# Mercury Retrograde 1981

> Mercury is retrograde three times in 1981: from February 8 to March 2 in Pisces and Aquarius; from June 9 to July 3 in Cancer and Gemini; from October 6 to October 27 in Scorpio and Libra. The next Mercury retrograde after 1981 begins on January 23, 1982 at 18°38' Aquarius. Dates are in UTC.

Canonical page: https://www.selfgazer.com/sky/mercury/retrograde/1981

| Planet | Stations retrograde | Stations direct | Signs | Shadow |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mercury | 1981-02-08 12:29 UTC at 4°55' Pisces | 1981-03-02 07:10 UTC at 19°50' Aquarius | Pisces, Aquarius | 1981-01-24 to 1981-03-22 |
| Mercury | 1981-06-09 11:40 UTC at 5°12' Cancer | 1981-07-03 12:56 UTC at 26°20' Gemini | Cancer, Gemini | 1981-05-25 to 1981-07-18 |
| Mercury | 1981-10-06 09:15 UTC at 3°51' Scorpio | 1981-10-27 09:12 UTC at 18°15' Libra | Scorpio, Libra | 1981-09-16 to 1981-11-12 |

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

## Questions

### When Is Mercury Retrograde in 1981?

Mercury is retrograde three times in 1981: from February 8 to March 2 in Pisces and Aquarius; from June 9 to July 3 in Cancer and Gemini; from October 6 to October 27 in Scorpio and Libra. The next Mercury retrograde after 1981 begins on January 23, 1982 at 18°38' Aquarius. Dates are in UTC.

### When Does the Mercury Retrograde Shadow Start in 1981?

For the retrograde that begins February 8, 1981, the pre-retrograde shadow starts January 24, 1981 and the post-retrograde shadow ends March 22, 1981. For the retrograde that begins June 9, 1981, the pre-retrograde shadow starts May 25, 1981 and the post-retrograde shadow ends July 18, 1981. For the retrograde that begins October 6, 1981, the pre-retrograde shadow starts September 16, 1981 and the post-retrograde shadow ends November 12, 1981.

### What Signs Is Mercury Retrograde in During 1981?

From February 8, 1981, Mercury turns retrograde at 4°55' Pisces and turns direct at 19°50' Aquarius. From June 9, 1981, Mercury turns retrograde at 5°12' Cancer and turns direct at 26°20' Gemini. From October 6, 1981, Mercury turns retrograde at 3°51' Scorpio and turns direct at 18°15' Libra.

### How Many Days Is Mercury Retrograde in 1981?

Mercury spends about 67 days of 1981 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/1981). Free to cite with a link to the source page.