How potent is Marduk?
A Question of Jupiters Brightness Jupiter varies in magnitude from -1.6 to – 2.98. This variation of Jupiter’s magnitude depends on several factors. It is at its dimmest magnitude when it is at aphelion (its greatest distance from the sun) which occurs when Jupiter is in the tropical zodiac sign Virgo. It is at its brightest magnitude of -2.98 when Jupiter is at perihelion (closest to the sun) when it is in the sign of Pisces. So every twelve years, when Jupiter is in its old rulership of Pisces it will be at its brightest. Furthermore, as the Earth moves around its orbit we, during the course of a year, move closer or further from Jupiter. Thus when there is a Jupiter-Sun opposition (which means that the Earth is between Jupiter and the Sun and thus closer to Jupiter), then Jupiter is the brightest it can be in a particular year. When there is a Sun-Jupiter conjunction (indicating that the Earth is on the opposite side to the Sun and Jupiter), then Jupiter is at its dimmest for the ye