Mercury in retrograde motion, Mars in direct motion

Orion402

https://sol24.net/data/html/SOHO/C3/96H/VIDEO/

Mercury is currently passing between the slower moving Earth and central/stationary Sun as Mars passes in the opposite direction behind the Sun

https://www.theplanetstoday.com/

Although Mars and Mercury appear to be heading in the same direction, they are actually heading in opposite directions using the slower moving Earth and the stationary Sun as a reference. Mars actually moves from right to left, however, as its motion is slower than the Earth, the observational influences puts the change in position of the planet from left to right.

I find it dramatic and so what it observers can see Mercury in retrograde motion as it moves faster than the change in position of the stars (the latter being due to the Earth's orbital motion), it is a lovely addition to astronomy using a satellite tracking with the Earth around the central Sun and free of the daily rotational influences which the old astronomers had to deal with.