The planet Mercury is currently in retrograde. It’ll be that way for another couple of days. If that’s not enough, Mercury will be in retrograde again for a few weeks starting on August 30. Why that news should throw some people into a tailspin is the subject of a neat little animated film by animator Eva Hill and writer Cait Munro for New York Magazine. The video succinctly explains what the phrase “Mercury in retrograde” actually means and what significance people have placed upon it. In truth, the whole thing is based on an optical illusion. Mercury doesn’t just change directions a few times a year for the hell of it. It’s just moving so much faster than Earth that it occasionally appears to be headed westbound rather than eastbound. “In astrology,” the narrator explains, “Mercury rules communication, learning, technology, and travel.” That’s a mighty big caseload, even for an entire planet. So when the first rock from the sun seems to be going backward, certain people feel that “miscommunications, disagreements, and breakdowns” are apt to follow. But Mercury is in retrograde several times a year for a few weeks at a stretch. It’s nothing. Relax.