All dates and times in this forecast are based on Eastern Daylight Time (EDT / UTC−4).

September — the sky exhales. After August's eclipses, a month of integration, honest conversations, and one very crowded Thursday.

August was the fireworks: two eclipses and a Jupiter–Saturn trine. September is where you live with what they started. The month pivots on a single day — Thursday, September 10 — when Venus dives into Scorpio, Mercury enters Libra, Uranus stations retrograde, and the Virgo New Moon closes the night. From there the road runs through the September 22 equinox into Libra season, and up to the Harvest Moon in Aries on September 26, rising conjunct Neptune. And mark the first weekend of October now: Venus stations retrograde on October 3 — September's relationship decisions will be revisited.

Use Planetaro to track planetary hours and time the month with intention — and first, some news of our own.

News on Planetaro

The Planetaro Talk podcast is now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The show — Astrology & Planetary Hours by Planetaro — streams from our own feed, so every episode arrives everywhere at once: YouTube for video, Apple Podcasts and Spotify for audio on the go.

Episode 2 is out now: The Library of Your Soul, with Akashic Records reader Ari Selene — past lives, the six dark feminine archetypes, and exactly how she runs her business on planetary hours (her viral videos? "Always on Jupiter hour.")

And if you missed the premiere, start with Episode 1: Beyond the Stars, with astrologer AstroRosalie on energy, spiritual growth, and living in alignment.

Listen and subscribe on your favorite platform →

Astrological Spotlight — September 2026

Mars Square Saturn — September 1

The month opens with a grind. Mars in Cancer squares retrograde Saturn in Aries (5:58 AM EDT) — drive meets resistance, and effort feels heavier than it should. Fresh off the August 31 Jupiter–Saturn trine, the message is a pairing: the vision is blessed, the pace is tested. Expect delays; don't read them as verdicts.

Planetaro tip: Skip Mars hours for launches on September 1–2. Use Saturn hours to do the slow, structural thing the square is actually asking for.

September 10 — The Hinge Day

Four sky events land on one Thursday. This is the day September turns.

Venus enters Scorpio (4:06 AM EDT). Love and money leave Libra's diplomacy for Scorpio's depth: intensity, loyalty tests, desire with the lights off. And this is no ordinary transit — Venus will station retrograde in Scorpio on October 3, so this chapter runs unusually long and unusually deep. Relationships formed or renegotiated now will be revisited through the fall.

Mercury enters Libra (12:20 PM EDT). The mind turns diplomatic just as the heart turns intense — a useful counterweight. Contracts, mediation, and difficult-but-fair conversations get a tailwind through the end of the month.

Uranus stations retrograde in Gemini (2:27 PM EDT). At 5°42' Gemini, Uranus begins its five-month review, running until February 8, 2027. Uranus retrograde turns disruption inward: the revolutions of the past year get audited. Which changes were real, and which were just restlessness?

New Moon in Virgo (11:27 PM EDT). At 18°26' Virgo, the night closes with the year's best new beginning for systems, health, and craft. A New Moon hours after a Uranus station carries a distinct flavor: refine the routine, but leave room for the unexpected.

Planetaro tip: Moon hours on September 10–11 are for intention-setting around work and health. Pair with Mercury hours to actually write the plan — Virgo rewards specifics.

Mercury Opposite Saturn — September 18

Mercury in Libra faces retrograde Saturn in Aries (6:00 AM EDT): hard news, slow replies, criticism that stings because it's half-true. The same evening, the First Quarter Moon in Sagittarius (4:43 PM EDT) pushes back with perspective. Say less, mean more; the Mercury–Jupiter sextile on September 21 will reward the patience with the right words at the right moment.

Planetaro tip: Draft the difficult email in a Mercury hour on September 18 — send it in a Jupiter hour on September 21.

Sun Enters Libra — The Equinox — September 22

At 8:05 PM EDT, the Sun crosses into Libra and day equals night everywhere on Earth. Libra season 2026 opens with its ruler, Venus, already deep in Scorpio and slowing toward retrograde — so this is a season less about new charm and more about weighing what relationships are actually worth. Balance, this year, is an audit.

Planetaro tip: Venus hours in late September are potent for honest relationship accounting — what's reciprocal, what's performative. The equinox evening itself is a classic moment for rebalancing rituals.

The Harvest Moon in Aries, Conjunct Neptune — September 26

At 12:49 PM EDT, the Full Moon peaks at 3°37' Aries — the Harvest Moon, the full moon nearest the equinox. And this year it rises wrapped in fog: the Moon sits conjunct retrograde Neptune in Aries, with the Sun opposite Neptune (September 25, 9:36 PM EDT) and trine Pluto (September 26, 1:34 AM EDT) in the same window.

