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The path of Jupiter against the background stars of Pisces, Aries and Taurus from March 2022 to June 2025, with positions marked on the 1st of each month (click on the thumbnail for the full-size image). Periods when the planet was unobservable (i.e. when it was too close to the Sun, or passed behind it) are indicated by a dashed line; hence the planet became lost from view (in the evening sky) in late March 2023 and became visible again (in the morning sky) in early May of that year. The chart shows the changing shape of a planet's apparent looping formation as it moves through the zodiac: Jupiter described Southward-facing loops in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 observing periods, morphing to a 'hybrid' loop (half loop, half zig-zag) in the 2024-25 period as the planet approached its ecliptic crossing in late 2025. The star map applies to observers in the Northern hemisphere (i.e. North is up); for the Southern hemisphere view, click here. The faintest stars on the map have an apparent magnitude of about +4.8. Printer-friendly versions of this chart are available for Northern and Southern hemisphere views. Astronomical co-ordinates of Right Ascension (longitude, measured Eastwards in hrs:mins from the First Point of Aries) and Declination (latitude, measured in degrees North or South of the celestial equator) are marked around the border of the chart. Click here to see a star map of the area without a planet path; a printable version can be found here. Night sky photographs of the region, together with dates of the planet's passage of the brighter stars, can be seen below. Star names shown in yellow-green were officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2017. Four of the five such names shown on this chart were drawn from Hindu, Chinese and Mayan mythology (for more details see the IAU's Working Group on Star Names pages). |
The Position of Jupiter in the Night Sky:
2022 to 2024
by Martin J. Powell
Having spent much of 2021 on the border between the constellations of Capricornus, the Sea-Goat, and Aquarius, the Water-Carrier, Jupiter began its 2022-23 apparition as it emerged in the dawn sky - rising just ahead of the Sun - in late March 2022, positioned in the North-eastern corner of Aquarius. The planet was positioned several degrees South of the Circlet asterism (star pattern) in Western Pisces, the Fishes at this time.
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Jupiter and three of its moons imaged by Christofer Báez (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) in August 2021 using an 8-inch (203 mm) Orion Skyquest Dobsonian telescope fitted with a CMOS camera. An animation can be found at the ALPO-Japan site (Image: Christofer Báez / ALPO-Japan) |
Jupiter entered Pisces in mid-April of 2022, crossing to the North of the celestial equator (where the declination of a celestial body is 0°) in late May. The planet entered the non-zodiacal constellation of Cetus, the Whale or Sea Monster, in late June, cutting across the constellation's North-western corner. Jupiter reached its Eastern stationary point in late July before turning retrograde (moving East to West) and describing its 2022-23 loop in Southern Pisces, straddling the celestial equator. Jupiter re-entered Pisces at the start of September, reaching opposition (its closest and brightest orbital position in relation to the Earth for that year) in the fourth week of that month, when it was positioned on the celestial equator; it was also the planet's closest and brightest opposition in twelve years. The planet continued its retrograde motion and reached its Western stationary point in late November, positioned only 2° to the SSW of the First Point of Aries (Right Ascension = 0 hours, 0 minutes 0 seconds), where the Sun crosses the celestial equator in a Northward direction at the Vernal (Spring) equinox. Jupiter then resumed direct motion (West to East), crossing to the North of the celestial equator once more in mid-January 2023. The planet entered Cetus again in early February of that year, again clipping its North-western corner, re-entering Pisces through its Southern border around mid-month. Jupiter headed out of view in the dusk twilight in late March 2023, marking the end of the planet's 2022-23 apparition.
Jupiter
passed through
superior
conjunction
(positioned behind the Sun
as seen from the Earth) in mid-April 2023, re-appearing in the dawn sky in
early May, heralding the start of its 2023-24 apparition. The planet was
positioned in South-eastern Pisces,
a short distance West of the star Torcular (
Psc or Omicron Piscium, apparent
magnitude +4.2) at this time. Jupiter
moved into
Aries,
the Ram, in mid-May, where it described its 2023-24 loop in the South of the
constellation. The planet reached its Eastern stationary point in early September
2023, positioned several degrees North of the 'head' of Cetus.
