Retrogrades Right Now: Mercury in Scorpio and What's Turning Through January 2027

Mercury turned retrograde on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at about 3:15 am Eastern (07:15 UTC). He stationed at 20°59′ Scorpio, which rounds to 21°, and he turns direct at 5°02′ Scorpio on Friday, November 13. He is not alone. On the day he turned, five planets were retrograde at once. This page is a plain list of who they are, how long each one stays, and what turns next, through January 2027.

Every date, time, and degree below is tropical and geocentric, from Astronomy Engine, the same ephemeris this site uses for its charts. Times are Eastern, given to the nearest minute. Clocks fall back on November 1, so stations before that date are in daylight time and stations after it are in standard time.

What retrograde means

Retrograde is apparent motion. No planet reverses in its orbit. From Earth, a planet seems to slow, stand still, and walk back over degrees it has already crossed, because Earth is passing it or being passed. The moment it seems to stand still is called a station. A planet stations retrograde, retraces a stretch of the zodiac, then stations direct and moves forward again.

Traditional astrology reads that retracing as review. The planet's topics come back for a second look. That is a frame for reflection. It is not a forecast of what will happen to anyone, and it is not a reason on its own to cancel a plan or to make one.

Who is retrograde right now

On October 24 these five are retrograde:

• Mercury, from 20°59′ Scorpio, stationed that morning.
• Venus, retrograde since October 3, at 0°39′ Scorpio at Mercury's station that morning (about 0°26′ Scorpio by noon Eastern), and about to step back into Libra.
• Saturn, retrograde in Aries since July 26.
• Neptune, retrograde in Aries since July 7.
• Uranus, retrograde in Gemini since September 10.

Mars and Jupiter are direct, both in Leo. Pluto has just finished his own retrograde. He turned direct on Thursday, October 15, at about 10:23 pm Eastern, at 3°04′ Aquarius, after a little over five months.

Five at once sounds like a lot. Three of the five are the slow outer planets, though, and a long retrograde every year is ordinary for them. The part that feels crowded is Mercury and Venus overlapping.

Mercury in Scorpio, October 24 to November 13

Mercury retrogrades about three times a year, for about three weeks each time. In 2026 the three were February 26 to March 20, June 29 to July 23, and this one, October 24 to November 13. This one runs 20 days, all of it inside Scorpio. He walks back from 20°59′ to 5°02′ and turns direct on Friday, November 13, at about 10:52 am Eastern (15:52 UTC).

Mercury's topics are speech, messages, errands, and the small trades of the day. Scorpio is fixed water, the sign of what is held close and not easily said. Read together, the season asks for a second, slower look at a conversation that matters, rather than a fast new one. The longer essay on Mercury retrograde in Scorpio has the shadow dates and more of that reading.

After the station he moves forward again and leaves Scorpio for Sagittarius on Sunday, December 6, at about 3:34 am Eastern. His next retrograde begins Tuesday, February 9, 2027, at about 12:35 pm Eastern, at 5°59′ Pisces.

Why Venus lingers

Venus retrogrades less often than Mercury, about once every 19 months, and for longer, about six weeks. This time she stationed retrograde on Saturday, October 3, at about 3:10 am Eastern, at 8°29′ Scorpio. She turns direct on Friday, November 13, at about 7:21 pm Eastern, at 22°52′ Libra. That is 41 days. It is also the same Friday Mercury turns direct, about eight and a half hours later.

The retrograde is only part of why she seems to stay so long. She entered Scorpio on September 10. Walking backward, she returns to Libra on Sunday, October 25, at about 4:57 am Eastern. Once she is direct she has to cross those degrees a third time, so she re-enters Scorpio on Friday, December 4, at about 3:15 am Eastern, and finally moves on to Sagittarius on Thursday, January 7, 2027, at about 3:54 am Eastern. From September 10 to January 7 she stays in Scorpio and Libra, close to four months.

Libra is a sign she rules. Scorpio is the sign opposite her other home, which the tradition calls her detriment. So the long stay is a back-and-forth between a sign where she is at ease and a sign where she has to work harder. Her topics are affection, taste, agreement, and the sense of what is enough. A slow season for those topics can be a good time to notice what you value, without needing to decide anything about it yet. The essay on Venus retrograde in Scorpio and Libra tells the rest of that story.

