Live · Jupiter

How far is Jupiter from Earth right now?

Centre-to-centre distance from Earth to Jupiter, updated in this browser. Jupiter is far enough that the gap changes slowly, and the light you see left Jupiter half an hour to an hour ago.

See Jupiter in 3DAll distances

Computing the distance from your device’s clock…

Why the distance changes

Jupiter orbits at about 5.2 AU. Earth adds or subtracts 1 AU depending on whether Jupiter is at opposition or on the far side of the Sun. NASA’s Jupiter Fact Sheet lists the Earth distance as 588.5 million km at minimum and 968.5 million km at maximum. Opposition, the near end, comes about every 13 months.

The live figure uses the JPL 3000 BC–3000 AD elements on the distance table. JPL’s nominal distance error for Jupiter on that fit is about 1 million km, small beside a gap of 600 to 970 million km. Light takes about 33 minutes to cover the near end and about 54 minutes to cover the far end. “Approaching” on this page means the centre-to-centre gap is shrinking. It is not Jupiter’s speed along its orbit.

Other distances

Back to every body on the distance table. The same clock also fills these pages:

• Sun
• Moon
• Mercury
• Venus
• Mars
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune
• Pluto

Frequently asked questions

How far is Jupiter from Earth right now?

The figure is the centre-to-centre distance at the time shown, from JPL’s approximate Keplerian elements for 3000 BC–3000 AD. The nominal distance error for Jupiter is about 1 million km. It is not a Horizons ephemeris.

What is Jupiter’s closest and farthest distance from Earth?

NASA’s Jupiter Fact Sheet lists 588.5 million km and 968.5 million km. The minimum is near opposition and the maximum is near conjunction, when Jupiter is behind the Sun.

Why does Jupiter’s distance change slowly?

Jupiter’s orbit is nearly circular and far outside Earth’s. Earth’s motion changes the gap by less than a factor of two, and Jupiter itself barely moves in a month. The rate shown here is only the change in distance.

How old is the light we see from Jupiter?

About 33 minutes at 588.5 million km and about 54 minutes at 968.5 million km. You see Jupiter as it was that long ago. This page does not shift the position by that delay.

Sources: JPL Approximate Positions of the Planets · NASA Jupiter Fact Sheet for the 588.5 and 968.5 million km range.