Mercury retrograde dates in 1996
Mercury turns retrograde 4 times in 1996.
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 1996
Turns retrograde
Tuesday 9 January 1996, 23:52
Aquarius 5°
Turns direct
Tuesday 30 January 1996, 12:14
Capricorn 19°
Turns retrograde
Saturday 4 May 1996, 01:46
Taurus 28°
Turns direct
Monday 27 May 1996, 21:57
Taurus 19°
Turns retrograde
Wednesday 4 September 1996, 08:42
Libra 3°
Turns direct
Thursday 26 September 1996, 20:10
Virgo 18°
Turns retrograde
Monday 23 December 1996, 21:47
Capricorn 19°
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.