Mercury retrograde 2012: 3 periods, 67 days inside the year — 18.4% of 2012. Mercury turned retrograde at 7:49 AM UTC on March 12 at 6°49′ Aries and turned direct at 10:11 AM UTC on April 4 at 23°51′ Pisces. The other four stations are in the table below.
Turns retrograde
Mar 12 7:49 AM UTC
Loops in 2012
3 retrograde periods
Retrograde in 2012
67 days 18.4% of the year
Signs
Aries, Leo, Sagittarius last loop retreats 16.13°
Mercury’s path through 2012, day by day
Apparent position of Mercury against the zodiac, 2012
RetrogradeShadowR — stations retrograde · D — stations direct
Mercury starts 2012 at 19°49′ Sagittarius and ends it at 0°38′ Capricorn — a full lap of the zodiac plus 10.8°: 411° forward, 40.2° given back. Its three loops retrace 12.97°, 11.12° and 16.13° (23, 24 and 20 days). Fastest day: May 27, 2.2° forward; fastest backward: Nov 17, 1.36°. Counting the shadows, 169 days of 2012 sit inside a retrograde window.
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Exact times
Mercury retrograde 2012: exact times in your city
Mercury turned retrograde at 7:49 AM UTC on March 12, 2012 at 6°49′ Aries — 4:49 AM in Santiago, 3:49 AM in New York, 7:49 AM in London and 4:49 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.
23 days · retreats 12.97°
March 12 → April 4, 2012 in Aries
Stations retrograde
Mar 12, 2012, 7:49 AM UTC at
6°49′ Aries
Stations direct
Apr 4, 2012, 10:11 AM UTC at
23°51′ Pisces
Shadow opens
Feb 27, 2012, 7:51 AM UTC
(14 days before)
Shadow closes
Apr 23, 2012, 10:38 AM UTC
(19 days after)
Full window including shadows56 days
The March loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 12.97° between 23°51′ Pisces and 6°49′ 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
Mars
in Virgo —
Mar 12 to Apr 4, 2012 (23 days of overlap)
Saturn
in Libra —
Mar 12 to Apr 4, 2012 (23 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Jul 15, 2012, 2:16 AM UTC at
12°32′ Leo
Stations direct
Aug 8, 2012, 5:40 AM UTC at
1°25′ Leo
Shadow opens
Jun 27, 2012, 7:30 AM UTC
(18 days before)
Shadow closes
Aug 22, 2012, 7:07 AM UTC
(14 days after)
Full window including shadows56 days
The July loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 11.12° between 1°25′ Leo and 12°32′ 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 Aries —
Jul 15 to Aug 8, 2012 (24 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Pisces —
Jul 15 to Aug 8, 2012 (24 days of overlap)
Pluto
in Capricorn —
Jul 15 to Aug 8, 2012 (24 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Nov 6, 2012, 11:04 PM UTC at
4°17′ Sagittarius
Stations direct
Nov 26, 2012, 10:48 PM UTC at
18°10′ Scorpio
Shadow opens
Oct 18, 2012, 12:45 PM UTC
(19 days before)
Shadow closes
Dec 14, 2012, 5:59 AM UTC
(17 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The November loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 16.13° between 18°10′ Scorpio and 4°17′ 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.
Also retrograde at the same time
Jupiter
in Gemini —
Nov 6 to Nov 26, 2012 (20 days of overlap)
Uranus
in Aries —
Nov 6 to Nov 26, 2012 (20 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Pisces —
Nov 6 to Nov 11, 2012 (4 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 2012
Mercury through the zodiac in 2012
Every sign Mercury occupies during 2012, 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 2012 Dates: Mar 12, Jul 15, Nov 6.” Accessed October 30, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/2012/
For Wikipedia{{cite web |title=Mercury Retrograde 2012 Dates: Mar 12, Jul 15, Nov 6 |url=https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/2012/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-30}}
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