Planet Venus traced out this S shape in Earth's sky during 2004.
Following the second planet from the Sun in a series of 29 images recorded from April 3rd through August 7th (top right to bottom left) of that year, astronomer Tunc Tezel constructed this composite illustrating the wandering planet's path against the background stars.
The series reveals Venus' apparent retrograde motion transporting it from a brilliant evening star to morning's celestial beacon.