32′ |
Jan 26, 1981 – Jul 1, 1981 · 156 days
Pluto turns retrograde at 24°21′ Libra on Jan 26, 1981, 7:51 AM ET (1981-01-26 12:51 UTC) and direct at 21°32′ Libra on Jul 1, 1981, 12:30 PM ET (1981-07-01 16:30 UTC).
Astrologers link this retrograde to partnerships, agreements and fairness.
Shadow: Oct 10, 1980 – Oct 19, 1981.
Pluto is associated with power, endings and deep transformation. It is retrograde for about five months every year: about 43% of the time from 1950 to 2050. Astrologers read the period as a time to revisit long processes of change from the inside, rather than force them outward.
Retrograde motion is an optical effect: Earth and Pluto move at different speeds, so Pluto 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.
Same year: Mercury retrograde 1981 · Venus retrograde 1981 · Jupiter retrograde 1981 · Saturn retrograde 1981 · Uranus retrograde 1981 · Neptune retrograde 1981 · All planets now
Pluto is retrograde once in 1981: Jan 26 – Jul 1 in Libra.
About 156 days in total during 1981; each retrograde lasts 156 days. Including the pre- and post-shadow, each cycle spans roughly 374 days.
The pre-shadow starts when Pluto 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.
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.
No. The retrograde phase ends at the direct station. During the post-shadow, Pluto 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.