Microlithographic exposure method as well as lighting means

The invention relates to a microlithographic exposure method as well as an illumination device. In a microlithographic exposure method, an illumination device illuminates an object plane of a projection lens, wherein the object plane by means of the projection lens (20) is imaged into an image plane of the projection objective (20), wherein the illumination device (10) comprises at least one retardation element by means of which for the retardation element incident light a delay dependent on the place of impact and time-varying can be generated, and wherein at least two light beams are directed through different regions of Retardierungselementes, which differ in the respectively generated by the retardation element delay from each other.