Mercury retrograde 1996

4 periods, 75 days inside the year — 20.5% of 1996. Station times below are UTC and computed to the minute.

21 days · retreats 16.06°

9 January → 30 January 1996 in Aquarius

Stations retrograde 9 Jan 1996, 21:44 UTC at 5.22° Aquarius

Stations direct 30 Jan 1996, 10:10 UTC at 19.16° Capricorn

Shadow opens 24 Dec 1995 (16 days before)

Shadow closes 19 Feb 1996 (20 days after)

Full window including shadows 57 days

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

24 days · retreats 9°

3 May → 27 May 1996 in Taurus

Stations retrograde 3 May 1996, 22:45 UTC at 28.69° Taurus

Stations direct 27 May 1996, 18:45 UTC at 19.69° Taurus

Shadow opens 19 Apr 1996 (14 days before)

Shadow closes 12 Jun 1996 (16 days after)

Full window including shadows 54 days

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

22 days · retreats 14.49°

4 September → 26 September 1996 in Libra

Stations retrograde 4 Sep 1996, 05:44 UTC at 3.54° Libra

Stations direct 26 Sep 1996, 16:57 UTC at 19.05° Virgo

Shadow opens 15 Aug 1996 (20 days before)

Shadow closes 11 Oct 1996 (15 days after)

Full window including shadows 57 days

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

20 days · retreats 16.26° · crosses the year boundary

23 December → 12 January 1997 in Capricorn

Stations retrograde 23 Dec 1996, 19:38 UTC at 19.27° Capricorn

Stations direct 12 Jan 1997, 20:42 UTC at 3.01° Capricorn

Shadow opens 6 Dec 1996 (17 days before)

Shadow closes 1 Feb 1997 (19 days after)

Full window including shadows 57 days

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

Computed from the actual motion

The nearest Mercury retrogrades either side of 1996

1995 Ended 14 October 1995 after 22 days, moving back 15.19° through the zodiac.

1997 Begins 23 December 1996 and runs 20 days.

Gap across 1996

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.

← 1995 Mercury retrograde in 1995. All Mercury retrogrades Averages, shadow periods and the sign distribution over fifty years. 1997 → Mercury retrograde in 1997.