Pluto Square Mars: How Long It Lasts
Pluto square Mars usually lasts about two to two and three-quarter years with a 1° orb, with three or five exact hits along the way. From 2026 to 2030 it reaches Mars at 2° to 12° Taurus or Scorpio. Mars spends only a couple of weeks in those degrees each time it passes, so this belongs to people born in specific windows; the lists below cover 1970 to 2009.
Dates by Mars degree
Find your natal Mars degree. Each row shows when Pluto comes within 1° of the square, every exact hit (R = while Pluto is retrograde), and when it separates for good. Pluto sometimes drifts just out of orb between passes; those gaps are listed too.
| Natal position | In orb from | Exact hits | Separates |
|---|---|---|---|
2° Taurus or Scorpio | In orb fromMar 12, 2024 | Exact hits Feb 15, 2025Jul 28, 2025(retrograde)Dec 24, 2025 | SeparatesNov 27, 2026 33 months |
Out of orb between passes (4)Jun 25, 2024 – Jan 14, 2025Mar 28, 2025 – Jun 11, 2025Sep 19, 2025 – Nov 6, 2025Jan 25, 2026 – Sep 1, 2026 | |||
3° Taurus or Scorpio | In orb fromFeb 15, 2025 | Exact hits Mar 28, 2025Jun 11, 2025(retrograde)Jan 25, 2026Sep 1, 2026(retrograde)Nov 27, 2026 | SeparatesJan 5, 2027 23 months |
Out of orb between passes (2)Jul 28, 2025 – Dec 24, 2025Feb 27, 2026 – Jul 17, 2026 | |||
4° Taurus or Scorpio | In orb fromMar 28, 2025 | Exact hits Feb 27, 2026Jul 17, 2026(retrograde)Jan 5, 2027 | SeparatesDec 14, 2027 33 months |
Out of orb between passes (3)Jun 11, 2025 – Jan 25, 2026Sep 1, 2026 – Nov 27, 2026Feb 6, 2027 – Aug 18, 2027 | |||
5° Taurus or Scorpio | In orb fromFeb 27, 2026 | Exact hits Apr 30, 2026(station)May 12, 2026(retrograde)(station)Feb 6, 2027Aug 18, 2027(retrograde)Dec 14, 2027 | SeparatesNov 7, 2028 32 months |
Out of orb between passes (3)Jul 17, 2026 – Jan 5, 2027Mar 14, 2027 – Jul 5, 2027Jan 18, 2028 – Sep 28, 2028 | |||
6° Taurus or Scorpio | In orb fromApr 30, 2026 | Exact hits Mar 14, 2027Jul 5, 2027(retrograde)Jan 18, 2028Sep 28, 2028(retrograde)(station)Nov 7, 2028(station) | SeparatesDec 28, 2028 32 months |
Out of orb between passes (3)May 12, 2026 – Feb 6, 2027Aug 18, 2027 – Dec 14, 2027Feb 19, 2028 – Aug 3, 2028 | |||
7° Taurus or Scorpio | In orb fromMar 14, 2027 | Exact hits Feb 19, 2028Aug 3, 2028(retrograde)Dec 28, 2028 | SeparatesDec 4, 2029 33 months |
Out of orb between passes (4)Jul 5, 2027 – Jan 18, 2028Apr 1, 2028 – Jun 17, 2028Sep 28, 2028 – Nov 7, 2028Jan 30, 2029 – Sep 4, 2029 | |||
8° Taurus or Scorpio | In orb fromFeb 19, 2028 | Exact hits Apr 1, 2028Jun 17, 2028(retrograde)Jan 30, 2029Sep 4, 2029(retrograde)Dec 4, 2029 | SeparatesJan 12, 2030 23 months |
Out of orb between passes (2)Aug 3, 2028 – Dec 28, 2028Mar 5, 2029 – Jul 20, 2029 | |||
9° Taurus or Scorpio | In orb fromApr 1, 2028 | Exact hits Mar 5, 2029Jul 20, 2029(retrograde)Jan 12, 2030 | SeparatesDec 23, 2030 33 months |
Out of orb between passes (3)Jun 17, 2028 – Jan 30, 2029Sep 4, 2029 – Dec 4, 2029Feb 13, 2030 – Aug 18, 2030 | |||
10° Taurus or Scorpio | In orb fromMar 5, 2029 | Exact hits Feb 13, 2030Aug 18, 2030(retrograde)Dec 23, 2030 | SeparatesNov 25, 2031 33 months |
Out of orb between passes (3)Jul 20, 2029 – Jan 12, 2030Mar 23, 2030 – Jul 4, 2030Jan 27, 2031 – Sep 22, 2031 | |||
11° Taurus or Scorpio | In orb fromFeb 13, 2030 | Exact hits Mar 23, 2030Jul 4, 2030(retrograde)Jan 27, 2031Sep 22, 2031(retrograde)Nov 25, 2031 | SeparatesJan 9, 2032 23 months |
Out of orb between passes (2)Aug 18, 2030 – Dec 23, 2030Mar 1, 2031 – Aug 2, 2031 | |||
