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Is Mercury retrograde right now?
Every retrograde of the year, with its shadow, as a timeline and to the minute in your own time zone. Computed from the planetary theory itself, not copied from a list.
Not yet
Mercury is in its pre-shadow.
It turns retrograde on Sat 24 Oct 2026, 07:12 UTC at 20°59′ Scorpio.
The year at a glance bars: retrograde · hatched: shadow · red: today
The timeline draws here in your browser.
Mercury retrograde 2026 times in UTC
| Shadow begins | Turns retrograde | Turns direct | Shadow ends | Sign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb | 26 Feb, 06:4622°34′ Pisces | 20 Mar, 19:318°29′ Pisces | 9 Apr | Pisces |
| 13 Jun | 29 Jun, 17:3726°16′ Cancer | 23 Jul, 22:5616°19′ Cancer | 7 Aug | Cancer |
| 4 Oct | 24 Oct, 07:1220°59′ Scorpio | 13 Nov, 15:535°02′ Scorpio | 30 Nov | Scorpio |
Every other retrograde Venus to Pluto
| Planet | Turns retrograde | Turns direct | Length | Shadow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uranus | 6 Sep 20251°28′ Gemini | 4 Feb 202627°28′ Taurus | 151 days | 20 May 2025 → 21 May 2026 |
| Jupiter | 11 Nov 202525°09′ Cancer | 11 Mar 202615°05′ Cancer | 119 days | 17 Aug 2025 → 6 Jun 2026 |
| Pluto | 6 May 20265°31′ Aquarius | 16 Oct 20263°04′ Aquarius | 162 days | 12 Jan 2026 → 7 Feb 2027 |
| Neptune | 7 Jul 20264°25′ Aries | 12 Dec 20261°37′ Aries | 158 days | 16 Mar 2026 → 2 Apr 2027 |
| Saturn | 26 Jul 202614°45′ Aries | 10 Dec 20267°56′ Aries | 137 days | 20 Apr 2026 → 15 Mar 2027 |
| Uranus | 10 Sep 20265°42′ Gemini | 8 Feb 20271°41′ Gemini | 151 days | 25 May 2026 → 26 May 2027 |
| Venus | 3 Oct 20268°29′ Scorpio | 14 Nov 202622°52′ Libra | 42 days | 31 Aug 2026 → 15 Dec 2026 |
| Jupiter | 13 Dec 202627°01′ Leo | 13 Apr 202717°00′ Leo | 121 days | 17 Sep 2026 → 11 Jul 2027 |
Stations of Mercury, Venus and Mars are given to the minute. Jupiter to Pluto are shown by date: they stand almost still for days around a station, so the exact minute means little.
How it works
What a retrograde actually is.
No planet ever reverses. Earth overtakes a slower planet, or a faster one overtakes Earth, and from here it seems to stop, drift backwards against the stars, stop again and move on. Mercury does it three or four times a year for about three weeks, Venus every eighteen months, Mars every two years, and Jupiter to Pluto every year, for four to five months at a time.
The shadow
Before turning retrograde, a planet first crosses the degrees it will later walk back over. The pre-shadow starts when it reaches the degree where it will turn direct; the post-shadow ends when it gets back to the degree where it turned retrograde. Astrologers read the shadow as the lead-in and the clean-up.
What tradition says to do
Mercury rules messages, contracts, travel and machines, so its retrograde is traditionally a time to review rather than launch: back things up, reread before you sign, leave room for delays. It’s a good season for anything that starts with re-: revise, repair, reconnect.
How we calculate it
Positions come from published planetary theory, corrected to the VSOP87 theory used by professional ephemerides (within a few arcseconds, 1900–2100). The station is the moment the planet’s motion changes direction, found to the minute; the shadow dates are the moments it crosses the station degrees. Everything is computed in your browser, in your time zone.
Plain answers
Before you ask.
When is the next Mercury retrograde?
The next Mercury retrograde runs from 24 October 2026 to 13 November 2026 (UTC), in Scorpio. Its pre-shadow starts on 4 October and the post-shadow ends on 30 November 2026.
How long does Mercury retrograde last?
The retrograde itself lasts about three weeks (19 to 24 days). Add roughly two weeks of shadow on each side and the whole cycle takes seven to eight weeks.
What is the retrograde shadow?
The stretch of the zodiac a planet crosses three times: forwards, backwards and forwards again. The pre-shadow begins when the planet first reaches the degree where it will later turn direct; the post-shadow ends when it returns to the degree where it turned retrograde.
Which time zone are these dates in?
Yours. The calendar uses your device’s time zone, and you can switch to any city. Without JavaScript the tables show UTC.
Is a retrograde bad?
Not in itself. Tradition treats it as a pause for review, not a curse. What it means for you depends on where it falls in your chart, which is what Mr. Tanker reads in the protocols.
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