When is Mercury retrograde in 2026?

In 2026, Mercury is retrograde on these dates: 26 Feb 2026 – 20 Mar 2026, 29 Jun 2026 – 23 Jul 2026, 24 Oct 2026 – 13 Nov 2026, 9 Feb 2027 – 3 Mar 2027, 10 Jun 2027 – 4 Jul 2027, 7 Oct 2027 – 28 Oct 2027. Mercury turns retrograde three or four times a year, for roughly three weeks each time.

Does a retrograde guarantee that something will go wrong?

No. A retrograde is an astronomical fact, not an outcome. AiRA publishes the dates without claiming what they will cause; how a transit interacts with you specifically depends on your own birth chart.

Are these dates accurate?

They are computed directly from the Swiss Ephemeris astronomical dataset by locating where each planet's apparent speed crosses zero, then narrowing to the hour — not transcribed from another website.

Retrograde Calendar

Which Planets Are Retrograde Right Now (2026)

Q: Which planets are retrograde right now?

Currently retrograde: Pluto, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, Venus. Dates are computed from Swiss Ephemeris and update automatically.

Q: What does retrograde actually mean?

It means a planet's apparent motion against the stars runs backwards as seen from Earth. Nothing physically reverses — it is a perspective effect caused by the relative orbital speeds of Earth and that planet.

Retrograde today: Pluto, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, Venus.

Pluto — retrograde until 16 Oct 2026 (in Aquarius)
Neptune — retrograde until 12 Dec 2026 (in Aries)
Saturn — retrograde until 10 Dec 2026 (in Aries)
Uranus — retrograde until 8 Feb 2027 (in Gemini)
Venus — retrograde until 14 Nov 2026 (in Scorpio)

Computed from Swiss Ephemeris, not copied from another site. Updated automatically.

A planet is retrograde when its apparent motion against the stars runs backwards as seen from Earth. Nothing physically reverses — it is a perspective effect, the same illusion as a slower car appearing to slide backwards when you overtake it. The dates below are the exact stations, found by locating where each body's apparent speed crosses zero.

Mercury retrograde dates

Period	Sign	Length
26 Feb 2026 – 20 Mar 2026	Pisces	23 days
29 Jun 2026 – 23 Jul 2026	Cancer	24 days
24 Oct 2026 – 13 Nov 2026	Scorpio	20 days
9 Feb 2027 – 3 Mar 2027	Pisces	22 days
10 Jun 2027 – 4 Jul 2027	Cancer	24 days
7 Oct 2027 – 28 Oct 2027	Scorpio	21 days

Mercury turns retrograde three or four times a year, for roughly three weeks each time.

Every other retrograde in this window

Planet	Period	Sign	Length
Uranus	6 Sep 2025 – 4 Feb 2026	Gemini	151 days
Jupiter	11 Nov 2025 – 11 Mar 2026	Cancer	119 days
Pluto	6 May 2026 – 16 Oct 2026	Aquarius	162 days
Neptune	7 Jul 2026 – 12 Dec 2026	Aries	158 days
Saturn	26 Jul 2026 – 10 Dec 2026	Aries	137 days
Uranus	10 Sep 2026 – 8 Feb 2027	Gemini	151 days
Venus	3 Oct 2026 – 14 Nov 2026	Scorpio	42 days
Jupiter	13 Dec 2026 – 13 Apr 2027	Leo	121 days
Mars	10 Jan 2027 – 1 Apr 2027	Virgo	81 days
Pluto	8 May 2027 – 18 Oct 2027	Aquarius	163 days
Neptune	9 Jul 2027 – 15 Dec 2027	Aries	158 days
Saturn	9 Aug 2027 – 24 Dec 2027	Aries	136 days

Outer planets spend a large share of each year retrograde — Pluto roughly five months, which is why a Pluto retrograde says far less about any single day than Mercury's does.

A retrograde affects each chart differently. See what today's sky does to yours.

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