2025, February 4: Jupiter’s Retrograde Ends

February 4, 2025: Jupiter’s retrograde ends tonight near Taurus’ Aldebaran.  The planet is part of the nightly planet parade.

Jupiter, Mars, Moon gather, August 27, 2024
Image Caption, 2024, August 27: Jupiter, Mars, Moon gather before sunrise

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:00 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:10 p.m. CST.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

After today, sunrise occurs before 7:00 a.m. in Chicago.  Daylight’s length is 10 hours, 10 minutes.

Jupiter’s Retrograde Ends

Jupiter's retrograde ends
Chart Caption – 2025, February 4: Jupiter’s retrograde ends near Aldebaran. The moon is about 30° west of the bright planet tonight.

Jupiter’s retrograde ends tonight and the planet resumes its direct or eastward motion again.

The Jovian Giant is part of the nightly planet parade.  Find it high in the southeastern sky during the early evening, 5.1° to the upper left of Aldebaran, Taurus’ brightest star.

Tonight, the moon, 46% illuminated, is nearly 30° west of Jupiter and 7.7° to Hamal’s lower left, Aries’ brightest star.  The moon reaches the evening half-full phase, also known as First Quarter, tomorrow at 2:02 a.m. Central Time, about an hour after it sets in Chicago.

Retrograde’s Illusion

2024, October 9 – 2025, February 4: Earth and Jupiter from above the solar system, showing Jupiter’s retrograde.
Chart Caption – 2024, October 9 – 2025, February 4: Earth and Jupiter from above the solar system, showing Jupiter’s retrograde.

Retrograde motion is an illusion from when Earth passes between an outer planet – a body farther from the sun than Earth – and the central star.  Normally, the line of sight from Earth to a distant planet moves eastward or direct against the starfield.  As our planet overtakes the distant world the line of sight shifts westward and the planet seems to move westward or retrograde compared to the stars.  After Earth passes, the planet’s direct motion resumes as the line of sight shifts eastward again.

Jupiter began to retrograde on October 22nd, 2024.  Opposition, when Earth was between Jupiter and the sun, occurred on December 7th.

Jupiter Moves Eastward

As Jupiter appears farther eastward, it opens a gap to Aldebaran and approaches the Bull’s horns, passing between them as they disappear into bright twilight during mid-May.

Watch Jupiter’s movement against the starfield from night to night.

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