Jupiter's
motion then turned retrograde, the planet reaching opposition in the first
week of November
in central Southern Aries.
Jupiter continued its retrograde motion and reached its Western stationary point on
the first day of January 2024, positioned about 11°
SSE of the constellation's brightest star Hamal (
Ari or Alpha Arietis,
mag. +2.0). The planet
then resumed direct motion, eventually heading out of view in the dusk sky as it crossed
the boundary into Taurus,
the Bull, in late April 2024.
Jupiter remained
out of view for the next six weeks, passing through superior conjunction in mid-May 2024 before emerging into the dawn sky in early June at the
start of its 2024-25 apparition. Due to the planet's high Northerly declination,
this apparition was the best for Northern hemisphere observers since that of
2013-14
(see the Jupiter Transit
Altitudes section below). As
it emerged in the dawn sky Jupiter was positioned
several degrees to the WNW of the Hyades star
cluster, a V-shaped asterism at the centre of the constellation
which forms the 'head' of the Bull. Jupiter
continued its Eastward (direct) motion until it reached its Eastern
stationary point in the second week of October 2024. It then turned retrograde and
over the next 6½ months the planet described its 2024-25 'hybrid' loop
between the 'horns' of the Bull. Jupiter
reached opposition
one week into December, positioned about a degree to the WNW of the star
Tau
(Iota Tauri, mag. +4.6). Jupiter then
continued Eastwards and reached its Western stationary point in early February
2025, located just outside the Bull's Northern horn. It then resumed direct motion
once more, again passing between the Bull's horns over the next couple of months
before heading out of view in the evening
twilight
during the first week of June 2025, marking the end of the planet's 2024-25
apparition. Jupiter entered
Gemini,
the Twins, in the second week of June and, a few days later, attained
its most Northerly declination (
= +23° 16' or +23°.28
in decimal form).
Jupiter passed through superior conjunction during the fourth week of June 2025, re-appearing in the dawn sky in mid-July in Western Gemini.
[Terms in yellow italics are explained in greater detail in an associated article describing planetary movements in the night sky.]
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Jupiter in Libra, the Balance photographed by the writer on the planet's opposition day in May 2018. The photograph covers a region of sky extending from Virgo in the West to Ophiuchus in the East. In the full-size picture stars in the darker regions are visible down to about magnitude +7.0 (move your pointer over the image - or click here - for an annotated version and click on the thumbnail for the full-size photo).
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Jupiter Opposition Data, 2022 to 2024
Data relating to Jupiter's oppositions from 2022 to 2024 are provided in the table below:
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Apparition Period |
Opposition Circumstances |
Superior Conjunction |
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Opposition Date |
Constellation |
Declination |
Apparent Magnitude |
Diameter (arcsecs) |
Tilt |
View from Earth (North up) |
Distance (AU)* |
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Equatorial |
Polar |
from Earth |
from Sun |
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2022/23 |
2022 Sep 26 |
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Psc |
+0°.0 |
-2.8 |
49".9 |
46".6 |
+2°.6 |
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3.9525 |
4.9549 |
2023 Apr 11 |
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2023/24 |
2023 Nov 3 |
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Ari |
+13°.6 |
-2.8 |
49".5 |
46".3 |
+3°.4 |
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3.9825 |
4.9745 |
2024 May 18 |
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2024/25 |
2024 Dec 7 |
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Tau |
+22°.1 |
-2.7 |
48".2 |
45".1 |
+2°.9 |
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4.0894 |
5.0744 |
2025 Jun 24 |
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* 1 AU (Astronomical Unit) = 149,597,870 kms (92,955,807 statute miles) |
