Ever wondered what 'Mercury in Retrograde' really means? It's an optical illusion that occurs when Mercury appears to move backward in the sky. But don't worry, this celestial event doesn't cause any earthly miscommunications or mishaps.
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To astrologists, this planet’s vocation is communication and tech; according to Roman mythology, Mercury was the god of messages. Therefore, a Mercury in retrograde is often associated with a range of misfortunes and miscommunications for those of us on Earth. Plus, most astrology is based on the classical planets, those we have known about for centuries and can see with the naked eye. ButWhy Are People So Into Astrology Right Now?Mercury retrograde is called “apparent Mercury retrograde” by astronomers because it’s an optical illusion. All planets travel around the sun in a counter-clockwise orbit; and in most cases, when we look up at the sky at night, they all appear to be traveling in that same direction.
On the flip side, when planets that are closer than us to the sun — Venus and Mercury — overtake us and begin to curl back around the sun, they also appear to be moving backward from our perspective.Mercury takes only 88 of our 365 days to complete its circumnavigation. This means that every three to four months, the planet starts to circle back.
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