Very clever. I see your point re: the retrograde motion. Can't say you've not thought it out. I won't pretend to be a planetary scholar, and summon evidence at a whim; however, I am interested that the planets go retrograde several times a *day* in this illustration, when planetary retrograde in actuality is a much slower process. Mercury, the planet closest to the sun, is retrograde for *weeks* at a time. How does that jibe with this model?