Mercury retrograde 1971

4 periods, 74 days inside the year — 20.3% of 1971. Station times below are UTC and computed to the minute.

20 days · retreats 16.29° · crosses the year boundary

19 December → 8 January 1971 in Capricorn

Stations retrograde 19 Dec 1970, 05:51 UTC at 14.5° Capricorn

Stations direct 8 Jan 1971, 04:30 UTC at 28.21° Sagittarius

Shadow opens 1 Dec 1970 (17 days before)

Shadow closes 27 Jan 1971 (19 days after)

Full window including shadows 57 days

Read against Capricorn, and see that sign’s horoscope for the period.

24 days · retreats 10.62°

9 April → 3 May 1971 in Taurus

Stations retrograde 9 Apr 1971, 17:12 UTC at 4.16° Taurus

Stations direct 3 May 1971, 10:12 UTC at 23.54° Aries

Shadow opens 26 Mar 1971 (14 days before)

Shadow closes 20 May 1971 (17 days after)

Full window including shadows 55 days

Read against Taurus, and see that sign’s horoscope for the period.

23 days · retreats 13.19°

12 August → 5 September 1971 in Virgo

Stations retrograde 12 Aug 1971, 19:13 UTC at 10.95° Virgo

Stations direct 5 Sep 1971, 05:50 UTC at 27.76° Leo

Shadow opens 24 Jul 1971 (19 days before)

Shadow closes 19 Sep 1971 (14 days after)

Full window including shadows 57 days

Read against Virgo, and see that sign’s horoscope for the period.

20 days · retreats 16.3°

3 December → 22 December 1971 in Sagittarius

Stations retrograde 3 Dec 1971, 02:25 UTC at 28.65° Sagittarius

Stations direct 22 Dec 1971, 20:46 UTC at 12.35° Sagittarius

Shadow opens 14 Nov 1971 (18 days before)

Shadow closes 10 Jan 1972 (19 days after)

Full window including shadows 57 days

Read against Sagittarius, and see that sign’s horoscope for the period.

Computed from the actual motion

The nearest Mercury retrogrades either side of 1971

1970 Ended 8 January 1971 after 20 days, moving back 16.29° through the zodiac.

1972 Begins 21 March 1972 and runs 23 days.

Gap across 1971

1.2 years between the two — long enough for a whole calendar year to fall inside it with nothing to report.

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.

← 1970 Mercury retrograde in 1970. All Mercury retrogrades Averages, shadow periods and the sign distribution over fifty years. 1972 → Mercury retrograde in 1972.