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Jupiter opposition data for the period 2022 to 2024. The Declination is the angle of the planet to the North (+) or South (-) of the celestial equator; on the star chart, it represents the planet's angular distance above or below the blue line. The angular diameter (or apparent size) of the planet as seen from Earth is given in arcseconds (where 1 arcsecond = 1/3600th of a degree). Jupiter reached a maximum angular diameter at the 2022 opposition, after which it reduced slightly year on year as its opposition distance from Earth increased. This is reflected in the planet's apparent magnitude, which peaked at the 2022 opposition, faded fractionally at the 2023 opposition but faded further at the 2024 opposition. After passing perihelion - its closest orbital point to the Sun - in January 2023, Jupiter's solar distance increased slightly over the period. The Tilt (the inclination of Jupiter's rotational axis relative to the Earth's orbital plane) is positive (+) when Jupiter's Northern hemisphere is tipped towards the Earth and negative (-) when its Southern hemisphere is tipped towards the Earth; the maximum value it can attain is ±3°.4. The Tilt values were obtained from NASA's Jupiter Ephemeris Generator 2.8. All other data were obtained from 'Redshift' and 'SkyGazer Ephemeris' software. The Jupiter images were obtained from NASA's Solar System Simulator. |
Superior conjunction occurs when Jupiter passes behind the Sun as seen from the Earth; the planet is not visible from Earth for about two weeks on either side of this date. At superior conjunction during the period in question, the planet's apparent brightness as seen from Earth faded from its brightest by almost one whole magnitude to -1.9 (in 2023), -1.8 (in 2024) and -1.7 (in 2025) and its apparent diameter shrank to 33".1 (in 2023), 32".7 (in 2024) and 32".0 (in 2025).
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Jupiter Conjunctions with other Planets, April 2022 to August 2024
Five observable conjunctions involving Jupiter took place during the period, all but one of them being in the morning sky. They became more favorable to Northern hemisphere observers over time as Jupiter ascended the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun, which the Moon and planets follow closely) from Aquarius through to Gemini. In fact, the final two events were visible with relative ease worldwide.
Conjunctions between Jupiter and Venus are perhaps the most spectacular to view and the most photogenic. During the period in question there were two occasions when these two planets could be seen together.
The most visually spectacular of the two took place on April 30th 2022, when Venus passed just 15' (0°.25) to the South of Jupiter in South-western Pisces. The closeness of the pairing allowed both planets to be easily contained within the eyepiece of a small telescope. Jupiter, at 34".8 across, appeared twice the apparent size of Venus, however Venus shone 6½ times brighter since Jupiter was 5½ times more distant. The conjunction took place when Venus was only 4° short of its greatest Western elongation from the Sun, providing ideal viewing circumstances for Southern hemisphere observers in particular. As the fainter planet (Jupiter) disappeared from view in the dawn twilight, observers here saw the planets attain an altitude of between 35° (at 45° South) and 40° (at 15° South) above the ENE horizon. Northern hemisphere latitudes saw the pair reach between 8° (50° North) and 37° (at the Equator) above the ESE horizon as Jupiter faded from view. Northwards of about latitude 40° North the planets were seen in continuous twilight from rising to disappearance.
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A Conjunction of Jupiter with Venus on the morning of November 13th 2017, photographed by the writer. The pair were positioned on the Virgo-Libra border and were separated by 0°.3 (click on the thumbnail for the full-size image). |
The only evening conjunction of the period was between Jupiter and Venus on March 2nd 2023 in central Southern Pisces. It was ideally positioned for the Northern hemisphere due to the steep angle of the ecliptic in the Western sky after sunset at this time of year; it was rather less spectacular when seen from the Southern hemisphere, where the pair were seen at lower horizon altitudes. The angular separation of 32' (0°.53) was twice that of April 2022. At latitude 60° North Jupiter and Venus were at a respectable 20° high in the WSW as Jupiter became visible in the dusk twilight, whilst at 40° North they were 26° high. The highest altitudes were in the Northern Tropics where they were 28° high in the West at Jupiter's first appearance. In the Southern hemisphere the pair were in the WNW upon Jupiter's first appearance, the altitudes being as follows: 22° at latitude 15° South, 18° at 25° South, 14° at 35° South and only 9° at 45° South (where the pair were seen in twilight throughout). The planets set in darkness at latitudes North of about 32° South.