The slow planets: Saturn, Neptune, Uranus

The outer planets move so slowly that they spend a large part of every year retrograde. This cycle each one stays retrograde for about four and a half to five and a half months.

• Saturn stationed retrograde on July 26 at 14°45′ Aries and turns direct on Thursday, December 10, at about 6:23 pm Eastern, at 7°56′ Aries. That is 137 days, about four and a half months.
• Neptune stationed retrograde on July 7 at 4°25′ Aries and turns direct on Saturday, December 12, at about 5:14 pm Eastern, at 1°37′ Aries. That is 158 days, a little over five months.
• Uranus stationed retrograde on September 10 at 5°42′ Gemini and turns direct on Monday, February 8, 2027, at about 7:23 am Eastern, at 1°41′ Gemini. That is 151 days, about five months.
• Pluto, for comparison, was retrograde from May 6 to October 15, 162 days.

An outer planet sits at its station for days with almost no visible motion, so the minute of the turn matters less than the week. These are background weather. They tend to be noticed as a long, slow theme rather than a sudden change.

What turns next, through January 2027

As Saturn and Neptune turn forward in December, two new retrogrades begin.

Jupiter stations retrograde on Saturday, December 12, at about 7:59 pm Eastern, at 27°01′ Leo, less than three hours after Neptune turns direct. He turns direct on April 12, 2027, at 17°00′ Leo, after about four months.

Mars enters Virgo on Wednesday, November 25, at about 6:37 pm Eastern. He stations retrograde there on Sunday, January 10, 2027, at about 8:01 am Eastern, at 10°26′ Virgo. He backs into Leo on February 21 and turns direct on April 1, 2027, at 20°56′ Leo. Mars retrogrades about every two years, and this one lasts 81 days, about eleven and a half weeks. The Mars retrograde 2027 essay has the shadow and the full reading.

Here is the season in order:

• October 24: Mercury stations retrograde, 20°59′ Scorpio, 3:15 am.
• October 25: Venus, retrograde, returns to Libra, 4:57 am.
• November 13: Mercury stations direct, 5°02′ Scorpio, 10:52 am. Venus stations direct, 22°52′ Libra, 7:21 pm.
• November 25: Mars enters Virgo, 6:37 pm.
• December 4: Venus re-enters Scorpio, 3:15 am.
• December 6: Mercury enters Sagittarius, 3:34 am.
• December 10: Saturn stations direct, 7°56′ Aries, 6:23 pm.
• December 12: Neptune stations direct, 1°37′ Aries, 5:14 pm. Jupiter stations retrograde, 27°01′ Leo, 7:59 pm.
• January 7, 2027: Venus enters Sagittarius, 3:54 am.
• January 10, 2027: Mars stations retrograde, 10°26′ Virgo, 8:01 am.

All times are Eastern. Just past the end of this list, Uranus turns direct on February 8 and Mercury turns retrograde again on February 9.

A gentle way to use it

A retrograde season is a good excuse to slow down and look back, and not much more than that. Pick one topic that belongs to a planet on the list, a conversation for Mercury, a relationship or a pleasure for Venus, and give it a second look. Write down what you notice. Keep what is useful.

To see where these degrees fall for you, the free transit chart on the home page draws the sky for any date, and the free synastry chart lays two charts side by side. Both are ways to look, not answers.

Questions the dates answer

When is Mercury retrograde in October and November 2026?

From Saturday, October 24, 2026, at about 3:15 am Eastern, at 20°59′ Scorpio, to Friday, November 13, at about 10:52 am Eastern, at 5°02′ Scorpio. It lasts 20 days and stays in Scorpio.

Which planets are retrograde right now?

On October 24, 2026, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are retrograde. Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto are direct. Pluto turned direct on October 15.

How long does each retrograde last?

Mercury retrogrades for about three weeks, three times a year. Venus retrogrades for about six weeks every 19 months or so. Mars retrogrades about every two years, and the 2027 one lasts 81 days. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto spend about four to five and a half months retrograde each year.

Why is Venus in Scorpio and Libra for so long?

Her retrograde, from October 3 to November 13, carries her back from Scorpio into Libra. Once direct, she has to walk those degrees again. She stays in the two signs from September 10, 2026, to January 7, 2027, close to four months.

Pythic Cosmos reads these stations as sky weather for reflection. What a person does with the season remains their own.