What happens during the apparent retrograde motion of a planet? what happens during the apparent retrograde motion of a planet? the planet moves backward through the sky over the course of a night. the planet moves backward in its orbit around the sun. the planet rises in the west and sets in the east. the planet appears to move westward with respect to the stars over a period of many nights. the planet moves through constellations that are not part of the zodiac.

The planet appears to move westward with respect to the stars over a period of many nights.

Explanation:

In the solar system there are 8 planets. Of these 8, we live on the planet Earth. From Earth we can see 5 planets naked eye which are: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Each one has their own orbit and orbital speed.

If you observe these planets continuously for a large period of time, you will find that for some days they will appear to move backwards/westwards. This is an APPARENT motion. In reality they are not moving back. They just appear to move back as the Earth takes over them in the motion around the Sun. This motion is called as retrograde motion.

This apparent motion can be observed only when we see them with respect to the background stars for a few nights.

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explanation:

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