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Mercury's Retrograde Motion refers to an optical illusion that occurs when the planet appears to move backward in the sky, relative to the stars, due to the relative positions and speeds of Earth and Mercury. Mercury orbits the Sun faster than Earth, so as Earth overtakes Mercury in its orbit, it creates the illusion of Mercury reversing direction. This happens several times a year, but because Mercury is close to the Sun, it's often difficult to observe from Earth. The planet is typically too c

Jupiter and Saturn go retrograde 🪐 This video explains the apparent retrograde motion of the outer planets using Jupiter and Saturn as examples. Saturn goes retrograde for about 4.5 months every year. Jupiter also moves “backwards” for approximately 4 months annually. 📖 Retrograde motion is an optical illusion caused by differences in the planets’ orbital speeds. When a planet seems to reverse its direction in the sky, it’s called retrograde motion (from the Latin word retrogradus – "going bac

We created this animation to visualize the captivating retrograde motion of Saturn — a cosmic illusion that has puzzled skywatchers for millennia. In 2025, Saturn begins its retrograde on July 13 and continues this apparent backward journey through the stars until November 15. But what exactly is retrograde motion? It’s not that Saturn actually reverses its orbit — instead, it’s an optical illusion that occurs when Earth, on its faster inner orbit, overtakes the slower-moving Saturn. As we pass

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, undergoes an apparent retrograde motion as seen from Earth. But what does that mean? Retrograde motion is an optical illusion that occurs when a planet appears to move backward in the sky due to differences in orbital speeds. As Earth, moving faster in its inner orbit, overtakes Jupiter, the gas giant seems to temporarily reverse direction before continuing its normal prograde motion. Jupiter’s next retrograde motion will take place from November