Saturn
social · cycle 10,759 days · retrograde every 378 days
Dignities
Hellenistic tradition
Saturn rules Capricorn (nocturnal) and Aquarius (diurnal). Exalted in Libra, fall in Aries.
Modern Western reading
Modern Western astrology reads Saturn as structure, limit, and the principle of durable form.
Questions
- How long does Saturn take to go through the zodiac?
- About 29 years (10,759 days) for one full circuit as seen from Earth. That is the synodic figure this site computes ephemeris positions against, not a sidereal orbital period, and it is what determines how long Saturn stays in one sign: roughly one twelfth of the cycle, stretched or compressed by retrograde motion and by the eccentricity of the orbit.
- Which signs does Saturn rule?
- Saturn rules Capricorn and Aquarius. It is exalted in Libra. It is in fall in Aries. It is in detriment in Cancer and Leo. Rulership is a fixed correspondence, so it holds in every chart; what changes chart to chart is whether Saturn actually occupies one of those signs.
- Is Saturn a personal planet?
- Saturn is classified here as a social. Social planets move slowly enough that everyone born within a year or two shares the placement, so they describe a cohort more than a person.
- How often is Saturn retrograde?
- Saturn turns retrograde roughly every 378 days. Retrograde motion is apparent, not real: the planet keeps moving forward, but seen from a moving Earth its longitude decreases for a stretch. Because the effect depends on the geometry between two orbits, the interval and the duration both vary between cycles, so a stated average will not match any single retrograde exactly. Live station dates are computed rather than tabulated on this site.
Reference, not advice
This is cultural and astronomical reference, not personal prediction or advice.
Cycle periods are mean orbital values. Traditional interpretations paraphrased from primary classical and modern sources. See sources.
Last reviewed .