I’m walking backwards with Mercury, for now.
Is Mercury retrograde right now?
Yes
Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio until Fri 13 Nov 2026.
It turned retrograde on Sat 24 Oct 2026. The shadow after it lasts until Mon 30 Nov 2026.
Times shown in UTC
Every planet, now
Retrograde status of all planets
| Planet | Now | Next retrograde | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☿︎ Mercury | Retrograde until Fri 13 Nov 2026 | Tue 9 Feb 2027 – Wed 3 Mar 2027 | Three or four times a year, for about three weeks each time. |
| ♀︎ Venus | Retrograde until Sat 14 Nov 2026 | Wed 10 May 2028 – Thu 22 Jun 2028 | Every 18 months, for about six weeks. |
| ♂︎ Mars | Direct | Sun 10 Jan 2027 – Thu 1 Apr 2027 | Every 26 months, for about ten weeks. |
| ♃︎ Jupiter | Direct · pre-shadow | Sun 13 Dec 2026 – Tue 13 Apr 2027 | Once a year, for about four months. |
| ♄︎ Saturn | Retrograde until Thu 10 Dec 2026 | Mon 9 Aug 2027 – Fri 24 Dec 2027 | Once a year, for about four and a half months. |
| ♅︎ Uranus | Retrograde until Mon 8 Feb 2027 | Wed 15 Sep 2027 – Sat 12 Feb 2028 | Once a year, for about five months. |
| ♆︎ Neptune | Retrograde until Sat 12 Dec 2026 | Fri 9 Jul 2027 – Wed 15 Dec 2027 | Once a year, for about five months. |
| ♇︎ Pluto | Direct · post-shadow | Sat 8 May 2027 – Mon 18 Oct 2027 | Once a year, for about five and a half months. |
Timeline
Every retrograde, 2026 and 2027
The bars show the retrogrades. The grey parts around them show the shadow, the part of the sky that each planet crosses three times.
Planet by planet
What each retrograde means
- ☿︎ Mercury retrograde Three or four times a year, for about three weeks each time.
- ♀︎ Venus retrograde Every 18 months, for about six weeks.
- ♂︎ Mars retrograde Every 26 months, for about ten weeks.
- ♃︎ Jupiter retrograde Once a year, for about four months.
- ♄︎ Saturn retrograde Once a year, for about four and a half months.
- ♅︎ Uranus retrograde Once a year, for about five months.
- ♆︎ Neptune retrograde Once a year, for about five months.
- ♇︎ Pluto retrograde Once a year, for about five and a half months.
Planning something? The Best days planner works around retrogrades for you. See also today’s sky, eclipses and the Moon.
Questions
Is Mercury retrograde right now?
Yes. Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio until Fri 13 Nov 2026. This page recalculates the answer in your browser every time you open it.
When is Mercury retrograde in 2026?
From Thu 26 Feb 2026 to Fri 20 Mar 2026, in Pisces. From Mon 29 Jun 2026 to Thu 23 Jul 2026, in Cancer. From Sat 24 Oct 2026 to Fri 13 Nov 2026, in Scorpio. Dates are in UTC. Each period also has a shadow of about two weeks before and after.
When is Mercury retrograde in 2027?
From Tue 9 Feb 2027 to Wed 3 Mar 2027, in Pisces and Aquarius. From Thu 10 Jun 2027 to Sun 4 Jul 2027, in Cancer and Gemini. From Thu 7 Oct 2027 to Thu 28 Oct 2027, in Scorpio and Libra.
What does retrograde actually mean?
No planet really moves backwards. Seen from Earth, a planet seems to move backwards for a while when the Earth passes it in orbit, or when it passes the Earth. A slower car seems to move backwards when you pass it in the same way. Astrology sees these periods as times to review, not to push forward.
What is the retrograde shadow?
The shadow is the part of the zodiac that a planet crosses three times. It crosses it forward before the retrograde, backwards during it, and forward again after it. The topics of a retrograde often start in the first shadow and are settled in the second one.
Which retrogrades matter most?
The fast, personal planets matter most. Mercury is retrograde three or four times a year, Venus every 18 months and Mars every two years. Jupiter, Saturn and the outer planets are retrograde for months every year. So their retrogrades are long periods, not single events.
Should I avoid signing contracts during Mercury retrograde?
Traditional astrology says yes, if you can. Contracts, launches and big technology purchases made during Mercury retrograde often lead to misunderstandings and repeated work. If you must sign, read everything twice. Prism’s Best days planner marks those days as Hard for signing.