
Since Mercury, Hermes, and Nabu were all associated with communication and both the Greek and Roman versions were thought to govern commerce, this planet’s retrograde is regarded as heralding possible misunderstandings, disagreements, and logistical problems. Meanwhile, Time editor Wilder Davies clarified in a March 2018 article that retrograde has a negative meaning in astrology. The ancient Romans associated him with the Greek god Hermes, but the Babylonians called the planet Nabu after their own divine messenger. This speedy little ball of iron and silicates is aptly named after the swift-footed messenger of the Roman deity pantheon.

Unfortunately, Galileo’s ardent defense of heliocentrism prompted the Catholic Church’s Roman Inquisition to accuse him of heresy during the early 1600s. His ideas were later endorsed and expanded upon by both German astronomer Johannes Kepler and Italian scholar Galileo Galilei through his own carefully documented telescope observations. The geocentric model remained mostly unchallenged until Polish scientist Nicolaus Copernicus argued for a heliocentric view in 1543. This phenomenon also confused ancient astronomers, since they followed Claudius Ptolemy’s geocentric model in which the sun and other planets orbited around Earth.

Christopher Crockett of EarthSky explains that this visual illusion occurs when Earth passes or is passed by another celestial body, tricking us into thinking that the other planet is moving backward. Contrary to how this looks when observed from Earth, these planets don’t travel in reverse.

“Retrograde” is shorthand for “apparent retrograde motion” and describes how planets appear to stop and then move in the opposite direction of their normal paths across the nighttime skies.

Retrograde is a visual illusion tricking us into thinking that the other planet is moving backward.Ĭhances are, you’ve probably heard complaints about the planet Mercury entering retrograde, but what exactly does this mean and why do so many people care? Whether or not you’re convinced that there’s any merit to astrology, some concepts from both astronomy and astrology will help you understand what all the fuss is about.
