Mercury retrograde 2020: 3 periods, 67 days inside the year — 18.3% of 2020. Mercury turned retrograde at 12:54 AM UTC on February 17 at 12°53′ Pisces and turned direct at 3:49 AM UTC on March 10 at 28°12′ Aquarius. The other four stations are in the table below.
Turns retrograde
Feb 17 12:54 AM UTC
Loops in 2020
3 retrograde periods
Retrograde in 2020
67 days 18.3% of the year
Signs
Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio last loop retreats 15.77°
Mercury’s path through 2020, day by day
Apparent position of Mercury against the zodiac, 2020
RetrogradeShadowR — stations retrograde · D — stations direct
Mercury starts 2020 at 4°22′ Capricorn and ends it at 17°43′ Capricorn — a full lap of the zodiac plus 13.3°: 413.1° forward, 39.7° given back. Its three loops retrace 14.68°, 9.27° and 15.77° (22, 24 and 21 days). Fastest day: May 7, 2.17° forward; fastest backward: Oct 25, 1.27°. Counting the shadows, 168 days of 2020 sit inside a retrograde window.
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Exact times
Mercury retrograde 2020: exact times in your city
Mercury turned retrograde at 12:54 AM UTC on February 17, 2020 at 12°53′ Pisces — 9:54 PM on February 16 in Santiago, 7:54 PM on February 16 in New York, 12:54 AM in London and 9:54 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.
22 days · retreats 14.68°
February 17 → March 10, 2020 in Pisces
Stations retrograde
Feb 17, 2020, 12:54 AM UTC at
12°53′ Pisces
Stations direct
Mar 10, 2020, 3:49 AM UTC at
28°12′ Aquarius
Shadow opens
Feb 2, 2020, 8:42 AM UTC
(15 days before)
Shadow closes
Mar 30, 2020, 2:32 AM UTC
(20 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The February loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 14.68° between 28°12′ Aquarius and 12°53′ 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.
No other planet is retrograde during this period, which is unusual.
Stations retrograde
Jun 18, 2020, 4:59 AM UTC at
14°45′ Cancer
Stations direct
Jul 12, 2020, 8:26 AM UTC at
5°29′ Cancer
Shadow opens
Jun 2, 2020, 4:51 AM UTC
(16 days before)
Shadow closes
Jul 26, 2020, 5:09 PM UTC
(14 days after)
Full window including shadows55 days
The June loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 9.27° between 5°29′ Cancer and 14°45′ Cancer three times: forward in the pre-shadow (16 days), back while retrograde (24 days), forward again in the post-shadow (14 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.
It begins in Gemini season and ends in
Cancer season.
Also retrograde at the same time
Venus
in Gemini —
Jun 18 to Jun 25, 2020 (7 days of overlap)
Jupiter
in Capricorn —
Jun 18 to Jul 12, 2020 (24 days of overlap)
Saturn
in Aquarius —
Jun 18 to Jul 12, 2020 (24 days of overlap)
Pluto
in Capricorn —
Jun 18 to Jul 12, 2020 (24 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Pisces —
Jun 23 to Jul 12, 2020 (19 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Oct 14, 2020, 1:05 AM UTC at
11°40′ Scorpio
Stations direct
Nov 3, 2020, 5:50 PM UTC at
25°53′ Libra
Shadow opens
Sep 23, 2020, 8:55 PM UTC
(20 days before)
Shadow closes
Nov 19, 2020, 9:04 PM UTC
(16 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The October loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 15.77° between 25°53′ Libra and 11°40′ 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.
Also retrograde at the same time
Mars
in Aries —
Oct 14 to Nov 3, 2020 (21 days of overlap)
Uranus
in Taurus —
Oct 14 to Nov 3, 2020 (21 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Pisces —
Oct 14 to Nov 3, 2020 (21 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 2020
Mercury through the zodiac in 2020
Every sign Mercury occupies during 2020, 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 2020 Dates: Feb 17, Jun 18, Oct 14.” Accessed October 28, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/2020/
For Wikipedia{{cite web |title=Mercury Retrograde 2020 Dates: Feb 17, Jun 18, Oct 14 |url=https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/2020/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-28}}
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