Jupiter and Mars were involved in two conjunctions during the period. Most conjunctions between these planets occur at solar elongations of less than 90°, when Mars is far from its brightest in any given apparition. Such was the case for the May 2022 and August 2024 events, which took place at elongations of 64° and 65° respectively, the Red Planet shining above magnitude +1.0 in both cases. Conjunctions between Jupiter and Mars provide a good opportunity to compare their distinctly differing colours with the naked-eye.
The Jupiter-Mars conjunction of May 29th 2022 took place close to the celestial equator in Pisces, the Red Planet passing 38' (0°.63) to the South of the much brighter gas giant. It was ideally placed for Southern hemisphere observers. At magnitude -2.1, Jupiter shone thirteen times brighter than Mars and it consequently remained visible for a longer period of time in the dawn twilight. At latitude 50° North the two planets were placed just 16° above the ESE horizon as Mars disappeared from view. At 30° North they were 37° above the ESE horizon at disappearance and at the Equator they were 58° above the Eastern horizon. Altitudes in the Southern hemisphere were considerably better: 57° high in the North-east at latitude 25° South, 51° high in the NNE at 35° South and 43° high in the NNE at 45° South.
The Jupiter-Mars conjunction of August 14th 2024 took place under similar circumstances to that of 2022 but the planets' more Northerly location in the zodiac made it more favourable to Northern hemisphere observers. At magnitude +0.8 Mars was only fractionally dimmer than in 2022 but the separation was narrower, at 18' (0°.3). At latitude 60° North the pair reached a decent 36° above the ESE horizon as Mars faded from view, whilst at 50° North they were 45° high, also in the ESE. At 30° North they were 58° high in the Eastern sky at the Red Planet's disappearance whilst at the Equator they were 57° high in the North-east. South of the Equator the pair were positioned in the NNE at Mars' disappearance; at latitude 15° South they reached 46° above the horizon whilst at 45° South they were 22° above the horizon.
The narrowest separation of the five conjunctions was that between Jupiter and Neptune on April 12th 2022, when Jupiter (mag. -1.9) passed only 6' (0º.1) to the North of Neptune (+7.9) - an angular distance equivalent to about eleven apparent Jupiter diameters. Since Neptune is the faintest of the observable planets in the night sky, it follows that any conjunction with a bright planet will be technically difficult to observe and optical aid will be required for such an event. Through both telescopes and binoculars, Jupiter's brilliance - almost 9,000 times that of Neptune - means that Neptune must be positioned outside the field of view to enable it to be comfortably seen. Twilight quickly renders Neptune unobservable (even through binoculars) so any conjunctions taking place less than about 20° from the Sun will be difficult or impossible to see. The conjunction of April 2022 was however several degrees above that limit, at 29° West of Sun.
The Jupiter-Neptune conjunction was not viewable from most of the Northern hemisphere - at latitude 20º North, for example, the pair attained an altitude of just 5º above the Eastern horizon as Neptune faded from view. Although rising in darkness and at a reasonable solar elongation, the arrival of dawn twilight meant that even in the Southern hemisphere the pair did not rise far above the horizon before Neptune disappeared from view. From the Equator they were placed only 9° above the Eastern horizon whilst at 35° South they were 10° high in the East. Much more obvious to the naked-eye observer on this occasion was 'Morning Star' Venus, positioned only 16° away to the WSW of the pair and rising about 1¼ hours ahead of them. Venus encountered its own planetary conjunction with Neptune only two weeks later.
