Mercury retrograde 1985: 3 periods, 67 days inside the year — 18.4% of 1985. Mercury turned retrograde at 7:00 PM UTC on March 24 at 18°39′ Aries and turned direct at 5:23 AM UTC on April 17 at 6°43′ Aries. The other four stations are in the table below.
Turns retrograde
Mar 24 7:00 PM UTC
Loops in 1985
3 retrograde periods
Retrograde in 1985
67 days 18.4% of the year
Signs
Aries, Leo, Sagittarius last loop retreats 16.24°
Mercury’s path through 1985, day by day
Apparent position of Mercury against the zodiac, 1985
RetrogradeShadowR — stations retrograde · D — stations direct
Mercury starts 1985 at 17°45′ Sagittarius and ends it at 22°41′ Sagittarius — a full lap of the zodiac plus 4.9°: 405.2° forward, 40.2° given back. Its three loops retrace 11.93°, 12.1° and 16.24° (23, 24 and 20 days). Fastest day: Jun 7, 2.2° forward; fastest backward: Nov 28, 1.37°. Counting the shadows, 180 days of 1985 sit inside a retrograde window.
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Exact times
Mercury retrograde 1985: exact times in your city
Mercury turned retrograde at 7:00 PM UTC on March 24, 1985 at 18°39′ Aries — 3:00 PM in Santiago, 2:00 PM in New York, 7:00 PM in London and 4:00 AM on March 25 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 11.93°
March 24 → April 17, 1985 in Aries
Stations retrograde
Mar 24, 1985, 7:00 PM UTC at
18°39′ Aries
Stations direct
Apr 17, 1985, 5:23 AM UTC at
6°43′ Aries
Shadow opens
Mar 10, 1985, 11:07 PM UTC
(14 days before)
Shadow closes
May 5, 1985, 1:48 PM UTC
(18 days after)
Full window including shadows56 days
The March loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 11.93° between 6°43′ Aries and 18°39′ Aries three times: forward in the pre-shadow (14 days), back while retrograde (23 days), forward again in the post-shadow (18 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.
It begins and ends within Aries season.
Also retrograde at the same time
Venus
in Aries —
Mar 24 to Apr 17, 1985 (23 days of overlap)
Saturn
in Scorpio —
Mar 24 to Apr 17, 1985 (23 days of overlap)
Uranus
in Sagittarius —
Mar 24 to Apr 17, 1985 (23 days of overlap)
Pluto
in Scorpio —
Mar 24 to Apr 17, 1985 (23 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Capricorn —
Apr 5 to Apr 17, 1985 (12 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Jul 28, 1985, 12:52 AM UTC at
25°19′ Leo
Stations direct
Aug 20, 1985, 10:48 PM UTC at
13°12′ Leo
Shadow opens
Jul 9, 1985, 11:01 AM UTC
(19 days before)
Shadow closes
Sep 4, 1985, 12:15 AM UTC
(14 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The July loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 12.1° between 13°12′ Leo and 25°19′ Leo three times: forward in the pre-shadow (19 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 and ends within Leo season.
Also retrograde at the same time
Jupiter
in Aquarius —
Jul 28 to Aug 20, 1985 (24 days of overlap)
Uranus
in Sagittarius —
Jul 28 to Aug 20, 1985 (24 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Capricorn —
Jul 28 to Aug 20, 1985 (24 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Nov 18, 1985, 4:10 PM UTC at
15°00′ Sagittarius
Stations direct
Dec 8, 1985, 11:23 AM UTC at
28°46′ Scorpio
Shadow opens
Oct 30, 1985, 5:40 PM UTC
(19 days before)
Shadow closes
Dec 26, 1985, 9:02 AM UTC
(18 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The November loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 16.24° between 28°46′ Scorpio and 15°00′ 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.
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 1985
Mercury through the zodiac in 1985
Every sign Mercury occupies during 1985, 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 1985 Dates: Mar 24, Jul 28, Nov 18.” Accessed October 31, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/1985/
For Wikipedia{{cite web |title=Mercury Retrograde 1985 Dates: Mar 24, Jul 28, Nov 18 |url=https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/1985/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-31}}
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