Jupiter appears to change direction in the night sky tonight: Here's why

The gas giant Jupiter is pictured against a black background in an image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Multi-coloured cloud bands and storms are visible on its surface, as is the Great Red Spot.

The gas giant Jupiter will appear to reverse direction in the night sky from tonight (March 10) onward, bringing an end to its temporary retrograde motion that began in November 2025, which saw it travel westward through the stars of the constellation Gemini.

Under normal circumstances, the outer planets of our solar system — Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — travel eastward through the night sky relative to the fixed starfield beyond. However, each of the planets appears to periodically shift direction and double back on itself.