Mercury Retrograde 2026: Every Retrograde Window
The dates come from real ephemeris data and are given in UTC.
MERCURY · 2026
Mercury goes retrograde 3 times in 2026
There are 8 retrograde periods in 2026. The table and the year track below give the pre-shadow, retrograde and post-shadow dates of each one.
| Planet | Pre-shadow | Retrograde | Post-shadow | Sign | Year track |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | February 11, 2026 | February 26, 2026 – March 20, 2026 | April 9, 2026 | Pisces | February 26, 2026 – March 20, 2026 |
| Pluto | January 12, 2026 | May 6, 2026 – October 16, 2026 | February 7, 2027 | Aquarius | May 6, 2026 – October 16, 2026 |
| Mercury | June 13, 2026 | June 29, 2026 – July 23, 2026 | August 7, 2026 | Cancer | June 29, 2026 – July 23, 2026 |
| Neptune | March 16, 2026 | July 7, 2026 – December 12, 2026 | April 2, 2027 | Aries | July 7, 2026 – December 12, 2026 |
| Saturn | April 20, 2026 | July 26, 2026 – December 10, 2026 | March 15, 2027 | Aries | July 26, 2026 – December 10, 2026 |
| Venus | August 31, 2026 | October 3, 2026 – November 14, 2026 | December 15, 2026 | Scorpio | October 3, 2026 – November 14, 2026 |
| Mercury | October 4, 2026 | October 24, 2026 – November 13, 2026 | November 30, 2026 | Scorpio | October 24, 2026 – November 13, 2026 |
| Jupiter | September 17, 2026 | December 13, 2026 – April 13, 2027 | July 11, 2027 | Leo | December 13, 2026 – April 13, 2027 |
RETROGRADE WINDOWSHADOW PERIODTHE TRACK SPANS 2026
SHADOW
WHAT ARE THE SHADOW PERIODS?
Before a planet turns retrograde it passes, for the first time, over the degrees it will later walk back: that stretch is the pre-shadow. After the retrograde ends it crosses those same degrees a third time, and that stretch is the post-shadow. This is why the effect begins and ends gradually rather than all at once — and why the calendar keeps the three columns apart.