| Period | Stations retrograde | Stations direct |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 05°59′ Pisces | 20°55′ Aquarius |
| 2 | 06°22′ Cancer | 27°28′ Gemini |
| 3 | 04°56′ Scorpio | 19°19′ Libra |
Why there are three periods
Mercury orbits closer to the Sun than Earth. As the two planets change their viewing geometry, Mercury's apparent track in the geocentric zodiac periodically slows, reverses, and moves forward again. This table identifies the two station instants that bound each backward segment. It does not treat the interval before the first station or after the second station as part of that retrograde segment.
Read the zodiac degree carefully
A retrograde Mercury can cross a sign boundary after its first station, so its direct-station sign may differ from its retrograde-station sign. The displayed longitudes are geocentric, apparent, and tropical. Comparing a different site's date requires checking its time zone; a UTC time late in the day may appear on the following or previous civil date elsewhere. If a natal factor lies close to one of these degrees, use a personal transit calculator with a stated orb rather than treating the entire interval as one continuous exact aspect.
What is outside this table
Some astrologers mark a “shadow” when Mercury first crosses the eventual direct-station degree and when it later returns to the retrograde-station degree. Those are additional longitudinal crossings, not the station-to-station retrograde interval shown here. This page leaves them out rather than quietly combining different conventions. A symbolic reading about communication or review is an editorial interpretation, not a consequence proved by the orbit calculation.