The chart shows the path of Jupiter across the background stars over the course of the year. Stars to magnitude +7.5 are shown. The white circles represent the planet on the first day of the month and are scaled according to apparent magnitude. The faint paths before the first circle and after the last circle represent the planet's positions in December of last year and January of next. In general, the planet moves from right to left except when it's in retrograde and proceding in the opposite direction.
The lower chart shows how the appearance of Jupiter changes over the year. Below each image is listed the date, the apparent magnitude, the apparent diameter of the disk (in arc-seconds) and the geocentric distance (in au). Note that Jupiter appears distinctly larger and brighter near the time of opposition.
Jupiter opens the year in the constellation of Taurus, moving into Gemini in mid-June. It passes within 2° of numerous brighter named stars in those two constellations, as well as such deep-sky objects as globular clusters (M35) and planetary nebulae (C39). The Moon never draws much closer than 4° but Mercury is near in June and bright Venus is less than a degree away in August. Jupiter is visible in the evening sky for the first half of the year, undergoing conjunction in June and then reappearing in dawn skies the following month. It again rises before midnight from September/October. The largest planet in the solar system does not come to opposition this year; this event takes place in January 2026.
All times and dates are in UT with the time given to the nearest hour unless otherwise indicated. Positions are geocentric apparent places and referred to the true equator and equinox of date.
| January | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00:00 | Taurus |
| 00:00 | maximum ecliptic latitude south: −0.60° | |
| 00:00 | minimum distance from Earth: 4.1907 au | |
| 10 | 22:00 | 5.4° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 23:00 | 5.4° (declination) south of Moon | |
| February | ||
| 4 | 10:00 | stationary (ecliptic longitude): retrograde motion → direct motion |
| 13:00 | stationary (right ascension): retrograde motion → direct motion | |
| 7 | 02:00 | 5.4° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 04:00 | 5.5° (declination) south of Moon | |
| March | ||
| 2 | 18:00 | east quadrature |
| 4 | 10:00 | 1.1° south of the fourth-magnitude star τ Tauri |
| 6 | 10:00 | 5.5° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 12:00 | 5.6° (declination) south of Moon | |
| April | ||
| 2 | 23:00 | 5.5° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 3 | 00:00 | 5.5° (declination) south of Moon |
| 30 | 17:00 | 5.4° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 18:00 | 5.4° (declination) south of Moon | |
| May | ||
| 18 | 23:00 | 2.0° north of the third-magnitude star Tianguan (ζ Tauri) |
| 28 | 13:00 | 5.2° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 13:00 | 5.2° (declination) south of Moon | |
| June | ||
| 8 | 20:00 | 2.0° (ecliptic latitude) south of Mercury |
| 21:00 | 2.0° (declination) south of Mercury | |
| 12 | 02:00 | Taurus → Gemini |
| 14 | 04:00 | maximum declination north: +23° 16′ 42″ |
| 15 | 15:00 | 0.1′ north of the fourth-magnitude star 1 Geminorum |
| 17 | 09:00 | 1.1° south of the globular cluster M35 |
| 24 | 15:30 | conjunction (see explanation below) |
| 25 | 09:00 | 5.1° (declination) south of Moon |
| 10:00 | 5.0° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon | |
| 26 | 12:00 | 0.7° north of the third-magnitude star Propus (η Geminorum) |
| 16:00 | maximum distance from Earth: 6.1596 au | |
| July | ||
| 4 | 16:00 | 0.7° north of the third-magnitude star Tejat (μ Geminorum) |
| 23 | 04:00 | 4.9° (declination) south of Moon |
| 05:00 | 4.9° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon | |
| August | ||
| 12 | 06:00 | 0.9° (ecliptic latitude) north of Venus |
| 08:00 | 0.9° (declination) north of Venus | |
| 18 | 13:00 | 2.0° north of the fourth-magnitude star Mekbuda (ζ Geminorum) |
| 19 | 21:00 | 4.8° (declination) south of Moon |
| 22:00 | 4.7° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon | |
| September | ||
| 6 | 18:00 | 0.2° north of fourth-magnitude star Wasat (δ Geminorum) |
| 16 | 11:00 | 4.6° (declination) south of Moon |
| 12:00 | 4.5° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon | |
| 18 | 12:00 | ascending node |
| 20 | 20:00 | 0.9° north of the planetary nebula C39 |
| October | ||
| 13 | 23:00 | 4.3° (declination) south of Moon |
| 23:00 | 4.2° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon | |
| 17 | 06:00 | west quadrature |
| November | ||
| 7 | 20:00 | maximum declination south: +21° 12 ′26″ |
| 10 | 08:00 | 4.0° (declination) south of Moon |
| 09:00 | 3.8° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon | |
| 11 | 17:00 | stationary (ecliptic longitude): direct motion → retrograde motion |
| 20:00 | stationary (right ascension): direct motion → retrograde motion | |
| December | ||
| 7 | 16:00 | 3.7° (declination) south of Moon |
| 17:00 | 3.7° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon | |
| 31 | 23:00 | 1.1° north of the planetary nebula C39 |
| January 2026 | ||
| 1 | 00:00 | maximum ecliptic latitude north: +0.24° |
Because the orbits of the planets are tilted slightly to the plane of the ecliptic, a planet normally passes to the north or the south of the Sun at conjunction. However, if the planet is near a node (the place in the orbit where the planet crosses the ecliptic) when it reaches conjunction, the planet may appear to cross in front of or behind the disk of the Sun. This situation occurs in June when Jupiter actually passes behind the Sun from the vantage point of Earth. (Jupiter is only 0.1° south of the centre of the solar disk at the instant of conjunction.) This type of conjunction is sometimes called an anti-transit or secondary eclipse.
Copyright © 2025 by L.M. Stockman and David Harper