# Mercury Retrograde 1971

> Mercury is retrograde three times in 1971: from April 9 to May 3 in Taurus and Aries; from August 12 to September 5 in Virgo and Leo; from December 3 to December 22 in Sagittarius. Mercury also begins 1971 retrograde, continuing the period that started on December 19, 1970, and turns direct on January 8, 1971. The next Mercury retrograde after 1971 begins on March 21, 1972 at 15°50' Aries. Dates are in UTC.

Canonical page: https://www.selfgazer.com/sky/mercury/retrograde/1971

| Planet | Stations retrograde | Stations direct | Signs | Shadow |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mercury | 1970-12-19 05:56 UTC at 14°05' Capricorn | 1971-01-08 04:41 UTC at 27°48' Sagittarius | Capricorn, Sagittarius | 1970-12-01 to 1971-01-27 |
| Mercury | 1971-04-09 17:09 UTC at 3°46' Taurus | 1971-05-03 10:29 UTC at 23°09' Aries | Taurus, Aries | 1971-03-26 to 1971-05-20 |
| Mercury | 1971-08-12 19:15 UTC at 10°33' Virgo | 1971-09-05 05:57 UTC at 27°21' Leo | Virgo, Leo | 1971-07-24 to 1971-09-19 |
| Mercury | 1971-12-03 02:26 UTC at 28°15' Sagittarius | 1971-12-22 20:53 UTC at 11°57' Sagittarius | Sagittarius | 1971-11-14 to 1972-01-10 |

Mercury retrograde is traditionally associated with reviewing plans, conversations, contracts, devices, and travel arrangements.

## Questions

### When Is Mercury Retrograde in 1971?

Mercury is retrograde three times in 1971: from April 9 to May 3 in Taurus and Aries; from August 12 to September 5 in Virgo and Leo; from December 3 to December 22 in Sagittarius. Mercury also begins 1971 retrograde, continuing the period that started on December 19, 1970, and turns direct on January 8, 1971. The next Mercury retrograde after 1971 begins on March 21, 1972 at 15°50' Aries. Dates are in UTC.

### When Does the Mercury Retrograde Shadow Start in 1971?

For the retrograde that begins April 9, 1971, the pre-retrograde shadow starts March 26, 1971 and the post-retrograde shadow ends May 20, 1971. For the retrograde that begins August 12, 1971, the pre-retrograde shadow starts July 24, 1971 and the post-retrograde shadow ends September 19, 1971. For the retrograde that begins December 3, 1971, the pre-retrograde shadow starts November 14, 1971 and the post-retrograde shadow ends January 10, 1972.

### What Signs Is Mercury Retrograde in During 1971?

From April 9, 1971, Mercury turns retrograde at 3°46' Taurus and turns direct at 23°09' Aries. From August 12, 1971, Mercury turns retrograde at 10°33' Virgo and turns direct at 27°21' Leo. From December 3, 1971, Mercury turns retrograde at 28°15' Sagittarius and turns direct at 11°57' Sagittarius.

### How Many Days Is Mercury Retrograde in 1971?

Mercury spends about 74 days of 1971 retrograde.

### What Is Mercury Retrograde Known For?

Mercury retrograde is traditionally associated with reviewing plans, conversations, contracts, devices, and travel arrangements. Astrologers read it as a time to review rather than launch.

### Why Do Some Sites List a Different Retrograde Date?

Most astrology sites print a single date without a time zone. An ingress at 10:49 PM in New York is already the next day in London and Sydney, so two correct sources can disagree by a day. Selfgazer gives every time in both US Eastern time and UTC, and the tables switch to your own time zone in the browser.

## Method

Positions are geocentric and tropical: apparent longitudes on the true ecliptic and equinox of date, corrected for light time and aberration. They are computed with the open-source Astronomy Engine library (VSOP87 planetary theory) and agree with the Swiss Ephemeris to within about one arcminute. The North Node is the mean node. Times are given in UTC and US Eastern time.

Source: [Selfgazer](https://www.selfgazer.com/sky/mercury/retrograde/1971). Free to cite with a link to the source page.