LunaMercury right now
from real ephemerides · updates automatically
Periods of 2026
| Starts | Ends | Sign | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 26, 2026, 06:48 UTC | March 20, 2026, 19:33 UTC | Pisces | 23 |
| June 29, 2026, 17:35 UTC | July 23, 2026, 22:57 UTC | Cancer | 24 |
| October 24, 2026, 07:12 UTC | November 13, 2026, 15:53 UTC | Scorpio | 20 |
Periods of 2027
| Starts | Ends | Sign | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 9, 2027, 17:36 UTC | March 3, 2027, 12:31 UTC | Aquarius → Pisces | 22 |
| June 10, 2027, 18:15 UTC | July 4, 2027, 19:39 UTC | Gemini → Cancer | 24 |
| October 7, 2027, 14:37 UTC | October 28, 2027, 14:10 UTC | Libra → Scorpio | 21 |
How long does Mercury retrograde last, and how many times a year?
Across 2026 and 2027 Mercury turns back 6 times, three per year, and each window runs from 20.4 to 24.2 days, averaging 22.3. Between windows the planet moves direct for 88 to 101 days, roughly three months at a time. Added up that is 18.3 % of the calendar, about 67 days a year - close to one day in five is a retrograde day, and life carries on regardless, which is a decent argument against the panic all by itself. The figures come from the stations: the moments when Mercury's speed in longitude changes sign, located to the minute.
The myths and an honest frame
Mercury retrograde has grown more scare stories than any other transit: “technology breaks”, “contracts fall apart”, “start nothing new”. Honestly: devices do not read ephemerides, and studies find no consistent effect. The traditional - and far more useful - frame sounds different: it is the season of re-: re-check, re-write, re-view, re-negotiate. Not a ban on the new but a good excuse to comb through the old: proofread the email, return to the postponed conversation, finish what hangs half-done. Framed like that, the retrograde turns from a bogeyman into a handy reminder.
Transit vs natal Mercury retrograde
The dates on this page are a transit: a period shared by everyone. A separate story is Mercury retrograde at the moment of birth - a personal chart trait (a mind that thinks first and speaks second) that no calendar switches on or off. Check yours on the natal retrograde planets page.
Frequently asked questions
When does the current Mercury retrograde end?
Look at the live line at the top of the page - it is the only part that knows today. If a retrograde is running, it names the date Mercury turns direct again. Everything else for 2026 and 2027 sits in the tables below, already converted to your own time zone.
What is the “shadow period” and why is it not in the table?
The shadow is the stretch before and after the retrograde while Mercury crosses the same zodiac span. Schools compute it differently; the exact astronomical events are the stations - those we give. Shadow users can pad the station dates by a couple of weeks either way.
Is it really forbidden to sign contracts or buy electronics?
Astronomy hands down no prohibitions whatsoever. The tradition is gentler than its internet version: this is the season of the prefix re-, when proofreading and double-checking pay off - as, frankly, they do every other week of the year. Calling off a deal because of a calendar is not what any of it means.
Why do dates differ slightly between sites?
Some round to the day, some print their own time zone without saying so. Our dates are the station moments to the minute in UTC, converted to your zone by the page; a one-day difference is usually just time zones.
The dates are astronomy; the interpretations are a symbolic system for self-reflection, not science.
How this period lands on your chart
Whether this retrograde is your problem depends entirely on where Mercury lands in your own chart. It can sit right on a Sun sign or drift past unnoticed, and the tables above cannot tell you which. Luna can, out loud and without the padding.
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