Aries full moons are usually about decisive action; Neptune blurs the target. Something reaches fullness now, but its outline is soft — intuition is loud, facts are quiet. The Pluto trine is the anchor: follow what has depth, not what merely glows.

Planetaro tip: Moon hours on September 26 favor release, art, and intuition — not contracts or confrontations. Save decisive moves for September 28, when the Sun trines Uranus and the fog lifts with a click of clarity.

Mars Enters Leo — September 27

At 10:48 PM EDT, Mars leaves watery Cancer for fiery Leo — and walks into Jupiter's living room. With Mars and Jupiter both in Leo through the fall, courage gets an amplifier: creative launches, performances, and leadership moves gain real muscle. The shadow side is theatrical anger and overcommitment; Leo's fire burns bright and fast.

Planetaro tip: Mars hours from September 28 onward are the strongest they've been in months. Point them at the bold thing you postponed all summer — and let Jupiter hours set the stage for it.

September 30 — Mercury Enters Scorpio, and October Loads the Bow

Mercury slips into Scorpio (7:44 AM EDT), trading Libra's tact for the investigator's gaze. And the first October weekend arrives armed: Venus stations retrograde on October 3 at 8°29' Scorpio, Mars opposes Pluto the same day, and the Sun opposes Saturn on October 4. The month ahead opens with a reckoning — we'll walk through Venus retrograde properly in the October issue.

Planetaro tip: Finish September's relationship and money paperwork before October 3. Venus retrograde is for reviewing, not signing.

Night Sky Highlights

  • September Equinox (September 22, 8:05 PM EDT / September 23, 00:05 UTC): Astronomical autumn begins in the Northern Hemisphere, spring in the Southern. Day and night in balance worldwide.
  • Harvest Moon (September 26): The full moon nearest the equinox rises near sunset for several evenings in a row — the low, amber moonrises that gave the Harvest Moon its name.
  • Neptune at Opposition (September 25–26): Neptune reaches its closest and brightest of the year, up all night — still a binoculars-or-telescope object, a faint blue point worth the hunt on a moonless hour.
  • Saturn Brightening Toward Opposition: Saturn reaches opposition on October 4, so by late September it rises around sunset and shines all night — the best Saturn viewing window of the year begins now.

Featured Articles

A full monthly walkthrough of September's transits, sign by sign.

Exact equinox timing for your city, and why day and night aren't perfectly equal everywhere.

The year's lunations at a glance — useful for planning beyond September.

Full Calendar — September 2026

  • September 1 — Mars square Saturn (5:58 AM EDT) — Drive meets resistance; pace yourself.
  • September 4 — Last Quarter Moon (11°49' Gemini, 3:51 AM EDT) — Clear the decks.
  • September 10 — Venus enters Scorpio (4:06 AM EDT) — Love turns deep, loyal, and intense.
  • September 10 — Mercury enters Libra (12:20 PM EDT) — The mind turns diplomatic.
  • September 10 — Uranus stations retrograde (5°42' Gemini, 2:27 PM EDT) — A five-month review of change begins, until February 8, 2027.
  • September 10 — New Moon in Virgo (18°26', 11:27 PM EDT) — The year's best reset for work, health, and craft.
  • September 12 — Mercury trine Pluto (11:58 AM EDT) & Mercury opposite Neptune (12:37 PM EDT) — Sharp insight, soft facts; verify.
  • September 13 — Mercury trine Uranus (10:39 PM EDT) — The flash of the better idea.
  • September 14 — Sun sextile Mars (3:52 PM EDT) — Confidence and effort align.
  • September 15 — Venus square Pluto (2:34 PM EDT) — Intensity tests trust in love and money.
  • September 18 — Mercury opposite Saturn (6:00 AM EDT) — Hard conversations; say less, mean more.
  • September 18 — First Quarter Moon (25°57' Sagittarius, 4:43 PM EDT) — Push through with perspective.
  • September 21 — Mercury sextile Jupiter (6:51 PM EDT) — The right words land.
  • September 22 — Sun enters Libra — the Equinox (8:05 PM EDT) — Astronomical autumn begins; balance becomes the season's question.
  • September 25 — Sun opposite Neptune (9:36 PM EDT) — The fog before the Full Moon.
  • September 26 — Sun trine Pluto (1:34 AM EDT) — Depth anchors the haze.
  • September 26 — Full Moon in Aries — the Harvest Moon (3°37', 12:49 PM EDT) — Fullness with a soft outline, conjunct Neptune.
  • September 27 — Mars enters Leo (10:48 PM EDT) — Courage finds its stage beside Jupiter.
  • September 28 — Sun trine Uranus (12:21 PM EDT) — The fog lifts; clarity clicks in.
  • September 30 — Mercury enters Scorpio (7:44 AM EDT) — The investigator's gaze; October's Venus retrograde looms on the 3rd.