January 10, 2026: Jupiter reaches opposition, shining as the brightest starlike object in the night sky. Learn when to see it, how it moves, and why it retrogrades this year near Gemini.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:18 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:39 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Daylight spans 9 hours, 11 minutes at Chicago’s latitude. Today is the final day of the latest sunrise. Sunrise occurs earlier by one minute every two to three days. By month’s end, sunrise occurs 14 minutes earlier than today.
Jupiter at Opposition
Today, Jupiter is opposite the sun. Earth is between the sun and the planet. The event occurs this morning at 2:42 a.m. Central Time. While seeing the planet at that moment is not essential, Jupiter is the brightest starlike body in the sky tonight, over three times brighter than Sirius, the night’s brightest star. With Venus hidden in bright sunlight, Jupiter’s brightness rules the night.
To the eye, the bright planets appear as stars. Their features are visible through a telescope, such as Jupiter’s cloud features and moons, and Saturn’s rings.
Jupiter rises in the east-northeast at sunset, appears high in the southern sky at midnight, and sets in the west-northwest at sunrise.
Retrograde
As Earth passes between the sun and Jupiter, the Jovian Giant appears to move westward compared to Gemini’s background stars. This motion is an illusion, caused by the shifting line of sight from Earth as it overtakes the planet. The effect is most apparent near opposition, when it is largest. Jupiter retrogrades near Pollux and Castor, the Twins. Retrograde ends in two months, when the planet again appears to move eastward against the starry background.
During the next few nights, step outside at any time and look for the brightest star. That object is Jupiter, shining near opposition.
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