When Mercury Retrograde Will End—And What It Actually Means

Mercury is in retrograde for the first time 2024.

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Oh no, Mercury is in retrograde! Nobody can sleep, everyone’s angry and communication is breaking down. Or, at least, that’s that narrative from astrological types or those desperate to push treatments and experiences to help people (with too much spare cash) to de-stress as they navigate the challenges caused by … an optical illusion?!

Mercury has been in apparent retrograde motion since April 1 and will remain until April 24, but I’m certain that 99 percent of people using the terms have no idea what it means. Has anyone checked to see what the “Swift Planet” is actually doing?

Searches Spike

There’s no doubt that Mercury in retrograde is a phenomenon. Google reports that the most searched “should I … during mercury retrograde” search terms include “buy a car,” “move,” “make decisions,” “cut my hair,” and “start a new job.” Others are worried about relationships, signing contracts, technology and sleep amid a general obsession with feeling tired, and slightly weird.

Happily, one of the most searched questions has also been, “Does mercury in retrograde really affect us?” It doesn’t. If you understand what it is, it’s impossible. It has no significance whatsoever. But it’s still a fascinating phenomenon to understand if you want to know more about the solar system we live in and our ever-changing view of it.

Mercury Retrograde Explained

All the planets in the solar system orbit the sun on the same plane and in the same direction. Earth takes 365 days to do so, while Mercury—the closest to the sun—zips around in just 88 days. As it does, Mercury’s relative position with regard to Earth changes a lot—and so does our line of sight to it.

As Mercury laps Earth on the inside track, as it goes to pass behind the sun, it appears, from our point of view, to turn around in the sky. It appears to stop traveling from east to west and appears to start traveling west to east. At no point does Mercury physically start going backward in its orbit. Nor is it rare or sudden: Mercury in retrograde happens three or four times each year, with 2024 dates being:

April 1-25
August 5-28
November 25-December 15, 2024

Mercury in retrograde is purely a line-of-sight phenomenon—not that anyone is looking.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

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