Wednesday October 9, 2024

Jupiter Reverses Course (late night)

On Wednesday, October 9, the eastward prograde motion of the planet Jupiter between the horns stars of Taurus will slow to a stop. After tonight, Jupiter will accelerate into a westward retrograde loop that will last until early February. The planet's bright, white dot will be shining in the lower part of the eastern sky in late evening and then high in the west at sunrise. Retrograde loops occur when Earth, on a faster orbit closer to the sun, passes distant planets "on the inside track", making them appear to move backwards across the stars for a period of time. You can notice Jupiter's motion over
the coming weeks by comparing its position to the bright stars Elnath and Aldebaran to its north and west, respectively.


(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
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