MERCURY IS IN RETROGRADE... SHOULD YOU BE CONCERNED? -What is Mercury retrograde? Mercury goes into retrograde about three to four times a year. Retrograde refers to an apparent change in the planet’s direction, but it’s actually an optical illusion. Mercury’s orbit is smaller and faster than Earth’s, so when Mercury catches up to Earth it appears like Mercury is backtracking, when it’s actually not. Essentially, whenever a planet passes Earth, or vice versa, from Earth’s point of view the other