October 9, 2024: Jupiter begins the illusion of retrograde in front of Taurus near the horns. The Jovian Giant passes opposition on December 7th, resuming direct motion on February 4, 2025.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Jupiter Retrogrades
Bright Jupiter begins to retrograde in front of Taurus this morning. Find the Jovian Giant high in the southern sky during morning twilight. This morning it is 12.1° to Aldebaran’s upper left, the Bull’s brightest star, 6.3° to Elnath’s lower left, the northern horn, and 4.1° to the lower right of Zeta Tauri, the southern point.
Retrograde’s Illusion
Retrograde is an illusion when our planet overtakes an outer planet. The line of sight from Earth to the more-distant world normally moves eastward compared to the distant starfield. As our world begins to overtake Jupiter, the line of sight slows then stops moving eastward.
As Earth moves between Jupiter and the sun, the line of sight shifts westward or retrograde. The planet seems to back up in the starfield, although it does not stop revolving around the sun to move backward through its orbit.
Jupiter enters the evening sky with Venus and Saturn after the Venus-Jupiter opposition on November 3rd.
When Earth passes between Earth and the sun, known as opposition, the planet is closest to Earth and at its brightest in the sky. The planet rises at sunset and sets in the west at sunrise.
As Earth moves ahead of Jupiter, the planet seems to back up until early February 2024, when it resumes its eastward or direct motion again. The line of sight shifts eastward again. Retrograde ends with Jupiter, 5.1° to Aldebaran’s upper left.
Jupiter and Taurus
The chart above shows the planet’s retrograde, that covers 10°, from October 9, 2024 through February 4, 2025. This chart is displayed with the ecliptic at the center. How the stars and planet appear in the sky depends on the date and the time.
Watch Jupiter retrograde with Taurus as its starry backdrop.
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