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SALT LAKE CITY — It is Friday the 13th, a full moon, and Mercury is in retrograde. This combination of events could be considered by some to be quite ominous.
Studies show there is no evidence that full moons and Fridays the 13th cause more criminal activity, or mischief. But those who are superstitious will note the rare convergence of calendar and solar system.
“A more interesting hypothesis is that while Friday the 13th itself doesn't cause bad luck, it does cause people to behave differently out of fear or anxiety, thereby causing things like accidents, which we attribute to ‘bad luck,’ ” Vox said about the theories of strange behavior though to happen on Friday the 13th.
But Vox is quick to say this theory has been proven incorrect by various studies, and the distinction of Friday the 13th is simply a result of a calendar coincidence.
“The June full moon is frequently the one nearest to the summer solstice, which falls on June 21 this year,” CBS News said. “Because of a neat bit of galactic geometry, this means the full moon on Friday will be the lowest in the sky of any in 2014.”
While it is not unheard of for a full moon to occur on Friday the 13th, the next one will not be until 2049, according to Vox.
“What’s funny to me is that as you read this, the real moment the Moon was most full was actually last night,” Phil Plait wrote at Slate. “That occurred on Friday, June 13, at 04:11 UTC … but that’s just after midnight EDT, and for me, in Boulder where we’re on Mountain time, it actually happened on Thursday night at 10:11 p.m. Living on a round ball makes telling time a bit tricky.”
Additionally, when Mercury is in retrograde, it causes unease in those of us down here on earth.
“When the planet Mercury slows down it seems to stop to the human eye, appearing to move backwards, or ‘retrograde,’” Astrologist Anna Payne told Buzzfeed. “This ‘backward’ motion has an overall energetic effect on us. The planet Mercury is the planetary ‘messenger,’ the planet ruling all forms of communication and the mind. In retrograde it slows these areas down, effecting us energetically.”
So whether you believe in astrology and bad luck or not, the earth is geared up for an interesting night.
