* Mercury’s retrograde motion * This video explains Mercury’s apparent retrograde motion in our skies: the inner planet appears to retrace its steps a few times per year. Every planet does this, every year. 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 backward"). Courtesy: Star Walk Based on video by James O'Donoghue /

You may have heard the phrase "The planet Mercury is in retrograde"... but what does that actually mean? Professor Brian Cox explains all. | BBC Two

Retrograde Motion of Mars

✨ Jupiter ends retrograde motion! ✨ After months of moving «backward» in the sky, Jupiter has officially ended its retrograde motion today, February 4! 🚀🔭 🌌 What is retrograde motion? If you observe a planet at the same time each day for several weeks, you’ll notice that it usually moves in one direction. But sometimes, it appears to loop backward before continuing forward—this is retrograde motion, an optical illusion caused by Earth’s movement. 🔄 Which planets are still in retrograde? - Ma

Mars sometimes appears to move backward in the night sky due to retrograde motion, an optical illusion. This happens when faster-orbiting Earth overtakes Mars. As Earth passes, Mars seems to slow, stop