Learn · The sky this year
Mercury retrograde 2026
Mercury turns retrograde three times in 2026: February 26 to March 20, June 29 to July 23 and October 24 to November 13. Each is below to the minute, in your own time.
Thursday February 26 to Friday March 20
Turns back , at 22° Pisces; turns forward , at 8° Pisces.
Monday June 29 to Thursday July 23
Turns back , at 26° Cancer; turns forward , at 16° Cancer.
Saturday October 24 to Friday November 13
Turns back , at 20° Scorpio; turns forward , at 5° Scorpio.
Times are shown in your own time zone once the page has loaded, and in Universal Time before. Every moment is measured from NASA JPL’s ephemeris.
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New and full Moons, eclipses, retrograde turns and the Sun’s new signs, each at its minute in your own time.
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The days that matter, in your own chart
Every Sunday, the week ahead read against your chart, with the day each contact is exact. Before each month, a longer look.
Questions
How often is Mercury retrograde?
Three or four times a year, for about three weeks each time. It is the planet that turns back most often, because it is the closest to the Sun and laps the Earth quickly.
Does Mercury really move backwards?
No. It only looks that way from Earth. As the two planets pass each other on their orbits, Mercury seems to stop, slide back against the stars, stop again and go on.
When is the next Mercury retrograde?
From Tuesday February 9, 2027 to Wednesday March 3, 2027, from Pisces back into Aquarius.
What does Mercury retrograde mean in astrology?
Mercury is the mind and the voice: how you think, speak and get from place to place. A retrograde stretch turns those inward, and astrologers read it as a time for going back over things. Where it falls in your own chart says which part of your life it passes through.