RETROGRADE MOVEMENT OF PLANETS

                              ARUN ROY MUKHERJEE

If we watch the sky and the movement of the planets, it is sometimes noticed that a planet is moving backwards as if in a reverse gear. Normally each planet moves in its orbit in a single forward motion. But sometimes it is seen as moving in the opposite direction. This is known as “retrograde movement” of planets. Astrologers believe that planets, while moving in its orbit in one direction, suddenly stops moving in the same direction and then start moving backwards or on reverse direction. This backward movement is known as retrograde movement in astrology.

However, the truth and the fact is that retrograde movement of planets as seen from the earth is actually an optical illusion. The planets while revolving in its orbit around the Sun, move in a single forward motion and never move backwards or retrograde. If the planets actually suddenly start moving backwards, it would cause a total chaos or “Pralaya” in the solar system. In a single year more such retrograde movement can be observed in case of more than one planet. Sometimes even more than a single planet go into retrograde position. Yet, it does not cause any turmoil in the solar system and no “Pralay” happens. The movement of planets does not depend on their own sweet will so that those are able to change direction at random or at their own pleasure. The movement of planets in their own orbit is caused by the operation of two natural forces known as centrifugal and centripetal forces. One of the said two forces attracts the planet towards the sun and the other which tries to force it away and beyond the gravitational pull of the Sun. The result of these two opposite forces make it move round the sun in an orbit. It is also not true that another natural force or energy start operating in between the centrifugal and centripetal forces and causes retrograde movement of planets. The retrograde or backward motion of planets as seen from the earth may be aptly explained by a comparison when two moving objects running in the same direction run at different speed. When you are travelling by train you see another person who is also moving in the same direction as the train but on a cycle on a road by the side of railway track at a speed slower than the train. The train’s speed being more than the cycle, you will see as if the man on the cycle is moving backwards although he is actually moving forward in the same direction as you are. This is the retrograde movement. The reverse of this happens when you move in the opposite direction of each other. From the train it will seem to you that the cyclist is approaching you too fast. This is known as the “Atichar Gati” in astrological terms. The earth revolves round the sun in 365 days but Jupiter takes 12 years on earth to complete its journey around sun. Jupiter takes more time primarily because it is farther away from sun than earth and therefore, its orbit is much bigger and it has to cover a much longer route to complete its journey. When earth and Jupiter comes on the same side in their journey, from earth it appears that at certain stage Jupiter starts moving backwards. In reality Jupiter does not move backwards. It carries on its forward movement in the same track at its normal speed. But, from earth, it so appears that Jupiter has stopped moving forward and started moving back. It is the same feeling which a person experiences while travelling in a train and watching a cyclist on the road beside who is also moving in the same direction. The entire experience is an optical illusion.

That the retrograde movements or “Atichar Gati” movement of planets is an optical illusion and not a natural phenomenon actually happening can be proved from another example. We all know that earth is also a planet. If all other planets have retrograde movement and “Atichar Gati: movement, then Earth, as a planet, must also have those movements while revolving round the sun. In fact, if we go to the outer space or into another planet, say, Jupiter or Saturn, we also can observe the retrograde movement and “Atichar Gati” of the earth from there. Now the question is whether the earth actually move backwards or in reverse gear while revolving round the sun. We all know that seasons on Earth change due to the revolution of earth around the Sun. The different seasons like summer, rains, spring etc. comes to Earth because of its movement around the Sun. If Earth actually moved backwards while going thru its orbit around the Sun, we would have experienced a peculiar change of season where we would have experienced a repeat of the season already ended even after the advent of the next season. In that case after going thru summer for a certain period of time, spring will start coming back and we would enjoy spring for quite some days  and summer would come back again after those few days of repeat spring on earth. So also, while passing thru heavy rains during the rainy season, suddenly summer would appear back. Temperature would rise high, Land would start drying etc. And again after that spell of summer, rains would come back for a second time. And this process would continue to happen from time to time throughout the year and also year after year without a break. That apart, we would have witnessed another spectacle right from the earth itself. We would have seen all the objects in the sky, the stars etc. moving in the opposite direction than as we see those normally from east to west during the night on all those days when the Earth goes into retrograde movement. The stars would then appear to move from west to east in the sky during those days of retrograde movement of earth.  And during day time the sun would rise in the west and set in the east. Does it happen or  happened ever ?  No. Because, during retrograde movement the earth actually do not move backwards or on the reverse but continue to move in the same direction it normally does everyday throughout the year. We actually do not experience any such thing on earth. Because the Earth does not actually make any such backward movement.      

In astrology so many predictions are made on the basis of retrograde motion of planets but in fact such retrograde motion of planets is nothing but an optical illusion and not happening actually. Therefore the entire predictions based on retrograde movement of planets and also “Atichar Gati” are purely imaginary and rather illusionary and not based on facts.                                                 .

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