Here are the major planetary movements in 2026, key dates and zodiac signs, and what these transits mean for all of us.

What will happen in 2026 astrology?

A surge of momentum arrives in 2026, which we’ve named The Year of the Unbridled Spirit. We have little choice but to gallop along with the whiplash-inducing progress that’s remixing life as we know it, even as the guardrails become increasingly hard to locate.

This article is excerpted from The AstroTwins’ 2026 Horoscope book

2026 HOROSCOPE

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What are the major astrological transits in 2026?

As we zoom into the second half of the decade, most of the generation-shaping outer planets have shifted into fire signs and air signs. This dynamic, innovative and yang-heavy energy marks a major pivot from the first half of the 2020s. The major planetary movements of 2026 are summarized below.

Jupiter in Cancer

Iron fist in the velvet glove. Jupiter in Cancer 2026:

Until June 30, 2026, Jupiter travels through Cancer, the zodiac’s “divine mother” sign.
This passage, which began on June 9, 2025, is the red-spotted planet’s first visit here since June 2013 to July 2014.
Don’t mistake this watery brand of nurturing as soft or passive. Jupiter is exalted in Cancer, its most free-flowing position in the zodiac.
With this “power-top” pose in effect, we’re seeing feminine might expressed in all its forms: political, protective and occasionally, punishing.

Jupiter in Leo

Big love, loud power. Jupiter in Leo 2026:

Curtains up! Starting June 30, the world shifts from Cancer’s protective shell to regal Leo’s gilded throne.
For the first time since August 2014, Jupiter blazes through the Lion’s den, flipping on our creativity and self-expression.
After a year of nesting and hunkering into groups, Leo’s heart-led courage and performative energy sweeps in and steals the spotlight.

Saturn and Neptune in Aries

Historical moment alert! Saturn and Neptune in Aries 2026:

On February 20, Saturn and Neptune unite at 0º Aries, the very first degree of the zodiac and the birthplace of beginnings.
This duo aligns every 35-36 years, but only in Aries every 300-ish years. It’s been over a thousand years since Saturn and Neptune connected at The Aries Point (0º Aries), making this conjunction a truly epochal reset.
Prior to this, Neptune was taking an odyssey through its home sign of spiritual Pisces, a voyage that began April 4, 2011. Saturn joined Neptune in this watery realm on March 7, 2023. These cycles brought the esoteric into the mainstream: yoga retreats, meditation apps, psychedelic healing, astrology and Tarot (served on YouTube and TikTok). Conversation around mental health, trauma and emotional wellness entered the global zeitgeist.
Both Neptune and Saturn took brief journeys through Aries in 2025, moving our dreams from a passive to an active state.
On January 26, Neptune plants itself in Aries until March 2039. Saturn returns to Aries on February 13 and sets up residence for two years. Whatever’s been bubbling in our psyches since 2011 is ready to take shape.

Uranus in Gemini

Digitize me. Uranus in Gemini 2026:

On April 25, Uranus, the planet of disruption and innovation, heads into Gemini until 2033.
It also wraps up a seven-year tour of Taurus which began in May 2018. As the first earth sign, Taurus governs our material values, the money we earn and how we work for the food on our table. There’s no doubt about it, the past seven years have brought radical shifts. The economy has been turbulent, surging during the pandemic’s lower interest rates then devolving into chaos with global tariffs and rising cost of goods. Uranus in Taurus brought us cryptocurrency, creator economies, quiet-quitting and remote work.
Now, the focus shifts. Uranus heads into air-sign Gemini, bringing radical change to the way we communicate, cooperate and interact. We got a taste of this cycle from June 7 to November 7, 2025.
Starting April 25, 2026, the side-spinning planet settles back into the sign of the Twins until May 22, 2033.

Lunar Nodes

The systems and the soul. Lunar Nodes in Pisces/Virgo 2026:

As 2026 opens, the lunar nodes continue their 19-month passage through Pisces (North) and Virgo (South).
The North Node in Pisces urges compassion, imagination and collective healing, while the South Node in Virgo tests bureaucratic and medical systems built for efficiency over empathy.
This axis continues to shape global discussions around health care, policy and public service. Spiritual warfare and faith-based bureaucrats may hypnotize the masses as humanity grapples with both losses and gains in compassion.

