# Mercury Retrograde 2016

> Mercury is retrograde four times in 2016: from January 5 to January 25 in Aquarius and Capricorn; from April 28 to May 22 in Taurus; from August 30 to September 22 in Virgo; from December 19 to January 8, 2017 in Capricorn and Sagittarius. The next Mercury retrograde after 2016 begins on April 9, 2017 at 4°50' Taurus. Dates are in UTC.

Canonical page: https://www.selfgazer.com/sky/mercury/retrograde/2016

| Planet | Stations retrograde | Stations direct | Signs | Shadow |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mercury | 2016-01-05 13:06 UTC at 1°02' Aquarius | 2016-01-25 21:52 UTC at 14°54' Capricorn | Aquarius, Capricorn | 2015-12-19 to 2016-02-14 |
| Mercury | 2016-04-28 17:26 UTC at 23°36' Taurus | 2016-05-22 13:18 UTC at 14°20' Taurus | Taurus | 2016-04-14 to 2016-06-07 |
| Mercury | 2016-08-30 13:01 UTC at 29°04' Virgo | 2016-09-22 05:32 UTC at 14°49' Virgo | Virgo | 2016-08-10 to 2016-10-06 |
| Mercury | 2016-12-19 10:53 UTC at 15°07' Capricorn | 2017-01-08 09:47 UTC at 28°50' Sagittarius | Capricorn, Sagittarius | 2016-12-02 to 2017-01-27 |

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

## Questions

### When Is Mercury Retrograde in 2016?

Mercury is retrograde four times in 2016: from January 5 to January 25 in Aquarius and Capricorn; from April 28 to May 22 in Taurus; from August 30 to September 22 in Virgo; from December 19 to January 8, 2017 in Capricorn and Sagittarius. The next Mercury retrograde after 2016 begins on April 9, 2017 at 4°50' Taurus. Dates are in UTC.

### When Does the Mercury Retrograde Shadow Start in 2016?

For the retrograde that begins January 5, 2016, the pre-retrograde shadow starts December 19, 2015 and the post-retrograde shadow ends February 14, 2016. For the retrograde that begins April 28, 2016, the pre-retrograde shadow starts April 14, 2016 and the post-retrograde shadow ends June 7, 2016. For the retrograde that begins August 30, 2016, the pre-retrograde shadow starts August 10, 2016 and the post-retrograde shadow ends October 6, 2016. For the retrograde that begins December 19, 2016, the pre-retrograde shadow starts December 2, 2016 and the post-retrograde shadow ends January 27, 2017.

### What Signs Is Mercury Retrograde in During 2016?

From January 5, 2016, Mercury turns retrograde at 1°02' Aquarius and turns direct at 14°54' Capricorn. From April 28, 2016, Mercury turns retrograde at 23°36' Taurus and turns direct at 14°20' Taurus. From August 30, 2016, Mercury turns retrograde at 29°04' Virgo and turns direct at 14°49' Virgo. From December 19, 2016, Mercury turns retrograde at 15°07' Capricorn and turns direct at 28°50' Sagittarius.

### How Many Days Is Mercury Retrograde in 2016?

Mercury spends about 79 days of 2016 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/2016). Free to cite with a link to the source page.