What aspect of a planet's motion is *not* reversed during its period of retrograde motion observed from Earth?
Answer
Its daily path (rising East, setting West)
Retrograde motion describes an apparent temporary reversal of a planet's long-term track when plotted against the background stars; the planet seems to move westward relative to those distant points of light. However, this optical effect, caused either by Earth overtaking an outer planet or being overtaken by an inner planet, does not alter the immediate, daily path dictated by the Earth's spin. Crucially, even when experiencing retrograde motion, the planet still rises in the East and sets in the West, as the daily cycle is governed by the observer's planet rotation, not the planet's own orbital quirks relative to Earth.
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