Mercury Retrograde 2028: Dates, Signs and Stations

The first window: 24 January to 14 February, in Capricorn

Mercury stations retrograde on 24 January 2028 at 25°27′ Capricorn, in Dhanishta, and stations direct on 14 February 2028 at 9°44′ Capricorn, in Uttara Ashadha. Between the two stations it travels back 15.7° of the zodiac over 21 days.

25°27′ Capricorn, the 24 January station, is in Dhanishta pada 1, the Leo navamsa. 9°44′ Capricorn, the 14 February station, is in Uttara Ashadha pada 4, the Pisces navamsa. The arc between them spans 6 padas, from Uttara Ashadha pada 4 up to Dhanishta pada 1, and Mercury crosses every degree of it three times: forward before 24 January, backward until 14 February, and forward again afterwards. Mercury is in a neutral sign in Capricorn.

The whole 15.7° lies inside Capricorn, so for the 24 January retrograde of 2028 there is no sign change to date: Mercury in Capricorn covers all 21 days.

Inside the window Mercury also backs across two nakshatra boundaries: into Shravana on 29 January 2028 and into Uttara Ashadha on 12 February 2028.

Mars on 27 January 2028 at 24° Capricorn and the Sun on 2 February 2028 at 18° Capricorn are the conjunctions the table records for Mercury during these 21 days. The meeting with the Sun is the inferior conjunction, when Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun, and it is the reason this retrograde happens when it does.

It begins 109 days after the previous Mercury retrograde began on 7 October 2027, and 88 days after that one ended.

The second window: 21 May to 14 June, in Taurus

Mercury stations retrograde on 21 May 2028 at 22°04′ Taurus, in Rohini, and stations direct on 14 June 2028 at 13°31′ Taurus, still in Rohini. Between the two stations it travels back 8.6° of the zodiac over 24 days.

22°04′ Taurus, the 21 May station, is in Rohini pada 4, the Cancer navamsa. 13°31′ Taurus, the 14 June station, is in Rohini, close enough to a pada edge that the pada depends on the ayanamsa. The arc between them spans 3 padas, from Rohini pada 2 up to Rohini pada 4, and Mercury crosses every degree of it three times: forward before 21 May, backward until 14 June, and forward again afterwards. Mercury is in a friend's sign in Taurus.

The whole 8.6° lies inside Taurus, so for the 21 May retrograde of 2028 there is no sign change to date: Mercury in Taurus covers all 24 days.

Venus on 25 May 2028 at 21° Taurus and the Sun on 2 June 2028 at 17° Taurus are the conjunctions the table records for Mercury during these 24 days. The meeting with the Sun is the inferior conjunction, when Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun, and it is the reason this retrograde happens when it does.

It begins 118 days after the previous Mercury retrograde began on 24 January 2028, and 97 days after that one ended.

The third window: 19 September to 11 October, in Virgo

Mercury stations retrograde on 19 September 2028 at 24°20′ Virgo, in Chitra, and stations direct on 11 October 2028 at 9°13′ Virgo, in Uttara Phalguni. Between the two stations it travels back 15.1° of the zodiac over 22 days.

24°20′ Virgo, the 19 September station, is in Chitra pada 1, the Leo navamsa. 9°13′ Virgo, the 11 October station, is in Uttara Phalguni pada 4, the Pisces navamsa. The arc between them spans 6 padas, from Uttara Phalguni pada 4 up to Chitra pada 1, and Mercury crosses every degree of it three times: forward before 19 September, backward until 11 October, and forward again afterwards. Mercury is exalted in Virgo.

The whole 15.1° lies inside Virgo, so for the 19 September retrograde of 2028 there is no sign change to date: Mercury in Virgo covers all 22 days.

Inside the window Mercury also backs across two nakshatra boundaries: into Hasta on 24 September 2028 and into Uttara Phalguni on 8 October 2028.

The Sun on 2 October 2028 at 15° Virgo and Jupiter on 3 October 2028 at 14° Virgo are the conjunctions the table records for Mercury during these 22 days. The meeting with the Sun is the inferior conjunction, when Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun, and it is the reason this retrograde happens when it does.

It begins 121 days after the previous Mercury retrograde began on 21 May 2028, and 97 days after that one ended.