Mercury retrograde 2027: dates and shadow periods

When is Mercury retrograde in 2027?

Feb 9 → Mar 3Pisces → Aquariuswith the shadows: Jan 25 to Mar 23
Jun 10 → Jul 4Cancer → Geminiwith the shadows: May 26 to Jul 19
Oct 7 → Oct 28Scorpio → Librawith the shadows: Sep 17 to Nov 13

Three times. February 9 at 17:38 to March 3 at 12:34, from Pisces to Aquarius; June 10 at 18:17 to July 4 at 19:41, from Cancer to Gemini; October 7 at 14:39 to October 28 at 14:12, from Scorpio to Libra (times in UTC). Including the shadow periods, the cycles run January 25 to March 23, May 26 to July 19 and September 17 to November 13.

In 2027, Mercury turns retrograde three times, in February, June and October, for 22 to 25 days each time. With the shadow periods on either side, a full cycle lasts 55 to 58 days. Every date and time on this page is computed to the minute from the planet's real positions, and the table by sign shows which houses of your chart each retrograde passes through.

February–March 2027: Mercury retrograde from Pisces to Aquarius

Retrograde for 23 days, within a 58-day cycle including the shadows. Mercury crosses the stretch from 20°55′ Aquarius to 5°58′ Pisces three times: forwards, backwards, then forwards again.

Date	Time	Mercury
January 25	18:59	Pre-shadow begins20°55′ Aquarius
February 1	01:27	Mercury enters Pisces
February 9	17:38	Retrograde station5°58′ Pisces
February 18	12:17	Mercury, retrograde, slips back into Aquarius
March 3	12:34	Direct station20°55′ Aquarius
March 18	10:04	Mercury returns to Pisces
March 23	14:59	Post-shadow ends5°58′ Pisces

Times in UTC, within a few minutes of published ephemerides. Shaded rows: the retrograde itself; before and after, the two shadow periods.

June–July 2027: Mercury retrograde from Cancer to Gemini

Retrograde for 25 days, within a 55-day cycle including the shadows. Mercury crosses the stretch from 27°28′ Gemini to 6°21′ Cancer three times: forwards, backwards, then forwards again.

Date	Time	Mercury
May 26	06:05	Pre-shadow begins27°28′ Gemini
May 28	17:08	Mercury enters Cancer
June 10	18:17	Retrograde station6°21′ Cancer
June 26	07:21	Mercury, retrograde, slips back into Gemini
July 4	19:41	Direct station27°28′ Gemini
July 12	13:50	Mercury returns to Cancer
July 19	08:44	Post-shadow ends6°21′ Cancer

Times in UTC, within a few minutes of published ephemerides. Shaded rows: the retrograde itself; before and after, the two shadow periods.

October 2027: Mercury retrograde from Scorpio to Libra

Retrograde for 22 days, within a 58-day cycle including the shadows. Mercury crosses the stretch from 19°18′ Libra to 4°55′ Scorpio three times: forwards, backwards, then forwards again.

Date	Time	Mercury
September 17	07:31	Pre-shadow begins19°18′ Libra
September 27	09:11	Mercury enters Scorpio
October 7	14:39	Retrograde station4°55′ Scorpio
October 16	07:38	Mercury, retrograde, slips back into Libra
October 28	14:12	Direct station19°18′ Libra
November 10	00:28	Mercury returns to Scorpio
November 13	09:56	Post-shadow ends4°55′ Scorpio

Times in UTC, within a few minutes of published ephemerides. Shaded rows: the retrograde itself; before and after, the two shadow periods.

Signs affected: the houses each retrograde touches

Every retrograde concerns all twelve signs, just not in the same place in the chart. Houses are counted from your Sun sign, which is your 1st house: each cell gives the house where Mercury stations retrograde, then the one where it turns direct. Your rising sign places them more precisely than your Sun sign alone.

