October 29, 2025
00:25 Sagittarius
Mercury Max Elongation from Sun
(Evening Star)
Mercury reaches his greatest elongation from the Sun approximately today. He is as far away from the Sun (from Earth's perspective) and as high in the western sky after sunset, as he's going to get during this period when he is known as the Evening Star. But it not easy to spot Mercury! He's extremely faint, and seen only in a clear sunset sky when it's dark enough, just above the horizon.
Greatest elongation occurs a few days after Mercury enters the Retrograde Shadow. It tends to bring clarity, when thoughts, awareness and decisions may come into sharper focus. It can be a good time to consider your path ahead, as well as to reconsider what you want to carry with you from past. A word of caution, though – thoughts that are clear aren't necessarily the best ones to act on. If you're in an emotional or volatile frame of mind, there's a risk of letting those feelings overwhelm or dilute your mental clarity. It's better to keep mind and feelings in a balanced awareness, with a little more emphasis on objectivity and thinking twice before you act.
Mercury makes the following aspects during this retrograde cycle (all dates in North American Eastern Time):
- Mercury conjunct Mars ~ October 20, 2025, November 12, January 18, 2026
- Mercury trine Jupiter ~ October 24, 2025, November 22, December 6
- Mercury trine Saturn ~ October 25, 2025, November 22, December 7
- Mercury opposite Uranus ~ October 29, 2025, November 19, December 10
- Mercury trine Neptune ~ October 29, 2025, November 19, December 11
- Mercury sextile Pluto ~ October 30, 2025, November 17, December 13
- Mercury conjunct Venus ~ November 24, 2025 (one pass only)
Here are the key dates of this Mercury cycle (for North American Eastern Time):
- Mercury enters the Shadow: October 21 ~ 20:42 Scorpio
- Mercury-Sun greatest elongation PM: October 29 ~ 00:25 Sagittarius
- Mercury stationary Retrograde: November 9 ~ 06:51 Sagittarius
- Mercury Rx conjunct the Sun: November 20 ~ 28:18 Sagittarius
- Mercury stationary Direct: November 29 ~ 20:42 Scorpio
- Mercury-Sun greatest elongation AM: December 7 ~ 25:17 Scorpio
- Mercury leaves the Shadow: December 16 ~ 06:51 Sagittarius