What is retrograde motion (planets)?
Most things in the Solar System revolve around their axis and rotate around their central body in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed from “above,” with “above” having been defined by us humans with “up” being up from our local north. There are a few objects in the Solar System that move in retrograde – the wrong way, or clockwise, “against the grain” of everything else. Venus is one example, as are numerous moons of Jupiter and Saturn. There is also *apparent* retrograde motion. This is basically a cool astronomical optical illusion. For instance, over time, it appears to anyone tracking it, that Mars will stop, go backwards, and then turn around and go forward again.