The following table lists the observable conjunctions involving Jupiter which took place during the period in question. In several cases, other planets were also in the vicinity and these are detailed. Note that, because some of the conjunctions occurred in twilight, the planets involved may not have appeared as bright as their listed magnitude suggests.
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Jupiter conjunctions with other planets from April 2022 to August 2024 The column headed 'UT' is the Universal Time (equivalent to GMT) of the conjunction (in hrs : mins). The separation (column 'Sep') is the angular distance between the two planets, measured relative to Jupiter, e.g. on 2023 Mar 2, Venus was positioned 0°.5 North of Jupiter at the time shown. The 'Favourable Hemisphere' column shows the Hemisphere in which the conjunction was best observed. The expression 'Not high NHem' indicates that observers at latitudes further North than about 45°N will have found the conjunction difficult or impossible to observe because of low altitude and/or bright twilight. In the 'When Visible' column, a distinction is made between Dawn/Morning visibility and Dusk/Evening visibility; the terms Dawn/Dusk refer specifically to the twilight period before sunrise/after sunset, whilst the terms Evening/Morning refer to the period after darkness falls/before twilight begins (some conjunctions take place in darkness, others do not, depending upon latitude). The 'Con' column shows the constellation in which the planets were positioned at the time of the conjunction. To find the direction in which the conjunctions were seen on any of the dates in the table, note down the constellation in which the planets were located ('Con' column) on the required date and find the constellation's rising direction (for Dawn/Morning conjunctions) or setting direction (for Dusk/Evening conjunctions) for your particular latitude in the Rise-Set direction table. |
Although any given conjunction takes place at a particular instant in time, it is worth pointing out that, because of the planets' relatively slow daily motions, such events are interesting to observe for several days both before and after the actual conjunction date.
There are in fact two methods of defining a planetary conjunction date: one is measured in Right Ascension (i.e. perpendicular to the celestial equator) and the other is measured along the ecliptic which is inclined at 23½° to the Earth's equatorial plane (this is due to the tilt of the Earth's axis in space). An animation showing how conjunction dates are determined by each method can be found on the Jupiter-Uranus 2010-11 triple conjunction page. Although conjunctions measured along the ecliptic can be significantly closer, the Right Ascension method is the more commonly used, and it is the one which is adopted here.
Constellations of the Zodiac: Photographs
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Passage of Bright Stars, March 2022 to May 2025
As it slowly moves along the 'celestial highway' known as the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun through the constellations, which the Moon and planets follow closely) Jupiter passes numerous bright stars. For the period in question these are listed below, in chronological order:
2022
Psc (Theta Piscium, mag. +4.3) in the Circlet
in Pisces,
the Fishes.
Psc (Iota Piscium, mag. +4.1) in the Circlet
in Pisces,
the Fishes.
Psc (Omega Piscium, mag. +4.2) in Pisces,
the Fishes (moving direct).
Cet (Iota Ceti, mag. +3.5) in Cetus,
the Whale (moving direct).
Cet (Iota Ceti, mag. +3.5) in Cetus,
the Whale (moving retrograde). Psc (Omega Piscium, mag. +4.2) in Pisces,
the Fishes (moving retrograde). Psc (Omega Piscium, mag. +4.2)
in Pisces,
the Fishes (moving direct).2023
Cet (Iota Ceti, mag. +3.5) in Cetus,
the Whale (moving direct).
Psc (Delta Piscium, mag. +4.4)
in Pisces,
the Fishes.
Psc (Epsilon Piscium, mag. +4.2)
in Pisces,
the Fishes.
Psc (Nu Piscium, mag. +4.4) in
Pisces,
the Fishes.
Psc or Omicron Piscium,
mag. +4.2) in Pisces,
the Fishes.
Ari or Gamma Arietis,
mag. +3.9) in Aries,
the Ram.
Ari or
Beta Arietis,
mag. +2.6) in Aries,
the Ram.