12° Taurus or Scorpio | In orb fromMar 23, 2030 | Exact hits Mar 1, 2031Aug 2, 2031(retrograde)Jan 9, 2032 | SeparatesDec 18, 2032 33 months |
Out of orb between passes (4)Jul 4, 2030 – Jan 27, 2031Apr 18, 2031 – Jun 10, 2031Sep 22, 2031 – Nov 25, 2031Feb 11, 2032 – Aug 29, 2032 | |||
Dates are US Eastern time, calculated with the Swiss Ephemeris. Each row uses the middle of the degree (5° means 5°30'), so if your Mars sits near the start or end of a degree, your dates shift a little. Starlit Journey calculates them for your exact degree.
How the arc unfolds
Entry
Pluto comes within 1° of squaring your Mars. Friction around what you want and how you go after it can start to register.
First exact hit
The first exact square. A goal, a rivalry or a source of frustration can come into sharper focus.
Retrograde passes
Pluto backs up and squares Mars again. The same push and pull returns for another round.
Last exact hit
The final exact square. Past the peak, the question is how you want to spend your energy from here.
Separation
Pluto moves more than 1° past the square. For a Mars at 5° Taurus or Scorpio that's Nov 7, 2028; at 9°, Dec 23, 2030.
What it can ask of you
Pluto is the planet of depth and slow change; Mars is drive, ambition, anger and how you go after what you want. A square sets them at odds, so the transit can feel like resistance to effort, asking what's worth pushing for. Some questions people sit with during this transit:
- What am I fighting for, and is it still mine to fight for?
- Where does my drive come from right now, and does it feel clean?
- How do I want to use my energy when the stakes feel high?
- Where is anger pointing me toward something that needs to change?
- Where am I meeting resistance, and what is it showing me?
None of this predicts what will happen. Pluto square Mars describes a phase and the questions it can raise, not events in anyone's life.
Questions
How long does Pluto square Mars last?
About two to two and three-quarter years with a 1° orb, far longer than Mars itself spent in these degrees: two or three weeks per pass, or a couple of months in a retrograde year like 1973 or 1999.
Why do some years have two Mars windows?
Those are Mars retrograde years. Mars turned back over the same degrees, so it sat in this range twice, as in 1984 in Scorpio and 2005 in Taurus.
Is Pluto square Mars about conflict?
Conflict is one possible theme, alongside effort, ambition and how you handle frustration. This page doesn't predict which, or whether any of them becomes an event.
What orb does this page use?
1°, the orb Starlit Journey uses for Pluto. Some sites use wider orbs, which is why you'll see longer durations quoted elsewhere.
How do I find my exact dates?
Find your Mars sign and degree in your natal chart, then the matching row above; Taurus and Scorpio share rows. For dates to the exact minute of arc, Starlit Journey maps this transit, and every other active transit, against your own chart.
Want the long view of 2027? The free 2027 Transit Planner maps every slow transit of the year by date and degree. It's on our home page.
Get the free plannerStarlit Journey maps every active transit in your chart as a full arc, from entry to separation. The positions and dates come from the Swiss Ephemeris; the plain-language notes on each phase are written by AI, and labeled that way. 21 days free.
Start free trialAIThe dates on this page are calculated, not written: they come from the Swiss Ephemeris. The explanatory text was drafted with AI and reviewed by a person.