The Truth About Today’s Mercury Retrograde – What Does It Really Mean?

Mercury retrograde is happening again. If you believe astrologers and some sections of the media, mishaps, miscommunications and misunderstandings in relationships and travel arrangements are inevitable. This belief in the effects of Mercury retrograde dates back to ancient times when people observed Mercury’s significant retrograde motion and attributed it to negative effects.

Thank goodness this is all complete nonsense. Mercury in retrograde is an optical illusion without consequences for us and our planet. This is a completely natural, normal and regular occurrence and is unlikely to affect your mood or anything else. But this tells us something important about our ever-changing view of the solar system.

Here’s everything you need to know about Mercury retrograde; why this happens and what it actually means:

What is Mercury Retrograde?

Accordingly Fascination Magazine that illustrated its article with an image of Pluto – “Mercury retrograde refers to the period of time when Mercury moves more slowly around the sun than Earth.” No, it’s not like that. Mercury never moves slower than Earth. Mercury revolves around the Sun in 88 days and around the Earth in 365 days. Mercury moves at about 29 miles (47 kilometers) per second, while Earth moves at 18 miles (30 kilometers) per second. This never changes.

Mercury retrograde means that Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun, is retrograde. evident backward movement. This means that from the way we look at the world, visible It’s as if Mercury were moving backwards in its orbit around the Sun.

When is Mercury Retrograde?

Mercury retrograde is not a rare or sudden event. It happens three or four times every year. So far in 2024, it has occurred between April 1-25 and August 5-28. This third and final Mercury retrograde of 2024 will begin on November 25 and continue until December 15. It will take place in front of the constellation Sagittarius, another line-of-sight illusion.

Understanding Mercury Retrograde

The way planets move in the night sky changes because our planet also orbits the sun. All planets in the solar system revolve around the sun in the same plane and in the same direction (west to east). This is called progressive movement.

Mercury constantly revolves around the Sun, and because it orbits so close to it, it is almost always lost in the sun’s glare. We can only see it just before sunrise or just after sunset, when it appears farthest from the sun from our perspective. It reached its highest point (its greatest eastern extension) on November 16, when it appeared 22.5 degrees from the sun in the evening sky. It seems to be moving slowly around this time because we watch it appear to be spinning. Once it completes this turn, it appears to be heading from east to west.

Are you panicking because Mercury is retrograde? No, it probably won’t affect your relationships.

I wish you clear skies and wide eyes.