Mercury retrograde 1974: 3 periods, 67 days inside the year — 18.3% of 1974. Mercury turned retrograde at 7:45 PM UTC on February 15 at 11°50′ Pisces and turned direct at 10:16 PM UTC on March 9 at 27°08′ Aquarius. The other four stations are in the table below.
Turns retrograde
Feb 15 7:45 PM UTC
Loops in 1974
3 retrograde periods
Retrograde in 1974
67 days 18.3% of the year
Signs
Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio last loop retreats 15.77°
Mercury’s path through 1974, day by day
Apparent position of Mercury against the zodiac, 1974
RetrogradeShadowR — stations retrograde · D — stations direct
Mercury starts 1974 at 4°55′ Capricorn and ends it at 16°41′ Capricorn — a full lap of the zodiac plus 11.8°: 411.5° forward, 39.7° given back. Its three loops retrace 14.7°, 9.25° and 15.77° (22, 24 and 21 days). Fastest day: May 7, 2.17° forward; fastest backward: Oct 25, 1.26°. Counting the shadows, 168 days of 1974 sit inside a retrograde window.
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Exact times
Mercury retrograde 1974: exact times in your city
Mercury turned retrograde at 7:45 PM UTC on February 15, 1974 at 11°50′ Pisces — 4:45 PM in Santiago, 3:45 PM in New York, 7:45 PM in London and 4:45 AM on February 16 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.
22 days · retreats 14.7°
February 15 → March 9, 1974 in Pisces
Stations retrograde
Feb 15, 1974, 7:45 PM UTC at
11°50′ Pisces
Stations direct
Mar 9, 1974, 10:16 PM UTC at
27°08′ Aquarius
Shadow opens
Feb 1, 1974, 3:13 AM UTC
(15 days before)
Shadow closes
Mar 29, 1974, 9:13 PM UTC
(20 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The February loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 14.7° between 27°08′ Aquarius and 11°50′ Pisces three times: forward in the pre-shadow (15 days), back while retrograde (22 days), forward again in the post-shadow (20 days).
Mercury retrograde in 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.
…and back into Aquarius
In Aquarius the retrograde falls on technology, groups and future plans. Software glitches, group chats full of misunderstandings and stalled community projects are typical. It suits updating systems, reconnecting with old friends and rethinking long-range ideas.
It begins in Aquarius season and ends in
Pisces season.
Also retrograde at the same time
Saturn
in Cancer —
Feb 15 to Feb 27, 1974 (12 days of overlap)
Uranus
in Libra —
Feb 15 to Mar 9, 1974 (22 days of overlap)
Pluto
in Libra —
Feb 15 to Mar 9, 1974 (22 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Jun 17, 1974, 10:38 PM UTC at
13°38′ Cancer
Stations direct
Jul 12, 1974, 1:56 AM UTC at
4°23′ Cancer
Shadow opens
Jun 1, 1974, 11:04 PM UTC
(16 days before)
Shadow closes
Jul 26, 1974, 10:50 AM UTC
(14 days after)
Full window including shadows54 days
The June loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 9.25° between 4°23′ Cancer and 13°38′ Cancer three times: forward in the pre-shadow (16 days), back while retrograde (24 days), forward again in the post-shadow (14 days).
Mercury retrograde in Cancer
In Cancer the retrograde turns toward home, family and memory. Old family conversations resurface, house moves hit snags, and people revisit the past more than usual. It suits sorting photographs, repairing the home and having the talk you postponed with a relative.
It begins in Gemini season and ends in
Cancer season.
Also retrograde at the same time
Uranus
in Libra —
Jun 17 to Jul 2, 1974 (14 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Sagittarius —
Jun 17 to Jul 12, 1974 (24 days of overlap)
Jupiter
in Pisces —
Jul 7 to Jul 12, 1974 (4 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Oct 13, 1974, 7:48 PM UTC at
10°37′ Scorpio
Stations direct
Nov 3, 1974, 12:51 PM UTC at
24°51′ Libra
Shadow opens
Sep 23, 1974, 3:25 PM UTC
(20 days before)
Shadow closes
Nov 19, 1974, 3:44 PM UTC
(16 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The October loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 15.77° between 24°51′ Libra and 10°37′ Scorpio three times: forward in the pre-shadow (20 days), back while retrograde (21 days), forward again in the post-shadow (16 days).
Mercury retrograde in 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.
…and back into Libra
In Libra the retrograde centers on relationships, agreements and contracts. Negotiations stall or reopen, misunderstandings arise in partnerships, and people from the past reappear. It favors renegotiating terms and clarifying what was assumed rather than signing new deals.
It begins in Libra season and ends in
Scorpio season.
Also retrograde at the same time
Jupiter
in Pisces —
Oct 13 to Nov 3, 1974 (21 days of overlap)
Saturn
in Cancer —
Oct 31 to Nov 3, 1974 (3 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 1974
Mercury through the zodiac in 1974
Every sign Mercury occupies during 1974, 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 1974 Dates: Feb 15, Jun 17, Oct 13.” Accessed October 31, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/1974/
For Wikipedia{{cite web |title=Mercury Retrograde 1974 Dates: Feb 15, Jun 17, Oct 13 |url=https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/1974/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-31}}
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