Mercury retrograde 1946: 3 periods, 67 days inside the year — 18.4% of 1946. Mercury turned retrograde at 6:56 PM UTC on March 16 at 10°13′ Aries and turned direct at 12:38 AM UTC on April 9 at 27°37′ Pisces. The other four stations are in the table below.
Turns retrograde
Mar 16 6:56 PM UTC
Loops in 1946
3 retrograde periods
Retrograde in 1946
67 days 18.4% of the year
Signs
Aries, Leo, Sagittarius last loop retreats 16.17°
Mercury’s path through 1946, day by day
Apparent position of Mercury against the zodiac, 1946
RetrogradeShadowR — stations retrograde · D — stations direct
Mercury starts 1946 at 17°44′ Sagittarius and ends it at 26°06′ Sagittarius — a full lap of the zodiac plus 8.4°: 408.6° forward, 40.2° given back. Its three loops retrace 12.61°, 11.48° and 16.17° (23, 24 and 20 days). Fastest day: Jun 1, 2.2° forward; fastest backward: Nov 21, 1.36°. Counting the shadows, 172 days of 1946 sit inside a retrograde window.
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Exact times
Mercury retrograde 1946: exact times in your city
Mercury turned retrograde at 6:56 PM UTC on March 16, 1946 at 10°13′ Aries — 2:56 PM in Santiago, 1:56 PM in New York, 6:56 PM in London and 3:56 AM on March 17 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 12.61°
March 16 → April 9, 1946 in Aries
Stations retrograde
Mar 16, 1946, 6:56 PM UTC at
10°13′ Aries
Stations direct
Apr 9, 1946, 12:38 AM UTC at
27°37′ Pisces
Shadow opens
Mar 2, 1946, 8:52 PM UTC
(14 days before)
Shadow closes
Apr 27, 1946, 7:41 PM UTC
(19 days after)
Full window including shadows56 days
The March loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 12.61° between 27°37′ Pisces and 10°13′ Aries three times: forward in the pre-shadow (14 days), back while retrograde (23 days), forward again in the post-shadow (19 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.
…and back into Pisces
In Pisces the retrograde blurs details and heightens intuition. Instructions are misread, dates are forgotten and communication relies on feeling rather than fact. It favors rest, creative reflection and double-checking anything that must be exact.
It begins in Pisces season and ends in
Aries season.
Also retrograde at the same time
Jupiter
in Libra —
Mar 16 to Apr 9, 1946 (23 days of overlap)
Saturn
in Cancer —
Mar 16 to Mar 20, 1946 (4 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Libra —
Mar 16 to Apr 9, 1946 (23 days of overlap)
Pluto
in Leo —
Mar 16 to Apr 9, 1946 (23 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Jul 19, 1946, 6:56 PM UTC at
16°21′ Leo
Stations direct
Aug 12, 1946, 9:04 PM UTC at
4°52′ Leo
Shadow opens
Jul 1, 1946, 5:09 PM UTC
(18 days before)
Shadow closes
Aug 26, 1946, 10:06 PM UTC
(14 days after)
Full window including shadows56 days
The July loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 11.48° between 4°52′ Leo and 16°21′ Leo three times: forward in the pre-shadow (18 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 in Cancer season and ends in
Leo season.
No other planet is retrograde during this period, which is unusual.
Stations retrograde
Nov 11, 1946, 4:44 AM UTC at
7°19′ Sagittarius
Stations direct
Dec 1, 1946, 2:33 AM UTC at
21°09′ Scorpio
Shadow opens
Oct 22, 1946, 10:43 PM UTC
(19 days before)
Shadow closes
Dec 18, 1946, 3:02 PM UTC
(18 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The November loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 16.17° between 21°09′ Scorpio and 7°19′ 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
Venus
in Sagittarius —
Nov 11 to Dec 1, 1946 (20 days of overlap)
Uranus
in Gemini —
Nov 11 to Dec 1, 1946 (20 days of overlap)
Pluto
in Leo —
Nov 15 to Dec 1, 1946 (16 days of overlap)
Saturn
in Leo —
Nov 20 to Dec 1, 1946 (10 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 1946
Mercury through the zodiac in 1946
Every sign Mercury occupies during 1946, 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 1946 Dates: Mar 16, Jul 19, Nov 11.” Accessed November 1, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/1946/
For Wikipedia{{cite web |title=Mercury Retrograde 1946 Dates: Mar 16, Jul 19, Nov 11 |url=https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/1946/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-11-01}}
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