# Mercury Retrograde 1988

> Mercury is retrograde three times in 1988: from February 2 to February 23 in Aquarius; from May 31 to June 24 in Gemini; from September 28 to October 20 in Libra. The next Mercury retrograde after 1988 begins on January 16, 1989 at 11°53' Aquarius. Dates are in UTC.

Canonical page: https://www.selfgazer.com/sky/mercury/retrograde/1988

| Planet | Stations retrograde | Stations direct | Signs | Shadow |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mercury | 1988-02-02 06:16 UTC at 28°04' Aquarius | 1988-02-23 17:35 UTC at 12°40' Aquarius | Aquarius | 1988-01-18 to 1988-03-14 |
| Mercury | 1988-05-31 22:38 UTC at 26°46' Gemini | 1988-06-24 22:46 UTC at 18°09' Gemini | Gemini | 1988-05-16 to 1988-07-09 |
| Mercury | 1988-09-28 21:33 UTC at 27°03' Libra | 1988-10-20 05:23 UTC at 11°38' Libra | Libra | 1988-09-08 to 1988-11-04 |

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

## Questions

### When Is Mercury Retrograde in 1988?

Mercury is retrograde three times in 1988: from February 2 to February 23 in Aquarius; from May 31 to June 24 in Gemini; from September 28 to October 20 in Libra. The next Mercury retrograde after 1988 begins on January 16, 1989 at 11°53' Aquarius. Dates are in UTC.

### When Does the Mercury Retrograde Shadow Start in 1988?

For the retrograde that begins February 2, 1988, the pre-retrograde shadow starts January 18, 1988 and the post-retrograde shadow ends March 14, 1988. For the retrograde that begins May 31, 1988, the pre-retrograde shadow starts May 16, 1988 and the post-retrograde shadow ends July 9, 1988. For the retrograde that begins September 28, 1988, the pre-retrograde shadow starts September 8, 1988 and the post-retrograde shadow ends November 4, 1988.

### What Signs Is Mercury Retrograde in During 1988?

From February 2, 1988, Mercury turns retrograde at 28°04' Aquarius and turns direct at 12°40' Aquarius. From May 31, 1988, Mercury turns retrograde at 26°46' Gemini and turns direct at 18°09' Gemini. From September 28, 1988, Mercury turns retrograde at 27°03' Libra and turns direct at 11°38' Libra.

### How Many Days Is Mercury Retrograde in 1988?

Mercury spends about 67 days of 1988 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/1988). Free to cite with a link to the source page.