Psc or Alpha Piscium,
mag. +3.8) in Pisces,
the Fishes.
Ari or Alpha Arietis,
mag. +2.0) in Aries,
the Ram.
1
Cet
(Xi-1 Ceti, mag.
+4.3) in Cetus,
the Whale.2
Cet
(Xi-2 Ceti, mag.
+4.2) in Cetus,
the Whale (moving direct).
Cet or Gamma Ceti,
mag. +3.6) in Cetus,
the Whale (moving direct).
Cet (Mu Ceti, mag.+4.3) in Cetus,
the Whale (moving direct).
Cet (Mu Ceti, mag.+4.3) in Cetus,
the Whale (moving retrograde).
Cet or Gamma Ceti,
mag. +3.6) in Cetus,
the Whale (moving retrograde).2
Cet
(Xi-2 Ceti, mag.
+4.2) in Cetus,
the Whale (moving retrograde).2024
2
Cet
(Xi-2 Ceti, mag.
+4.2) in Cetus,
the Whale (moving direct).
Cet or Gamma Ceti,
mag. +3.6) in Cetus,
the Whale (moving direct).
Cet (Mu Ceti, mag.+4.3) in Cetus,
the Whale (moving direct).
Ari (Epsilon Arietis, mag. +4.6) in Aries,
the Ram.
Cet or Alpha Ceti,
mag. +2.5) in Cetus,
the Whale.
Ari or Delta Arietis,
mag. +4.3) in Aries,
the Ram.2 Tau (Omega-2 Tauri, mag. +4.9) in
Taurus,
the Bull.
Tau or Gamma Tauri, mag. +3.6) in the Hyades in
Taurus,
the Bull.1
Tau or Delta-1 Tauri, mag. +3.7) in the Hyades in Taurus,
the Bull.
1
Tau (Kappa-1 Tauri, mag. +4.2) and 2
Tau (Kappa-2 Tauri, mag. +5.2) in Taurus,
the Bull.3
Tau (Delta-3 Tauri, mag. +4.2) in the Hyades in Taurus,
the Bull.
Tau (Upsilon Tauri, mag. +4.3) in Taurus,
the Bull.
Tau or Epsilon Tauri, mag. +3.5) in the Hyades in Taurus,
the Bull.2
Tau or Theta-2 Tauri, mag. +3.7) in the Hyades in Taurus,
the Bull.
Tauri,
mag. +0.9) in the Hyades in Taurus,
the Bull.
Tau (Tau Tauri, mag. +4.2) in Taurus,
the Bull (moving direct).
3
Ori or Pi-3 Orionis, mag. +3.2) in Orion,
the Hunter (moving direct).2
Ori (Omicron-2 Orionis, mag. +4.1) in Orion,
the Hunter (moving direct).
Aur
or Iota Aurigae, mag. +2.5) in Auriga,
the Charioteer (moving direct).
Tau
(Iota Tauri, mag. +4.6) in Taurus,
the Bull (moving direct).
Tau
(Iota Tauri, mag. +4.6) in Taurus,
the Bull (moving retrograde).
Aur
or Iota Aurigae, mag. +2.5) in Auriga,
the Charioteer (moving retrograde).2
Ori (Omicron-2 Orionis, mag. +4.1) in Orion,
the Hunter (moving retrograde).3
Ori or Pi-3 Orionis, mag. +3.2) in Orion,
the Hunter (moving retrograde).2025
Tau (Tau Tauri, mag. +4.2) in Taurus,
the Bull (moving retrograde).
Tau (Tau Tauri, mag. +4.2) in Taurus,
the Bull (moving direct).3
Ori or Pi-3 Orionis, mag. +3.2) in Orion,
the Hunter (moving direct).2
Ori (Omicron-2 Orionis, mag. +4.1) in Orion,
the Hunter (moving direct).
Aur
or Iota Aurigae, mag. +2.5) in Auriga,
the Charioteer (moving direct).
