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An interactive animation explaining why planets appear to reverse direction in the sky
"From Above" view shows the solar system from outside — Earth and the planet orbiting the Sun. When Earth (faster, inner orbit) catches up with and overtakes an outer planet, the planet appears to slow down, stop, reverse, stop again, then continue forward. This is purely an effect of perspective, like two cars on a highway.
"From Earth" view shows what an observer sees from Earth — the planet moving left to right (direct), then appearing to pause, reverse direction (retrograde, shown in red), pause again, and continue forward. This is the geocentric view that ancient astronomers recorded and what Jyotish uses.
Mercury and Venus orbit inside Earth's orbit. They go retrograde when they pass between Earth and the Sun (inferior conjunction). From Earth's perspective, they too appear to loop backward before continuing forward. Mercury retrogrades 3–4 times a year for ~21 days each. Venus retrogrades every ~18 months for ~40 days — rarer but longer.
| Planet | Frequency | Duration | Orbit type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 3–4× / year | ~21d | Inner |
| Venus | Every 18 months | ~40d | Inner |
| Mars | Every 26 months | ~72d | Outer |
| Jupiter | 4 months/year | ~120d | Outer |
| Saturn | 4.5 months/year | ~138d | Outer |