Your sign	February–MarchPisces → Aquarius	June–JulyCancer → Gemini	OctoberScorpio → Libra
AriesHoroscope 2027	February–March · Pisces → Aquarius 12th house: rest, your inner life and what quietly comes to a close 11th house: your friendships, your networks and your plans for the future	June–July · Cancer → Gemini 4th house: your home, your family and your roots 3rd house: your conversations, your words, your siblings and short trips	October · Scorpio → Libra 8th house: intimacy, shared resources and what is transforming 7th house: your one-to-one relationships, partnerships and commitments
TaurusHoroscope 2027	February–March · Pisces → Aquarius 11th house: your friendships, your networks and your plans for the future 10th house: your career, your reputation and your place in the world	June–July · Cancer → Gemini 3rd house: your conversations, your words, your siblings and short trips 2nd house: your resources, your money and what gives you a sense of worth	October · Scorpio → Libra 7th house: your one-to-one relationships, partnerships and commitments 6th house: your daily life, your day-to-day work and your habits
GeminiHoroscope 2027	February–March · Pisces → Aquarius 10th house: your career, your reputation and your place in the world 9th house: travel, studies and your view of the world	June–July · Cancer → Gemini 2nd house: your resources, your money and what gives you a sense of worth 1st house: your image, your body and the way you approach things	October · Scorpio → Libra 6th house: your daily life, your day-to-day work and your habits 5th house: your pleasures, your creativity and your love life
CancerHoroscope 2027	February–March · Pisces → Aquarius 9th house: travel, studies and your view of the world 8th house: intimacy, shared resources and what is transforming	June–July · Cancer → Gemini 1st house: your image, your body and the way you approach things 12th house: rest, your inner life and what quietly comes to a close	October · Scorpio → Libra 5th house: your pleasures, your creativity and your love life 4th house: your home, your family and your roots
LeoHoroscope 2027	February–March · Pisces → Aquarius 8th house: intimacy, shared resources and what is transforming 7th house: your one-to-one relationships, partnerships and commitments	June–July · Cancer → Gemini 12th house: rest, your inner life and what quietly comes to a close 11th house: your friendships, your networks and your plans for the future	October · Scorpio → Libra 4th house: your home, your family and your roots 3rd house: your conversations, your words, your siblings and short trips
VirgoHoroscope 2027	February–March · Pisces → Aquarius 7th house: your one-to-one relationships, partnerships and commitments 6th house: your daily life, your day-to-day work and your habits	June–July · Cancer → Gemini 11th house: your friendships, your networks and your plans for the future 10th house: your career, your reputation and your place in the world	October · Scorpio → Libra 3rd house: your conversations, your words, your siblings and short trips 2nd house: your resources, your money and what gives you a sense of worth
LibraHoroscope 2027	February–March · Pisces → Aquarius 6th house: your daily life, your day-to-day work and your habits 5th house: your pleasures, your creativity and your love life	June–July · Cancer → Gemini 10th house: your career, your reputation and your place in the world 9th house: travel, studies and your view of the world	October · Scorpio → Libra 2nd house: your resources, your money and what gives you a sense of worth 1st house: your image, your body and the way you approach things
ScorpioHoroscope 2027	February–March · Pisces → Aquarius 5th house: your pleasures, your creativity and your love life 4th house: your home, your family and your roots	June–July · Cancer → Gemini 9th house: travel, studies and your view of the world 8th house: intimacy, shared resources and what is transforming	October · Scorpio → Libra 1st house: your image, your body and the way you approach things 12th house: rest, your inner life and what quietly comes to a close
SagittariusHoroscope 2027	February–March · Pisces → Aquarius 4th house: your home, your family and your roots 3rd house: your conversations, your words, your siblings and short trips	June–July · Cancer → Gemini 8th house: intimacy, shared resources and what is transforming 7th house: your one-to-one relationships, partnerships and commitments	October · Scorpio → Libra 12th house: rest, your inner life and what quietly comes to a close 11th house: your friendships, your networks and your plans for the future
CapricornHoroscope 2027	February–March · Pisces → Aquarius 3rd house: your conversations, your words, your siblings and short trips 2nd house: your resources, your money and what gives you a sense of worth	June–July · Cancer → Gemini 7th house: your one-to-one relationships, partnerships and commitments 6th house: your daily life, your day-to-day work and your habits	October · Scorpio → Libra 11th house: your friendships, your networks and your plans for the future 10th house: your career, your reputation and your place in the world
AquariusHoroscope 2027	February–March · Pisces → Aquarius 2nd house: your resources, your money and what gives you a sense of worth 1st house: your image, your body and the way you approach things	June–July · Cancer → Gemini 6th house: your daily life, your day-to-day work and your habits 5th house: your pleasures, your creativity and your love life	October · Scorpio → Libra 10th house: your career, your reputation and your place in the world 9th house: travel, studies and your view of the world
PiscesHoroscope 2027	February–March · Pisces → Aquarius 1st house: your image, your body and the way you approach things 12th house: rest, your inner life and what quietly comes to a close	June–July · Cancer → Gemini 5th house: your pleasures, your creativity and your love life 4th house: your home, your family and your roots	October · Scorpio → Libra 9th house: travel, studies and your view of the world 8th house: intimacy, shared resources and what is transforming

What is a Mercury retrograde shadow period?

A retrograde does not start out of nowhere. Before it stations, Mercury moves forward through a stretch of the zodiac that it will then cover backwards, and a third time forwards. That stretch runs from the degree where it will turn direct to the degree where it stops to turn retrograde: for the February–March 2027 retrograde, from 20°55′ Aquarius to 5°58′ Pisces.

The pre-shadow begins when Mercury, still direct, reaches the first of these degrees: on January 25. The post-shadow ends when, after its direct station, it gets back to the degree where it had stopped: on March 23. This is geometry, the same perspective effect between Earth's orbit and Mercury's that produces the retrograde itself.

In astrological reading, the pre-shadow is often described as the time when the themes of the retrograde start to surface, and the post-shadow as the time when they settle. Treat these weeks as calendar markers, an invitation to reread, double-check and let things mature, rather than a forecast: the sky sets a rhythm, what you do with it is up to you.

How these dates are computed

Stations are dated to the minute when Mercury's apparent motion flips. Shadow boundaries are found on Mercury's longitude, narrowing the interval down to the minute it reaches the degree of the opposite station. Positions are tropical; depending on the ephemeris you check, a time may differ by a few minutes.

Frequently asked questions

When does the Mercury retrograde pre-shadow start in 2027?

On January 25 at 18:59 (20°55′ Aquarius), May 26 at 06:05 (27°28′ Gemini) and September 17 at 07:31 (19°18′ Libra), in UTC. Each time, Mercury reaches the degree where it will turn direct a few weeks later.

When does the Mercury retrograde post-shadow end in 2027?

On March 23 at 14:59 (5°58′ Pisces), July 19 at 08:44 (6°21′ Cancer) and November 13 at 09:56 (4°55′ Scorpio), in UTC. Each time, Mercury gets back to the degree where it stationed retrograde and leaves the shadow zone.

Which signs does Mercury retrograde through in 2027?

In February–March, from Pisces to Aquarius; in June–July, from Cancer to Gemini; in October, from Scorpio to Libra. Mercury stations retrograde in the first sign and turns direct in the second. Counted from your Sun sign, these signs fall in houses of your chart: the table of signs affected gives them for all twelve signs.

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