What is Mercury Retrograde? Find out how science explains the phenomenon

When we talk frequently in our daily life back mercury especially in the context of astrology, it refers to the role of the planet in bringing negative consequences to human actions during this phenomenon. However, in science the term refers to the movement of Mercury “walking backwards” across the sky along its orbit in the Solar System.

All planets orbiting the Sun follow the same direction, an almost circular spatial reference known as the plane of the ecliptic. In this plane, celestial bodies move from west to east, this orbit, combined with the fact that the Earth has an inclined orbit, gives observers the illusion of an object traveling in the opposite direction, that is, from east to west. This marked change is called backward movement

In the video below, physics professor Anderson Coser Gaudio gives a brief explanation on the subject.

Therefore, because planets have unequal orbital sizes and planets have different velocities to complete their journey around the Sun (orbital velocity), to observers on Earth who occasionally move at the same time, some planets may look different. “Go back”. But that’s just appearance. If we could leave the Solar System to see the entire set, we would see the planets always moving in the same direction, albeit at different speeds. In other words, there is no backward movement.

Because Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, it has a small orbit compared to the other planets in our system, and it takes the equivalent of 88 Earth days to fully orbit our star. Therefore, this fast translation rate results in more frequent retrogradations, which are detected 3 or 4 times a year, with cycles lasting approximately 4 weeks.

Retrograde motion of Mercury and other planets

In 2022, the last Mercury retrograde will begin on December 29 and will end on January 18, 2023. Earth’s own rotation and translational motion.

We can observe a new setback as the Earth’s orbit aligns with the orbit of another planet in the Solar System. For example, Venus orbiting the Sun is equivalent to 243 Earth days. It goes into retro motion every 18 months, lasting about 48 days in each cycle. The next event will take place from July 23 to September 4, 2023.

In contrast, Mars goes retrograde every 26 months, a phenomenon easily visible in the heavens – even eliminating the need for special instruments due to the planet’s strong reddish color. The process started at the end of October and continues until mid-January 2023.

On the more distant planets, called Jupiters, the apparent distortion of motion has a lower frequency, at least because they rotate more slowly around their axes. Jupiter goes retrograde every 9 months lasting 4 months; Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune retrograde every 12 months for about 4 months (in general, the longer the planet, the longer the period).

Few celestial bodies in our system can perform motion. This is true for some moons that follow a direction opposite to their planet’s rotation. An example of this is Triton, the largest natural satellite orbiting Neptune at a distance of 4.5 million kilometers from the Sun.

Anyway, Mercury retrograde is more like a kind of space “Moon Walk” (dance step) than consequences in people’s lives. At least from a scientific point of view.