Sky calendar

Mercury retrograde

Three or four times a year Mercury seems to stop and move backwards through the zodiac for about three weeks. Nothing actually reverses: it is an effect of viewing a faster planet from a moving Earth.

Why planets look like they move backwards

Mercury circles the Sun in 88 days, much faster than Earth. When it passes between Earth and the Sun and overtakes us on the inside track, its position against the background stars appears to slide backwards for a while, the same way a car you overtake on a motorway seems to drift back. Astronomers call this apparent retrograde motion.

The moments when a planet seems to stand still before turning are called stations. Mercury stations retrograde, moves back about 10 to 15 degrees over roughly three weeks, then stations direct and resumes its normal forward motion. All planets except the Sun and Moon have retrograde periods; the outer planets spend several months of every year retrograde.

Around the middle of a Mercury retrograde, Mercury passes between Earth and the Sun (inferior conjunction) and is lost in the Sun’s glare. Before and after, it can be seen low in the evening or morning twilight.

What Mercury retrograde means in astrology

In astrology Mercury rules communication, thinking, travel, trade and technology. When it turns retrograde these areas are said to slow down and turn back on themselves: messages get crossed, plans change, devices misbehave, and people or projects from the past return.

The most useful reading is not that everything breaks, but that this is a season of the prefix "re": review, revise, repair, reconnect, reconsider. Work that is already under way usually goes well; starting large new commitments is traditionally postponed until after Mercury goes direct.

The sign Mercury is retrograde in colours the themes. A retrograde in Scorpio is said to bring hidden information to the surface; one in Gemini or Virgo, its own signs, is felt strongly in everyday paperwork and conversations.

Practical advice that holds anyway

The traditional advice is sensible in any month: read contracts carefully, confirm travel times, back up your devices and say things clearly. Mercury retrograde is a reminder to do it.

Astrologers also mention a shadow period of about two weeks before and after, while Mercury crosses the degrees it will retrace. Its effects are said to be milder.

Dates for 2026 and 2027

Times are in UTC. Rows already past are dimmed (updated 3 Nov 2026).

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