Mercury retrograde in 2026

Reference tables use New York time (Eastern Time). See dates and times for your city in the interactive calendar.

The year at a glance

retrogradeMercury’s shadow

26 February–20 March

Pisces

Pre-shadow begins11 February, 17:14
Stations retrograde26 February, 01:4722° Pisces
Stations direct20 March, 15:348° Pisces
Post-shadow ends9 April, 07:42

29 June–23 July

Cancer

Pre-shadow begins12 June, 20:55
Stations retrograde29 June, 13:3726° Cancer
Stations direct23 July, 18:5716° Cancer
Post-shadow ends6 August, 23:37

24 October–13 November

Scorpio

Pre-shadow begins4 October, 05:11
Stations retrograde24 October, 03:1520° Scorpio
Stations direct13 November, 10:525° Scorpio
Post-shadow ends30 November, 01:17

Other planetary retrogrades in 2026

Venus3 October–13 November
Marsno retrograde this year
Jupiter11 November 2025–10 March; 12 December–12 April 2027
Saturn26 July–10 December
Uranus6 September 2025–3 February; 10 September–8 February 2027
Neptune7 July–12 December
Pluto6 May–15 October

What is Mercury retrograde?

Mercury retrograde is an apparent reversal of Mercury’s motion across the sky as viewed from Earth. Mercury does not physically reverse its orbit.

A retrograde station marks the beginning of the apparent backward motion; a direct station marks its end. The pre-shadow and post-shadow cover the zodiac degrees Mercury crosses before and after the retrograde itself.

Astrology traditionally associates these periods with reviewing plans, revisiting unfinished matters and checking details. This is not scientific evidence of effects on communication, technology or personal decisions. Exact times on this page are shown in your time zone; without JavaScript they are New York time (Eastern Time). The Sky tab uses your selected city.

How we calculate

Dates and times are calculated by our own software using the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets. Interactive views use your selected city and its time zone. Reference tables state their fixed time zone separately. Astrological ratings and interpretations describe traditions, not scientifically established effects.