RETROGRADE MOTION OF PLANETS

Retrograde motion is the change in the movement of planets through the sky. Retrograde
means "to move backward in time". Retrograde motion is motion in opposite direction as
other bodies. Both planets move in the eastward motion around the sun. A Smaller planet
moves faster than a larger in the orbit. In orbit, the direction of a smaller planet is inside and
the direction of the larger planet is outside. In astronomy, retrograde motion is described as
the loop or Z shaped path that planets away from the sun than the earth appear to trace in the
sky over the course of a few months. All the planets which are visible, far away from the sun
than the earth. The Retrograde motion is an optical illusion produced as earth, which orbits
the sun faster than any of the outer planets, catches up and passes them in its orbits. The
retrograde motion of the planets confused some early astronomers (Ptolemy), who believed
that earth was at the center of the universe. For that such system, a planet had to be going
backward, because the earth was stationary. This hypothesis changed when NIKOLAUS
COPERNICUS induced that earth orbits the sun like all other planets, provides a natural
explanation retrograde motion of planets. Inner planets produced retrograde motion as well,
as they move fast and pass earth, moving between it and the sun. Retrograde sometime call as
“backspin”.
Retrograde motion is like, when we are moving in a car and in the lane, a bus moves next to
us, we assume that slowly it appears in backward motion when the speed and timing are the
same.
There are two types of planet retrogression
1. Inferior planets
2. Superior planets
Superior planets only appear to retrograde when they are close enough to the sun. Earth is
then fixed between the sun and the planet in its orbit.
Inferior planets only appear to retrograde when they are about to join the sun. The planet is
fixed between the earth and the sun.
RETROGRADE CYCLE OF INFERIOR PLANETS
A common point in all planets is that they are close to the earth when retrograde. Mercury
and Venus both orbits the sun in a short period than the earth. Mercury goes around the sun
every 88 days and Venus goes around the sun every 225 days. Earth’s orbital period is 365
(1/4) days. Earth and inferior planets orbit the sun in their respective periods, sometimes they
are all found on the same side of the sun, sometimes on the opposite side of the sun.
Sometimes they are running parallel to each other. For mercury retrograde motion occurs
three times every thirteen months, the planet catches up the earth at the inferior side with the
sun every 116 days. Venus passes through the inferior side with the sun about every 584 days
and is seen only once every eighteen months. Mercury and Venus retrograde cycle times are
different, the system works in the same way. At superior concurrence, the earth is looking
farther the sun to the inferior planet, which is a step along in direct motion around the sun. At
a certain point, the inferior planet starts to head around in its orbit again towards the earth and
passes between the earth and the sun. At the midpoint of retrograde motion, the planet will
have to move back to join the sun at the inferior side. After some days the inferior
concurrence (for Mercury this is near to ten days and Venus this is of twenty-one days), the
planet will seem to slow again, stop and then start forward motion, directed towards the
superior concurrence on the other side of the sun. For Mercury, the maximum distance is 28
degrees on each side of the sun and for Venus, the maximum distance is 48 degrees on each
side of the sun. At a rare time, when Mercury and Venus are both together on the same side
of the sun. They can show themselves as morning and evening star. When Mercury or Venus
is on another side of the sun from the earth and moves the same degree as the in zodiacal
longitude. This shows the time when the planet starts to advance towards the greatest eastern
elongation.
RETROGRADE CYCLE OF SUPERIOR PLANETS
HELIOCENTRIC VIEWPOINT: From a heliocentric viewpoint, the earth and the all superior
planets orbit the sun but because the revolution period of the earth is shorter and close to the
sun. Earth in its annual revolution, overtakes each superior planet. Whereas each planet has
its own time of direct and retrograde motion according to its position in the zodiac relative to
the sun, this principle is exactly the same for all of the planets. When a superior planet is in
zodiacal concurrence with the sun, its motion is at the highest speed. However, after the
concurrence, the sun continues to moves at 1 degree per day and leaves the planet in a
backward direction. After some time the sun has reached the first quarter square side to the
superior planet, The apparent motion of that planet begins to slow, after some time the sun is
in a threefold to it, it has stopped and turned retrograde before some days, cause it to move
backward against the zodiac and visible in the night time.
FIRST QUARTER SQUARE: This appears when the earth has moved to a position that the
sun occurs three signs earlier in the zodiac, and the superior planet seems to be slow down in
apparent motion in preparatory for station-retrogression. In fact, now the earth starts to come
between the sun and the superior planets in its orbit, promotes the advent of the
stationary-retrograde point.
STATION RETROGRADE: The superior planet seems to be stopped in the sky. This
happens because the earth has moved to the point in its orbit where it will catch up the
superior planet and pass it by, giving the presence of the planet moving backward for a time
period (from two and a half to five and a half months depends upon the planet-see next part
for the days between the sun threefold to the superior planet and each station).
ACCELERATING QUINCUNX: The sun forms a quincunx to the superior planet as it starts
to fasten.
DEACCELERATING QUINCUNX: The sun forms quincunx to the retrograde superior
planet, which is slow in motion.
When considering any retrograde planet, whether inferior or superior, it comes to our mind
that it is owing to our geocentric viewpoint to the sun that it seems retrograde at a certain
predicted time. At first, look that may form a simple statement, but the suggestion is profound
when we are thinking about those of each planet and its connection with the sun. Retrograde
motion is a side effect of proximity. There are at least eight different types of retrograde.
Venus, Mercury, and Mars all come close to the earth than the sun, penetrate the interior
space of our system. These retrogrades are in more distance the planet moves away from
ecliptic, which makes their loop shapes more exaggerated. So we can interpret the retrograde
of Venus, Mercury, and Mars. Jupiter and Saturn go retrograde more frequently, about a third
of the time, and their loop shapes are more flattened and less extreme. The outer planets are
retrograde about forty percent (40%) of the time. Retrogrades are periods of reassessment and
redoing. Retrograde is not here to ruin our lives. While it is true that they can cause some
confusion and standstills, it is all in the name of getting us to slow down and assess where we
are in life so we can make the necessary adjustment. When a planet does retrograde, it is time
for us to take a step back at what the retrograding planet represents in our life.