Mercury retrograde 1981: 3 periods, 67 days inside the year — 18.3% of 1981. Mercury turned retrograde at 12:31 PM UTC on February 8 at 4°55′ Pisces and turned direct at 7:06 AM UTC on March 2 at 19°51′ Aquarius. The other four stations are in the table below.
Turns retrograde
Feb 8 12:31 PM UTC
Loops in 1981
3 retrograde periods
Retrograde in 1981
67 days 18.3% of the year
Signs
Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio last loop retreats 15.61°
Mercury’s path through 1981, day by day
Apparent position of Mercury against the zodiac, 1981
RetrogradeShadowR — stations retrograde · D — stations direct
Mercury starts 1981 at 10°33′ Capricorn and ends it at 22°16′ Capricorn — a full lap of the zodiac plus 11.7°: 411.2° forward, 39.5° given back. Its three loops retrace 15.08°, 8.88° and 15.61° (22, 24 and 21 days). Fastest day: Apr 30, 2.16° forward; fastest backward: Oct 18, 1.23°. Counting the shadows, 168 days of 1981 sit inside a retrograde window.
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Exact times
Mercury retrograde 1981: exact times in your city
Mercury turned retrograde at 12:31 PM UTC on February 8, 1981 at 4°55′ Pisces — 9:31 AM in Santiago, 7:31 AM in New York, 12:31 PM in London and 9:31 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.
22 days · retreats 15.08°
February 8 → March 2, 1981 in Pisces
Stations retrograde
Feb 8, 1981, 12:31 PM UTC at
4°55′ Pisces
Stations direct
Mar 2, 1981, 7:06 AM UTC at
19°51′ Aquarius
Shadow opens
Jan 24, 1981, 1:33 PM UTC
(15 days before)
Shadow closes
Mar 22, 1981, 9:42 AM UTC
(20 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The February loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 15.08° between 19°51′ Aquarius and 4°55′ 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
Jupiter
in Libra —
Feb 8 to Mar 2, 1981 (22 days of overlap)
Saturn
in Libra —
Feb 8 to Mar 2, 1981 (22 days of overlap)
Pluto
in Libra —
Feb 8 to Mar 2, 1981 (22 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Jun 9, 1981, 11:36 AM UTC at
5°12′ Cancer
Stations direct
Jul 3, 1981, 12:58 PM UTC at
26°19′ Gemini
Shadow opens
May 24, 1981, 11:59 PM UTC
(15 days before)
Shadow closes
Jul 18, 1981, 2:13 AM UTC
(15 days after)
Full window including shadows54 days
The June loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 8.88° between 26°19′ Gemini and 5°12′ Cancer three times: forward in the pre-shadow (15 days), back while retrograde (24 days), forward again in the post-shadow (15 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.
…and back into Gemini
In Gemini, one of Mercury's own signs, the retrograde is at its most talkative and scattered: crossed wires, double-booked diaries, lost chargers and conversations that go round in circles. It rewards editing, rereading and catching up with people you lost touch with.
It begins in Gemini season and ends in
Cancer season.
Also retrograde at the same time
Uranus
in Sagittarius —
Jun 9 to Jul 3, 1981 (24 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Sagittarius —
Jun 9 to Jul 3, 1981 (24 days of overlap)
Pluto
in Libra —
Jun 9 to Jul 1, 1981 (22 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Oct 6, 1981, 9:15 AM UTC at
3°51′ Scorpio
Stations direct
Oct 27, 1981, 9:10 AM UTC at
18°15′ Libra
Shadow opens
Sep 16, 1981, 2:02 AM UTC
(20 days before)
Shadow closes
Nov 12, 1981, 4:31 AM UTC
(16 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The October loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 15.61° between 18°15′ Libra and 3°51′ 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.
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 1981
Mercury through the zodiac in 1981
Every sign Mercury occupies during 1981, 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 1981 Dates: Feb 8, Jun 9, Oct 6.” Accessed October 31, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/1981/
For Wikipedia{{cite web |title=Mercury Retrograde 1981 Dates: Feb 8, Jun 9, Oct 6 |url=https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/1981/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-31}}
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