Tau
(Iota Tauri, mag. +4.6) in Taurus,
the Bull (moving direct).
Ori
or Gamma Orionis, mag. +1.6) in Orion,
the Hunter.
Tau or Beta Tauri,
mag. +1.6) in Taurus,
the Bull.
Ori or Lambda Orionis,
mag. +3.5) in
Orion,
the Hunter.
Tau
or Zeta Tauri, mag. +2.9v) in
Taurus,
the Bull.
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Jupiter Transit Altitudes, 2022 to 2024
Jupiter's meridian transit altitude (as seen from any given point on Earth) depends upon the observer's latitude and the constellation in which the planet is positioned at the time. As a result, certain apparitions are more favourable to observers in one hemisphere than to observers in the opposite hemisphere. This is demonstrated in the table below, which covers the period of the star chart:
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Transit altitudes of Jupiter at successive oppositions from 2022 to 2024, as seen from a variety of latitudes. The Declination (Dec.) is the angle of the planet to the North (+) or South (-) of the celestial equator at the time of the planet's opposition. The Altitude Range is the approximate altitude variation over the course of the apparition, e.g. for the 2023/24 apparition at latitude 40° North, the transit altitude of Jupiter ranged from (63°.6 - 4°.3) = 59°.3 to (63°.6 + 4°.3) = 67°.9. The table shows that, after 2022, Jovian transit altitudes improved significantly for Northern hemisphere observers but worsened for Southern hemisphere observers. |
What are the best and worst case scenarios regarding Jupiter's transiting altitude? Southern hemisphere observers witnessed their best case scenario (and Northern hemisphere observers witnessed their worst) in the 2019 and 2020 apparitions, when the planet was positioned in Ophiuchus and Sagittarius, respectively (see table on the 2019-21 page). Jupiter then transited at altitudes of around 70° to 80° at mid-Southern latitudes.
Prior to 2024, Northern hemisphere observers saw their best case scenario (and Southern hemisphere observers saw their worst) in the 2013-14 observing period, when Jupiter was positioned at its most Northerly point in Gemini (see table on the 2011-14 page). Observers at mid-Northern latitudes then saw the planet transit at around 70° high in the sky whilst mid-Southern hemisphere observers saw the planet transiting at only 30° high.
Moon near Jupiter Dates, 2024
The Moon is easy to find, and on one or two days in each month, it passes Jupiter in the sky. Use the following table to see on which dates the Moon was in the vicinity of the planet during 2024:
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Moon near Jupiter dates for 2024 (no date is shown for May because Jupiter was too close to the Sun at this time). The Date Range shows the range of dates worldwide (allowing for Time Zone differences across East and West hemispheres). Note that the dates, times and separations at conjunction (i.e. when the two bodies are at the same Right Ascension) are measured from the Earth's centre (geocentric) and not from the Earth's surface (times are Universal Time [UT], equivalent to GMT). The Sep. & Dir. column gives the angular distance (separation) and direction of the planet relative to the Moon, e.g. on March 14th at 01:02 UT, Jupiter was 3°.6 South of the Moon's centre. The Moon Phase shows whether the Moon was waxing (between New Moon and Full Moon), waning (between Full Moon and New Moon), at crescent phase (less than half of the lunar disk illuminated) or gibbous phase (more than half but less than fully illuminated). |
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The Moon moves relatively quickly against the background stars in an Eastward direction, at about its own angular width (0º.5) each hour (about 12º.2 per day). Because it is relatively close to the Earth, an effect called parallax causes it to appear in a slightly different position (against the background stars) when seen from any two locations on the globe at any given instant; the further apart the locations, the greater the Moon's apparent displacement against the background stars. Therefore, for any given date and time listed in the table, the Moon will have appeared closer to Jupiter when seen from some locations than from others. For this reason, the dates shown in the table should be used only for general guidance.
Credits
Copyright Martin J Powell March 2022
