Mercury retrograde 1939: 3 periods, 67 days inside the year — 18.4% of 1939. Mercury turned retrograde at 1:18 PM UTC on March 24 at 17°35′ Aries and turned direct at 11:27 PM UTC on April 16 at 5°37′ Aries. The other four stations are in the table below.
Turns retrograde
Mar 24 1:18 PM UTC
Loops in 1939
3 retrograde periods
Retrograde in 1939
67 days 18.4% of the year
Signs
Aries, Leo, Sagittarius last loop retreats 16.23°
Mercury’s path through 1939, day by day
Apparent position of Mercury against the zodiac, 1939
RetrogradeShadowR — stations retrograde · D — stations direct
Mercury starts 1939 at 16°16′ Sagittarius and ends it at 21°19′ Sagittarius — a full lap of the zodiac plus 5.1°: 405.3° forward, 40.2° given back. Its three loops retrace 11.97°, 12.08° and 16.23° (23, 24 and 20 days). Fastest day: Jun 7, 2.2° forward; fastest backward: Nov 28, 1.37°. Counting the shadows, 180 days of 1939 sit inside a retrograde window.
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Exact times
Mercury retrograde 1939: exact times in your city
Mercury turned retrograde at 1:18 PM UTC on March 24, 1939 at 17°35′ Aries — 9:18 AM in Santiago, 8:18 AM in New York, 1:18 PM in London and 10:18 PM in Tokyo.
Stations from the NASA JPL DE440 ephemeris. Swiss Ephemeris agrees on every Mercury station 1900–2050: all within a minute. Local times: IANA time zones, to the minute.
23 days · retreats 11.97°
March 24 → April 16, 1939 in Aries
Stations retrograde
Mar 24, 1939, 1:18 PM UTC at
17°35′ Aries
Stations direct
Apr 16, 1939, 11:27 PM UTC at
5°37′ Aries
Shadow opens
Mar 10, 1939, 5:20 PM UTC
(14 days before)
Shadow closes
May 5, 1939, 8:23 AM UTC
(18 days after)
Full window including shadows56 days
The March loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 11.97° between 5°37′ Aries and 17°35′ Aries three times: forward in the pre-shadow (14 days), back while retrograde (23 days), forward again in the post-shadow (18 days).
Mercury retrograde in Aries
In Aries the retrograde tends to show up as hasty words and rushed decisions coming back for review. Messages sent in anger, plans launched without checking and arguments started on impulse are the classic material. The useful version is slower starts: finish the draft, reread it, then press send.
It begins and ends within Aries season.
Also retrograde at the same time
Neptune
in Virgo —
Mar 24 to Apr 16, 1939 (23 days of overlap)
Pluto
in Leo —
Mar 24 to Apr 12, 1939 (19 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Jul 27, 1939, 6:54 PM UTC at
24°13′ Leo
Stations direct
Aug 20, 1939, 5:08 PM UTC at
12°08′ Leo
Shadow opens
Jul 9, 1939, 5:35 AM UTC
(19 days before)
Shadow closes
Sep 3, 1939, 6:35 PM UTC
(14 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The July loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 12.08° between 12°08′ Leo and 24°13′ Leo three times: forward in the pre-shadow (19 days), back while retrograde (24 days), forward again in the post-shadow (14 days).
Mercury retrograde in Leo
In Leo the retrograde touches creative projects, self-expression and romance. Work you shelved asks to be finished, performances need rehearsing again, and an old flame may reappear. It is a good window for revising creative work rather than launching it.
It begins and ends within Leo season.
Also retrograde at the same time
Mars
in Aquarius —
Jul 27 to Aug 20, 1939 (24 days of overlap)
Jupiter
in Aries —
Jul 29 to Aug 20, 1939 (22 days of overlap)
Saturn
in Taurus —
Aug 14 to Aug 20, 1939 (7 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Nov 18, 1939, 11:05 AM UTC at
13°57′ Sagittarius
Stations direct
Dec 8, 1939, 6:24 AM UTC at
27°43′ Scorpio
Shadow opens
Oct 30, 1939, 12:15 PM UTC
(19 days before)
Shadow closes
Dec 26, 1939, 3:38 AM UTC
(18 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The November loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 16.23° between 27°43′ Scorpio and 13°57′ Sagittarius three times: forward in the pre-shadow (19 days), back while retrograde (20 days), forward again in the post-shadow (18 days).
Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius
In Sagittarius the retrograde affects travel, study and beliefs. Journeys are delayed, paperwork for visas or courses gets stuck, and opinions stated too confidently need walking back. It suits revisiting plans for the bigger picture before committing to them.
…and back into Scorpio
In Scorpio the retrograde goes digging. Secrets surface, shared finances need re-examining, and conversations turn intense. It suits research, therapy and honest reckonings, and it punishes suspicion that runs ahead of the facts.
It begins in Scorpio season and ends in
Sagittarius season.
Also retrograde at the same time
Jupiter
in Aries —
Nov 18 to Nov 24, 1939 (6 days of overlap)
Saturn
in Taurus —
Nov 18 to Dec 8, 1939 (20 days of overlap)
Uranus
in Taurus —
Nov 18 to Dec 8, 1939 (20 days of overlap)
Pluto
in Leo —
Nov 18 to Dec 8, 1939 (20 days of overlap)
Both dates are computed from the planet’s apparent motion, not taken from a
table. A retrograde begins the moment its daily movement against the stars turns
negative, and that moment is findable to the hour.
Computed for 1939
Mercury through the zodiac in 1939
Every sign Mercury occupies during 1939, with the dates it enters and leaves. A sign that
appears twice means the planet backed into the previous sign during a retrograde and crossed again.
AstroHot. “Mercury Retrograde 1939 Dates: Mar 24, Jul 27, Nov 18.” Accessed November 1, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/1939/
For Wikipedia{{cite web |title=Mercury Retrograde 1939 Dates: Mar 24, Jul 27, Nov 18 |url=https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/1939/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-11-01}}
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