UNIVERSE
SURVEY OF THE PLANETS
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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What causes retrograde motion?
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Inner planets passing outer planets.
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The planet is orbiting Earth
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Earth rotates counterclockwise
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Planets orbit in little circles along a larger orbit
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Explanation:
Detailed explanation-1: -A schematic of how retrograde motion works when Earth (T) passes an outer planet (P) as they both orbit the sun (S). The changing viewing angle from Earth makes the projection of the planet against the celestial sphere (A) move backwards (A2-A4) as we pass the slower, outer planet. Image via Wikipedia.
Detailed explanation-2: -Some astronomers, however, define retrograde motion as any westward motion by a planet. For those that agree with that definition, even the inner planets retrograde as they move farther from the Sun (or the horizon) in the eastern morning sky or approach the Sun (horizon) in the western evening sky.
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