The sky on Saturday, October 3, 2026
| Sun in | Libra |
|---|---|
| Moon in | Cancer |
| Moon phase | Last Quarter |
| Illumination | 51% |
| Stations | Venus stations retrograde |
| Exact aspects | Mercury square Mars |
| Mercury retrograde | No |
Venus stations retrograde today, pausing before its long apparent backtrack. Mercury and Mars stand about ninety degrees apart today, a square, which astrologers read as friction between two ways of moving. The Moon is in Cancer, near its last quarter, shrinking toward new.
What does Venus mean in astrology?
Venus is the planet of attraction and value: what you find beautiful, who you are drawn to, and what you think a thing is worth.
It stays within about forty seven degrees of the Sun, so it is the morning or evening star and never appears in the middle of the night. It moves through a sign in about a month when it is running at normal speed.
It rules Taurus and Libra, which is the difference between enjoying something and negotiating with someone about it. Traditional astrology treats Venus as the significator of pleasure, art, money and agreement.
Venus turns retrograde only about once every eighteen months, which is why those periods get so much attention. It is still ordinary apparent motion.