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Jupiter retrograde: 2026 and 2027 dates, shadow, tradition

Jupiter retrograde would be read as growth turning inward, favorable to reflection.

  • growth
  • meaning
  • reflection
♃︎

Now: direct, in Leo

The essentials

Jupiter retrograde at a glance

For you

A yearly apparent step back that tradition associates with expansion turning inward.

A strength

A long, yearly appointment: time to watch the loop over several months, night after night.

Something to watch

Jupiter is the planet of promises: tradition nonetheless has it promise neither good nor bad fortune.

In the zodiac
In Leo
Length
121 days retrograde
Read more
The 2026 and 2027 periods Calculate my rising sign

By Thomas Guilhot · updated

The dates

The periods 2026 and 2027

Paris time. The shadow begins when Jupiter reaches the degree where it will turn direct again, and ends when it passes back over the degree where it had stopped.

  1. From December 13, 2026 to April 13, 202701 h 58 → 04 h 13 · 121 days · Leo
    Enters the shadow
    September 17
    Stations retrograde
    December 13, 01 h 58
    Stations direct
    April 13, 04 h 13
    Leaves the shadow
    July 11
  2. No period in 2027Jupiter stays direct all year

What tradition says

Jupiter is the Greeks’ Zeus, master of the gods, associated with luck, generosity, law, faith, and wide horizons.

He rules Sagittarius and, in the old tradition, Pisces. His retrograde motion would be a time when expansion turns inward: revising your convictions, rereading your large-scale projects, asking what really matters. Tradition would advise against big gambles, and in favor of validating what already exists first. This advice is reported and unverifiable. No difference in luck is measured between direct months and retrograde months.

Class
Social planet
Nature
Greater benefic
Cycle
About 12 years
Detriment
Gemini, Virgo
Fall
Capricorn
Joy
11th houseHellenistic tradition

A reading of the sky to take as food for thought, not to be followed blindly: the dates are calculated, and what tradition associates with them is reported in the conditional, announcing nothing. Why?

Before and after

Before and after: the shadow

As with the other planets, the shadow is an astrologers’ custom: it brackets the backward step on either side.

The other planets

The retrogrades of the planets

The Jupiter profile →

How is it calculated?

Stations: the moments when Jupiter’s apparent speed drops to zero, found to the second by the engine.

Frequently asked questions about Jupiter retrograde

When is Jupiter retrograde in 2026?

From December 13, 2026 (01 h 58) to April 13, 2027 (04 h 13), in Leo, Paris time. With the shadow, the period runs from September 17, 2026 to July 11, 2027.

When is Jupiter retrograde in 2027?

No Jupiter retrograde begins in 2027. The next one begins on December 13, 2026.

What is the shadow of Jupiter retrograde?

An astrologers’ convention: before the backward step, Jupiter reaches the degree where it will pass again; after it, it finds that degree later. Between these ends, the same degrees are crossed three times. For Jupiter, whose loop is long, this stretches the period over well more than half the year, as the table shows.

Does Jupiter really move backward?

No. Jupiter moves at 13 kilometers per second, always in the same direction. Once a year, the Earth, faster, overtakes it, and the planet seems to move backward against the stars for four months. A phenomenon visible to the naked eye, which fascinated astronomers even before the telescope.

What does tradition say about Jupiter retrograde?

It would read a time of examination: turning expansion toward yourself, checking your principles before extending them. Gambles and big ambitions would be discouraged. The tone is that of a tradition, in the conditional, with no demonstrated effect, and no good or bad year in advance.