Live · calculated from the planets’ real positions
Is Mercury retrograde right now?
Not yet, but it is in its pre-retrograde shadow. Mercury turns retrograde on 24 Oct 2026.
Mercury retrograde dates
| Shadow begins | Turns retrograde | Turns direct | Shadow ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Oct 2026 | 24 Oct 2026 20° Scorpio |
13 Nov 2026 5° Scorpio |
30 Nov 2026 |
| 25 Jan 2027 | 9 Feb 2027 5° Pisces |
3 Mar 2027 20° Aquarius |
23 Mar 2027 |
| 26 May 2027 | 10 Jun 2027 6° Cancer |
4 Jul 2027 27° Gemini |
19 Jul 2027 |
| 17 Sept 2027 | 7 Oct 2027 4° Scorpio |
28 Oct 2027 19° Libra |
13 Nov 2027 |
| 8 Jan 2028 | 24 Jan 2028 19° Aquarius |
14 Feb 2028 3° Aquarius |
5 Mar 2028 |
| 6 May 2028 | 21 May 2028 16° Gemini |
14 Jun 2028 7° Gemini |
29 Jun 2028 |
| 30 Aug 2028 | 19 Sept 2028 18° Libra |
11 Oct 2028 3° Libra |
26 Oct 2028 |
Dates are in UTC. The shadow is the stretch before and after, when Mercury passes over the same degrees it will retrace (or has just retraced).
Does it land on your chart?
These dates are the same for everyone. What they touch depends on your birth chart. Your free transit calendar shows the exact days they hit you.
See my personal datesWhat Mercury retrograde means
Mercury rules thinking, talking, messages, travel and tech. Three or four times a year Mercury seems to slide backwards for about three weeks. Tradition says plans, messages and gadgets get muddled, so it is a time to review, re-read and fix rather than launch.
What to do: Double-check dates, addresses and contracts. Finish old projects before starting new ones.
No planet actually moves backwards. From Earth it only looks that way while we overtake it, or it overtakes us, on our orbits around the Sun.
Other retrogrades
Venus · Mars · Jupiter · Saturn · Uranus · Neptune · Pluto · Which planets are retrograde now · Eclipses