Mercury retrograde 2038: 3 periods, 67 days inside the year — 18.4% of 2038. Mercury turns retrograde at 6:07 AM UTC on March 18 at 12°22′ Aries and turns direct at 12:12 PM UTC on April 10 at 29°49′ Pisces. The other four stations are in the table below.
Turns retrograde
Mar 18 6:07 AM UTC
Loops in 2038
3 retrograde periods
Retrograde in 2038
67 days 18.4% of the year
Signs
Aries, Leo, Sagittarius last loop retreats 16.18°
Mercury’s path through 2038, day by day
Apparent position of Mercury against the zodiac, 2038
RetrogradeShadowR — stations retrograde · D — stations direct
Mercury starts 2038 at 18°48′ Sagittarius and ends it at 26°43′ Sagittarius — a full lap of the zodiac plus 7.9°: 408.1° forward, 40.2° given back. Its three loops retrace 12.54°, 11.54° and 16.18° (23, 24 and 20 days). Fastest day: Jun 1, 2.2° forward; fastest backward: Nov 22, 1.36°. Counting the shadows, 174 days of 2038 sit inside a retrograde window.
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Exact times
Mercury retrograde 2038: exact times in your city
Mercury turns retrograde at 6:07 AM UTC on March 18, 2038 at 12°22′ Aries — 3:07 AM in Santiago, 2:07 AM in New York, 6:07 AM in London and 3:07 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 12.54°
March 18 → April 10, 2038 in Aries
Stations retrograde
Mar 18, 2038, 6:07 AM UTC at
12°22′ Aries
Stations direct
Apr 10, 2038, 12:12 PM UTC at
29°49′ Pisces
Shadow opens
Mar 4, 2038, 8:21 AM UTC
(14 days before)
Shadow closes
Apr 29, 2038, 6:19 AM UTC
(19 days after)
Full window including shadows56 days
The March loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 12.54° between 29°49′ Pisces and 12°22′ 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
Saturn
in Virgo —
Mar 18 to Apr 10, 2038 (23 days of overlap)
Uranus
in Cancer —
Mar 18 to Mar 28, 2038 (10 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Jul 21, 2038, 6:59 AM UTC at
18°35′ Leo
Stations direct
Aug 14, 2038, 8:49 AM UTC at
7°03′ Leo
Shadow opens
Jul 3, 2038, 4:03 AM UTC
(18 days before)
Shadow closes
Aug 28, 2038, 9:51 AM UTC
(14 days after)
Full window including shadows56 days
The July loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 11.54° between 7°03′ Leo and 18°35′ 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
Pluto
in Aquarius —
Jul 21 to Aug 14, 2038 (24 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Taurus —
Aug 4 to Aug 14, 2038 (10 days of overlap)
Stations retrograde
Nov 12, 2038, 2:56 PM UTC at
9°25′ Sagittarius
Stations direct
Dec 2, 2038, 12:30 PM UTC at
23°14′ Scorpio
Shadow opens
Oct 24, 2038, 9:34 AM UTC
(19 days before)
Shadow closes
Dec 20, 2038, 1:54 AM UTC
(18 days after)
Full window including shadows57 days
The November loop up close, shadow to shadow
Mercury crosses the 16.18° between 23°14′ Scorpio and 9°25′ 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 Cancer —
Nov 12 to Dec 2, 2038 (20 days of overlap)
Neptune
in Taurus —
Nov 12 to Dec 2, 2038 (20 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 2038
Mercury through the zodiac in 2038
Every sign Mercury occupies during 2038, 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 2038 Dates: Mar 18, Jul 21, Nov 12.” Accessed October 28, 2026. https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/2038/
For Wikipedia{{cite web |title=Mercury Retrograde 2038 Dates: Mar 18, Jul 21, Nov 12 |url=https://astrohot.com/retrograde/mercury/2038/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-28}}
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