Mercury retrograde 1979: 3 periods, 67 days inside the year — 18.4% of 1979. Mercury turned retrograde at 1:15 AM UTC on March 15 at 8°31′ Aries and turned direct at 5:21 AM UTC on April 7 at 25°43′ Pisces. The other four stations are in the table below.
Turns retrograde
Mar 15 1:15 AM UTC
Loops in 1979
3 retrograde periods
Retrograde in 1979
67 days 18.4% of the year
Signs
Aries, Leo, Sagittarius last loop retreats 16.15°
Mercury’s path through 1979, day by day
Apparent position of Mercury against the zodiac, 1979
RetrogradeShadowR — stations retrograde · D — stations direct
Mercury starts 1979 at 18°49′ Sagittarius and ends it at 27°40′ Sagittarius — a full lap of the zodiac plus 8.9°: 409.1° forward, 40.2° given back. Its three loops retrace 12.79°, 11.3° and 16.15° (23, 24 and 20 days). Fastest day: May 30, 2.2° forward; fastest backward: Nov 20, 1.35°. Counting the shadows, 171 days of 1979 sit inside a retrograde window.
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Exact times
Mercury retrograde 1979: exact times in your city
Mercury turned retrograde at 1:15 AM UTC on March 15, 1979 at 8°31′ Aries — 9:15 PM on March 14 in Santiago, 8:15 PM on March 14 in New York, 1:15 AM in London and 10:15 AM 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 12.79°
March 15 → April 7, 1979 in Aries
Stations retrograde
Mar 15, 1979, 1:15 AM UTC at
8°31′ Aries
Stations direct
Apr 7, 1979, 5:21 AM UTC at
25°43′ Pisces
Shadow opens
Mar 1, 1979, 2:18 AM UTC
(14 days before)
Shadow closes
Apr 26, 1979, 3:09 AM UTC
(19 days after)
Full window including shadows56 days
The March loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 12.79° between 25°43′ Pisces and 8°31′ 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 Leo —
Mar 15 to Mar 26, 1979 (11 days of overlap)
Saturn
in Virgo —
Mar 15 to Apr 7, 1979 (23 days of overlap)
Uranus
in Scorpio —
Mar 15 to Apr 7, 1979 (23 days of overlap)
Pluto
in Libra —
Mar 15 to Apr 7, 1979 (23 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Sagittarius —
Mar 23 to Apr 7, 1979 (15 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Jul 17, 1979, 10:42 PM UTC at
14°27′ Leo
Stations direct
Aug 11, 1979, 1:32 AM UTC at
3°09′ Leo
Shadow opens
Jun 30, 1979, 12:22 AM UTC
(18 days before)
Shadow closes
Aug 25, 1979, 2:43 AM UTC
(14 days after)
Full window including shadows56 days
The July loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 11.3° between 3°09′ Leo and 14°27′ 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.
Also retrograde at the same time
Uranus
in Scorpio —
Jul 17 to Jul 26, 1979 (9 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Sagittarius —
Jul 17 to Aug 11, 1979 (24 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Nov 9, 1979, 1:55 PM UTC at
5°48′ Sagittarius
Stations direct
Nov 29, 1979, 12:41 PM UTC at
19°39′ Scorpio
Shadow opens
Oct 21, 1979, 5:43 AM UTC
(19 days before)
Shadow closes
Dec 16, 1979, 10:30 PM UTC
(17 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The November loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 16.15° between 19°39′ Scorpio and 5°48′ Sagittarius three times: forward in the pre-shadow (19 days), back while retrograde (20 days), forward again in the post-shadow (17 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.
No other planet is retrograde during this period, which is unusual.
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 1979
Mercury through the zodiac in 1979
Every sign Mercury occupies during 1979, 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 1979 Dates: Mar 15, Jul 17, Nov 9.” Accessed October 31, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/1979/
For Wikipedia{{cite web |title=Mercury Retrograde 1979 Dates: Mar 15, Jul 17, Nov 9 |url=https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/1979/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-31}}
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