Mercury retrograde 2018: 3 periods, 67 days inside the year — 18.4% of 2018. Mercury turned retrograde at 12:19 AM UTC on March 23 at 16°54′ Aries and turned direct at 9:21 AM UTC on April 15 at 4°46′ Aries. The other four stations are in the table below.
Turns retrograde
Mar 23 12:19 AM UTC
Loops in 2018
3 retrograde periods
Retrograde in 2018
67 days 18.4% of the year
Signs
Aries, Leo, Sagittarius last loop retreats 16.22°
Mercury’s path through 2018, day by day
Apparent position of Mercury against the zodiac, 2018
RetrogradeShadowR — stations retrograde · D — stations direct
Mercury starts 2018 at 17°57′ Sagittarius and ends it at 23°51′ Sagittarius — a full lap of the zodiac plus 5.9°: 406.2° forward, 40.3° given back. Its three loops retrace 12.13°, 11.93° and 16.22° (23, 24 and 20 days). Fastest day: Jun 6, 2.21° forward; fastest backward: Nov 27, 1.37°. Counting the shadows, 179 days of 2018 sit inside a retrograde window.
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Exact times
Mercury retrograde 2018: exact times in your city
Mercury turned retrograde at 12:19 AM UTC on March 23, 2018 at 16°54′ Aries — 9:19 PM on March 22 in Santiago, 8:19 PM on March 22 in New York, 12:19 AM in London and 9:19 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 12.13°
March 23 → April 15, 2018 in Aries
Stations retrograde
Mar 23, 2018, 12:19 AM UTC at
16°54′ Aries
Stations direct
Apr 15, 2018, 9:21 AM UTC at
4°46′ Aries
Shadow opens
Mar 9, 2018, 3:55 AM UTC
(14 days before)
Shadow closes
May 3, 2018, 9:01 PM UTC
(18 days after)
Full window including shadows56 days
The March loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 12.13° between 4°46′ Aries and 16°54′ 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
Jupiter
in Scorpio —
Mar 23 to Apr 15, 2018 (23 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Jul 26, 2018, 5:02 AM UTC at
23°27′ Leo
Stations direct
Aug 19, 2018, 4:25 AM UTC at
11°31′ Leo
Shadow opens
Jul 7, 2018, 6:36 PM UTC
(18 days before)
Shadow closes
Sep 2, 2018, 5:39 AM UTC
(14 days after)
Full window including shadows56 days
The July loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 11.93° between 11°31′ Leo and 23°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 and ends within Leo season.
Also retrograde at the same time
Mars
in Aquarius —
Jul 26 to Aug 19, 2018 (24 days of overlap)
Saturn
in Capricorn —
Jul 26 to Aug 19, 2018 (24 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Pisces —
Jul 26 to Aug 19, 2018 (24 days of overlap)
Pluto
in Capricorn —
Jul 26 to Aug 19, 2018 (24 days of overlap)
Uranus
in Taurus —
Aug 7 to Aug 19, 2018 (11 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Nov 17, 2018, 1:33 AM UTC at
13°29′ Sagittarius
Stations direct
Dec 6, 2018, 9:22 PM UTC at
27°16′ Scorpio
Shadow opens
Oct 29, 2018, 12:52 AM UTC
(19 days before)
Shadow closes
Dec 24, 2018, 4:28 PM UTC
(18 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The November loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 16.22° between 27°16′ Scorpio and 13°29′ 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.
Also retrograde at the same time
Uranus
in Taurus —
Nov 17 to Dec 6, 2018 (20 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Pisces —
Nov 17 to Nov 25, 2018 (8 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 2018
Mercury through the zodiac in 2018
Every sign Mercury occupies during 2018, 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 2018 Dates: Mar 23, Jul 26, Nov 17.” Accessed October 28, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/2018/
For Wikipedia{{cite web |title=Mercury Retrograde 2018 Dates: Mar 23, Jul 26, Nov 17 |url=https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/2018/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-28}}
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