Jupiter
Planet
The Greater Benefic — expansion, meaning and luck.
In the sky right now
Leo 22°36′
Ecliptic longitude 142.61°
Currently direct
Daily motion 0.148° per day
Retrograde cycle
- StatusDirect
- Last went directMar 11, 2026
- Next retrograde beginsDec 13, 2026
- Next retrograde endsApr 13, 2027
- Jupiter retrogrades once a year for about four months, so it spends roughly a third of every year in apparent backward motion.
Astronomy
- Average distance from the Sun
- 778.5 million km (5.2 AU)
- Orbital period
- 11.86 Earth years
- Rotation period
- 9 hours 56 minutes — the fastest in the solar system
- Diameter
- 139,820 km — 11 Earths across
- Mass
- 2.5× all other planets combined
- Moons
- 115 recognised by the IAU as of August 2026, including the four Galilean moons found in 1610
- Great Red Spot
- A storm observed continuously since at least 1831
- Composition
- Hydrogen and helium — no solid surface
Planetary facts follow NASA and JPL reference data. Moon counts reflect IAU-recognised satellites as of August 2026. Zodiacal positions and retrograde stations are calculated live using the app's VSOP87/NOVAS-derived astronomy engine rather than being hard-coded. The lunar nodes shown are True (osculating) nodes, computed from the Moon's instantaneous orbital plane — the same convention Astro.com uses by default.
Greek & Roman mythology
Greek
Zeus
Roman
Iuppiter (Jove)
Zeus was king of the Olympians, god of the sky, thunder, oaths and hospitality. Hidden on Crete as an infant so Cronus could not swallow him, he grew to overthrow the Titans and divide the cosmos with his brothers — sky for himself, sea for Poseidon, underworld for Hades.
He was the guarantor of xenia, the sacred duty of host to guest, and of sworn oaths, which is why he is invoked in treaties. His numerous affairs and transformations fill much of Greek myth and produced a large share of its heroes.
Jupiter was the chief god of the Roman state, worshipped as Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill, where his temple was dedicated in 509 BCE at the founding of the Republic. Triumphing generals rode to his temple; the name derives from Dyeu-pater, 'sky father', the same Indo-European root that gives Zeus.
In a natal chart
Jupiter governs growth, abundance, optimism, philosophy, higher education, travel, law and belief — anything that widens the frame.
It spends roughly one year in each sign, so a Jupiter return comes around every twelve years.
Jupiter rules Sagittarius and — traditionally — Pisces, is exalted in Cancer, in detriment in Gemini and Virgo, and in fall in Capricorn.
Rules: Sagittarius (and traditionally Pisces)
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Don't write your paper based on this page. We keep the facts as accurate as we can, but moon counts get revised, missions rewrite the textbooks, and the live positions are computed on the fly — treat this as a reliable starting point, not a real-time oracle.