# Mercury Retrograde 1996

> Mercury is retrograde four times in 1996: from January 9 to January 30 in Aquarius and Capricorn; from May 3 to May 27 in Taurus; from September 4 to September 26 in Libra and Virgo; from December 23 to January 12, 1997 in Capricorn. The next Mercury retrograde after 1996 begins on April 14, 1997 at 9°39' Taurus. Dates are in UTC.

Canonical page: https://www.selfgazer.com/sky/mercury/retrograde/1996

| Planet | Stations retrograde | Stations direct | Signs | Shadow |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mercury | 1996-01-09 21:49 UTC at 5°10' Aquarius | 1996-01-30 10:18 UTC at 19°06' Capricorn | Aquarius, Capricorn | 1995-12-24 to 1996-02-19 |
| Mercury | 1996-05-03 22:47 UTC at 28°38' Taurus | 1996-05-27 18:56 UTC at 19°38' Taurus | Taurus | 1996-04-19 to 1996-06-12 |
| Mercury | 1996-09-04 05:40 UTC at 3°29' Libra | 1996-09-26 17:10 UTC at 18°59' Virgo | Libra, Virgo | 1996-08-15 to 1996-10-11 |
| Mercury | 1996-12-23 19:43 UTC at 19°13' Capricorn | 1997-01-12 20:44 UTC at 2°58' Capricorn | Capricorn | 1996-12-06 to 1997-02-01 |

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

## Questions

### When Is Mercury Retrograde in 1996?

Mercury is retrograde four times in 1996: from January 9 to January 30 in Aquarius and Capricorn; from May 3 to May 27 in Taurus; from September 4 to September 26 in Libra and Virgo; from December 23 to January 12, 1997 in Capricorn. The next Mercury retrograde after 1996 begins on April 14, 1997 at 9°39' Taurus. Dates are in UTC.

### When Does the Mercury Retrograde Shadow Start in 1996?

For the retrograde that begins January 9, 1996, the pre-retrograde shadow starts December 24, 1995 and the post-retrograde shadow ends February 19, 1996. For the retrograde that begins May 3, 1996, the pre-retrograde shadow starts April 19, 1996 and the post-retrograde shadow ends June 12, 1996. For the retrograde that begins September 4, 1996, the pre-retrograde shadow starts August 15, 1996 and the post-retrograde shadow ends October 11, 1996. For the retrograde that begins December 23, 1996, the pre-retrograde shadow starts December 6, 1996 and the post-retrograde shadow ends February 1, 1997.

### What Signs Is Mercury Retrograde in During 1996?

From January 9, 1996, Mercury turns retrograde at 5°10' Aquarius and turns direct at 19°06' Capricorn. From May 3, 1996, Mercury turns retrograde at 28°38' Taurus and turns direct at 19°38' Taurus. From September 4, 1996, Mercury turns retrograde at 3°29' Libra and turns direct at 18°59' Virgo. From December 23, 1996, Mercury turns retrograde at 19°13' Capricorn and turns direct at 2°58' Capricorn.

### How Many Days Is Mercury Retrograde in 1996?

Mercury spends about 75 days of 1996 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/1996). Free to cite with a link to the source page.