Mercury retrograde dates in 1971
Mercury turns retrograde 3 times in 1971 and is already retrograde on 1 January.
Mercury is the fastest planet and turns retrograde more often than any other, about three times a year. Each retrograde lasts between 20 and 24 days, and the start of one comes 108 to 125 days after the start of the last.
Mercury stays near the Sun in the sky, and its retrograde happens when it passes between the Earth and the Sun. In tradition Mercury stands for thinking, speech and travel, and astrologers who follow retrogrades read a Mercury retrograde as a time to revisit them. That is a tradition of interpretation, not a measured effect.
Stations in 1971
Turns direct
Friday 8 January 1971, 06:37
Sagittarius 27°
Turns retrograde
Friday 9 April 1971, 19:07
Taurus 3°
Turns direct
Monday 3 May 1971, 12:29
Aries 23°
Turns retrograde
Thursday 12 August 1971, 21:17
Virgo 10°
Turns direct
Sunday 5 September 1971, 07:59
Leo 27°
Turns retrograde
Friday 3 December 1971, 04:31
Sagittarius 28°
Turns direct
Wednesday 22 December 1971, 22:49
Sagittarius 11°
Stations are found by Astrely's own code from the planets' positions and are shown in Nicosia time. Mercury's stations are checked against NASA/JPL Horizons to within four minutes; the outer planets move so slowly around a station that their times are best read to the day. The method page has the details.
Astrology is a tradition of interpretation. What is written here is traditional, offered for reflection and entertainment, not advice and not a prediction.