Mercury retrograde — is it retrograde now, and every window

The motion is real and the dates are exact. Mercury's apparent sidereal speed is a number the ephemeris computes; a station is the instant that number crosses zero, and this page bisects each crossing rather than rounding to a day.

What is not established is any effect. There is no evidence that Mercury's apparent direction changes anything on Earth, and this page will not imply otherwise. The tradition treats the window as a time for reviewing, re-reading and re-checking rather than launching — which is a reasonable habit on any day of the year, and worth keeping in proportion: Mercury is retrograde about 18% of the time.

Rahu and Ketu are a separate case that is often confused with this one. They are always retrograde — that is what a lunar node is, not a temporary condition — so they never station and never turn direct. Their gochar dates are here.

For the classical treatment of vakri (retrograde) planets, see the retrograde guide. To see where Mercury sits in your own chart, start with a free Kundli.

Transit guidance here is a traditional framework for reflection and planning, not medical, legal or financial advice. Nothing on this page predicts an event, and no timing is a reason to delay medical care.