Nicolaus Copernicus

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How did Copernicus's model explain retrograde motion? Nicolaus Copernicus
5 days ago | beth

How did Copernicus's model explain retrograde motion?

Copernicus's model explained retrograde motion—the apparent backward movement of planets—by proposing that it was an optical illusion resulting from the relative position and speed of Earth and other planets. As Earth overtakes another planet in its orbit, the planet appears to move backward against the backdrop of the stars. This contradicted the geocentric explanation, which required complicated epicycles to account for such motions.