The goal of this lab exercise is to investigate and understand how planets orbit

The goal of this lab exercise is to investigate and understand how planets orbit the Sun. When you look up to the sky you might notice that some planets periodically move backwards. This is an apparent motion called retrograde motion and it does not reflect the real movement of the planets. We will not investigate retrograde motion but instead we will analyze the actual orbits of planets. The planetary motion simulator, an excel spreadsheet, is the basis for this exercise. Please, read the material carefully before you start the lab.