Transit guide · Dec 13, 2026 – Apr 13, 2027
Jupiter retrograde: dates, meaning and what to do
Jupiter retrograde is the stretch of about four months, about every 13 months, when Jupiter appears to move backwards through the zodiac and questions of growth, beliefs, luck and plans that got too big come up for review. This guide lists the dates and degrees for 2026–2042, explains what is happening in the sky, and separates the astronomy from the astrological reading.
Jupiter retrograde is the period of about four months each year when Jupiter appears to move backwards from Earth's viewpoint. The next one runs December 13, 2026 – April 13, 2027, in Leo; the previous one ended on March 11, 2026. Astrologers read it as a time to review growth, beliefs, luck and plans that got too big.
Is Jupiter retrograde right now?
Computed in your browser from NASA JPL Horizons positions (UTC dates). The app adds your own chart: which of these retrogrades touch your planets.
Key sky dates, late 2026 – early 2027
The transits most people feel in decisions, relationships and money.
When is Jupiter retrograde?
Jupiter is retrograde twice in the 2026 calendar: the previous retrograde ended on March 11, 2026 at 15° Cancer, and the next one runs December 13, 2026 – April 13, 2027, from 27°01′ Leo back to 16°00′ Leo. In US time zones the stations fall on the evening before: December 12 and April 12. The one after that is January 12 – May 13, 2028, from 27° Virgo back to 17° Virgo.
Jupiter is retrograde about every 13 months, for about four months: about 30% of the time. The stations, when it stops and turns, are the days astrologers watch most closely.
Jupiter retrograde dates, 2026–2042
| Retrograde (UTC dates) | Stations retrograde at | Stations direct at | Opposition to the Sun | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 11, 2025 – Mar 11, 2026 | 25° Cancer | 15° Cancer | Jan 10, 2026 | 119 days |
| Dec 13, 2026 – Apr 13, 2027 | 27° Leo | 16° Leo | Feb 11, 2027 | 121 days |
| Jan 12 – May 13, 2028 | 27° Virgo | 17° Virgo | Mar 12, 2028 | 122 days |
| Feb 10 – Jun 13, 2029 | 27° Libra | 17° Libra | Apr 12, 2029 | 123 days |
| Mar 13 – Jul 15, 2030 | 27° Scorpio | 17° Scorpio | May 13, 2030 | 123 days |
| Apr 15 – Aug 16, 2031 | 28° Sagittarius | 19° Sagittarius | Jun 15, 2031 | 122 days |
| May 19 – Sep 17, 2032 | 2° Aquarius | 22° Capricorn | Jul 19, 2032 | 121 days |
| Jun 25 – Oct 23, 2033 | 7° Pisces | 27° Aquarius | Aug 25, 2033 | 119 days |
| Aug 3 – Nov 29, 2034 | 13° Aries | 4° Aries | Oct 2, 2034 | 117 days |
| Sep 9, 2035 – Jan 5, 2036 | 20° Taurus | 10° Taurus | Nov 8, 2035 | 117 days |
| Oct 14, 2036 – Feb 9, 2037 | 26° Gemini | 16° Gemini | Dec 12, 2036 | 118 days |
| Nov 16, 2037 – Mar 15, 2038 | 29° Cancer | 19° Cancer | Jan 14, 2038 | 119 days |
| Dec 17, 2038 – Apr 17, 2039 | 1° Virgo | 21° Leo | Feb 15, 2039 | 121 days |
| Jan 16 – May 18, 2040 | 1° Libra | 21° Virgo | Mar 16, 2040 | 122 days |
| Feb 14 – Jun 18, 2041 | 1° Scorpio | 21° Libra | Apr 16, 2041 | 123 days |
| Mar 18 – Jul 19, 2042 | 2° Sagittarius | 22° Scorpio | May 17, 2042 | 123 days |
Computed from NASA JPL Horizons (geocentric positions in the tropical zodiac). Dates are UTC; a station in the first hours of a UTC day falls on the previous evening in the Americas. The opposition is the midpoint of every Jupiter retrograde. Each row links to that year's guide with shadow dates and a reading for every sign.