Crowd vs. Crown. Lunar Nodes in Aquarius/Leo 2026:

For the first time in nearly two decades, the lunar nodes shift into Aquarius (North) and Leo (South), pulling humanity between collective progress and individual pride.
Aquarius calls us toward innovation, equality and interdependence.
Leo traffics in personal power, performance and prestige.
The tension between “we” and “me” defines this 18-month Aquarius/Leo cycle.

Chiron in Taurus

Healing what we value. Chiron in Taurus 2026:

For the first time since 1983, “wounded healer” Chiron dips into Taurus, briefly leaving warmongering Aries, where it’s been since 2018.
This short preview of a longer cycle (beginning in April 2027) turns our collective attention toward healing material insecurity and redefining worth.
Taurus rules our values, the economy, food and the ways we nourish and sustain ourselves on a day-to-day basis.
The shadow side of Taurus can be material greed and resource-hoarding. Will we learn from the past and make the right choices?

Venus Retrograde

Love planet Venus takes a backspin. Venus retrograde 2026:

From October 3 to November 13, Venus backs up through two of the most relationship-oriented signs: Scorpio until October 25 and then Libra until November 13.
Spicy situations could go from “five chilis” to ice cold as past information surfaces or attractions cool unceremoniously. Don’t be too quick to ghost! Venus retrograde could also churn up unhealthy attachments to narcissists, toxic exes and other types that fall into the trauma-informed category.
If you’re planning a wedding in 2026 or romantic ceremony during this cycle, we recommend getting the licensing done before October 3 or after November 13. Or plan on renewing vows in 2027: Venus turns retrograde every 18 months so you’re in the clear next year.
Look back to fall 2018 for clues of what might come up, which was the last time Venus reversed through Scorpio and Libra.

Eclipses

A new series of eclipses begins. Eclipses 2026:

This series strikes the Aquarius/Leo axis and revs up issues of the people versus the privileged. Simultaneously, we also round out a set of Virgo/Pisces eclipses that have been rocking our material and spiritual worlds since October 2023.
On February 17, a “ring of fire” solar eclipse in Aquarius kicks off The Year of the Fire Horse and brings a blaze of civic engagement.
On March 3, a total lunar eclipse in Virgo could reveal breaches in policy and ethics.
On August 12, the second eclipse corridor arrives with a Leo new moon total solar eclipse, an event that last occurred with The Great American Eclipse on August 21, 2017 and will occur again over Luxor, Egypt, on August 2, 2027, when the sky will darken for over six minutes.
On August 28, a partial lunar eclipse arrives with the Pisces full moon sending buried information bubbling to the surface.

Mercury retrograde

Water, water everywhere! Mercury retrograde 2026:

Mercury will be retrograde in all three water signs this year: Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio. Deep feelings won’t be crowded out by the spate of outer planets in (far less sensitive) fire and air signs. These moments are a hidden blessing, allowing us to tap into the deeper corners of our hearts, souls and psyches. Nostalgia reigns!
Mercury retrograde in Pisces, February 26 to March 20
Mercury retrograde in Cancer, June 29 to July 23
Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, October 24 to November 13

Year of the Fire Horse

The rebel returns. 2026 is The Year of the Fire Horse:

The fiery, untamed Horse gallops back into the Chinese zodiac for the first time since 1966, this time beginning with the fanfare of an Aquarius solar (new moon) eclipse—which is also an annular “ring of fire” eclipse. (Talk about celestial symbology!)
Fire Horse years are notorious for upheaval, independence and iconoclasts who refuse to be bridled. In 1966, it marked the height of counterculture movements and revolutionary art.
In 2026, the same defiant spirit reignites. Renegade creators, whistleblowers and reformers rise to challenge institutions and rewrite what freedom means in a hyper-connected world.

Want more global astrology? Head to page 582 of The AstroTwins’ 2026 Horoscope book for our 2026 Astrological Almanac. This special section contains a series of articles about worldwide trends and predictions according to the stars. What do relationships look like in the Age of Aquarius? Will there be a civil war in 2026? What is the economic forecast for the year ahead? Plus: 2026 forecasts in Human Design, Astrocartography, Numerology and Chinese (Lunar) Astrology. The 2026 book is available as a “big book” or individual sign planners. Shop the options for 2026.