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The Planet Mars:

Look toward the southeast to see Mars. Watch the bright red planet move closer to the white star Spica in the constellation Virgo each night in May.

Normally all the planets appear to travel from west to east in the night sky because we are going in a counter-clockwise direction around the Sun.

Earth is zooming around the Sun faster than Mars. Once every 780 days, Earth passes Mars, making it look like it's going backward (from east to west) for a little while. It is like when you are in a car on a highway that passes another moving car.

The other car appears to be moving backwards while you are passing it. Get it?

At the end of the month, Mars will again move from west to east, against the background of stars, away from Spica.

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