What is happening in the sky
Nothing reverses. Retrograde motion is an apparent change of direction seen from Earth, the same effect as a slower car seeming to slide backwards when you overtake it. Jupiter needs about 12 Earth years to circle the Sun, so it spends roughly a year in each sign and each retrograde happens one sign further on. Earth overtakes it every 399 days, a little over 13 months, which is why the dates slide about a month later every year. The middle of the retrograde is the opposition, when Jupiter is opposite the Sun, visible all night and brighter than any star.
What Jupiter retrograde means in astrology
Jupiter stands for growth, opportunity, faith, learning and generosity, and also for excess. Retrograde, the growth is read as internal: you re-examine what you believe, scale back promises that outran your resources, and take a second look at an opportunity you rushed past. It is a mild retrograde and a useful one, closer to an annual review than to a disruption.
In Leo the review is about confidence, creativity, generosity, romance and how much room you take up.
What to do during Jupiter retrograde
Review plans, budgets and courses before expanding them. Return to study or a belief you never examined. Say no to one commitment that only exists because you overpromised. New ventures are not off limits, but check that the growth is real and not just bigger. The sky suggests; you decide.
Born with Jupiter retrograde
Close to a third of people are born with Jupiter retrograde, so it is common. Astrologers read it as a self-made philosophy: luck that arrives through inner work and a private sense of meaning more than through outside approval. A birth chart shows it with an R next to Jupiter; you can check yours with the birth chart calculator.
Jupiter retrograde by year
Each year has its own guide: exact station times, shadow dates, which other planets are retrograde at the same time, and what the retrograde asks of each sign.
2026 · 2027 · 2028 · 2029 · 2030 · 2031 · 2032 · 2033 · 2034 · 2035 · 2036 · 2037 · 2038 · 2039 · 2040 · 2041 · 2042
The guide for the retrograde in focus is Jupiter retrograde 2027.
Jupiter retrograde: questions
When is Jupiter retrograde?
Jupiter is retrograde December 13, 2026 – April 13, 2027, from 27° Leo back to 16° Leo. Before that it was retrograde November 11, 2025 – March 11, 2026. The next dates are January 12 – May 13, 2028.
How often is Jupiter retrograde, and for how long?
Jupiter is retrograde about every 13 months, for about four months. That is about 30% of the time. Mercury, by comparison, is retrograde three or four times a year for about three weeks.
When does Jupiter go direct?
Jupiter stations direct on April 13, 2027 at about 02:10 UTC, at 16°00′ Leo (the evening of April 12 in US time zones). It clears the post-retrograde shadow on July 11, 2027, when it passes the degree where the retrograde began.
What does Jupiter retrograde mean?
In astrology Jupiter stands for growth, beliefs, luck and plans that got too big. A retrograde is read as a review of those themes: slower outward progress and more reworking of what is already in motion. In astronomy it is only an apparent change of direction caused by Earth overtaking Jupiter.
Which sign is Jupiter retrograde in?
The Dec 13, 2026 – Apr 13, 2027 retrograde is entirely in Leo: Jupiter moves from 27°01′ Leo back to 16°00′ Leo. The following one, Jan 12 – May 13, 2028, runs from 27° Virgo back to 17° Virgo.
Is Jupiter retrograde real?
The backward drift is a real observation and not a real reversal. Jupiter never changes direction in its orbit; it appears to move backwards because Earth, on a faster inner orbit, overtakes it. The astrological meaning is an interpretive tradition, not a physical effect.
What does it mean to be born during Jupiter retrograde?
Close to a third of people are born with Jupiter retrograde, so it is common. Astrologers read it as a self-made philosophy: luck that arrives through inner work and a private sense of meaning more than through outside approval.
Sources
The checkable facts on this page come from these external sources. The astrological interpretation is our own.
- Horizons System (planetary ephemeris service) · NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryJupiter retrograde stations, degrees, shadow dates and oppositions for 2026–2042, computed from JPL Horizons positions (focus: 2026-12-13 00:54 UTC at 27°01′ Leo to 2027-04-13 02:14 UTC at 16°00′ Leo)
- Jupiter: Facts · NASA ScienceJupiter makes a complete orbit around the Sun in about 12 Earth years (4,333 Earth days)
- What does it mean for Mercury to be in retrograde? · NASARetrograde motion is an apparent change in a planet's movement through the sky; the planet does not physically move backwards in its orbit
- Retrograde motion · Encyclopaedia BritannicaDefinition of retrograde motion as an apparent reversal seen from Earth
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