Jupiter Will Be At Its Brightest Tonight — Here’s What It Means For You

Hope for clear weather tonight, stargazers. Jupiter will be directly opposite from the sun, which will make it visible for most of the night and particularly bright to boot. Since this outer planet is pretty slow-moving, it'll be on display for the rest of the month. But, even if you have no interest in whipping out your telescope tonight, this illuminating aspect is still one to watch — after all, you could feel its effects until the sun moves from Taurus into Gemini on May 20.

An opposition is one of the major astrological aspects, or angles, that can appear between planets. It occurs when two celestial bodies are across from each other on the Wheel of the Zodiac (in this case, the sun is in Taurus and Jupiter is in Scorpio). Astrologically speaking, an opposition is associated with tension as well as compromise — there's always potential for conflict when two celestial bodies oppose each other, but their interaction can also lead to a newfound sense of balance. In this case, the compromise you'll have to seek is one where you can enjoy a period of luck without getting too cocky.

In a blog post on his site Astrology King, astrologer Jamie Partridge writes that the sun and Jupiter function like each other's megaphones when they oppose each other. While Jupiter urges us to chase our goals and seek happiness, the sun, ruler of our ego, imbues us with enough confidence to actually do as Jupiter suggests. It's easy to feel like you're on top of the world during a transit like this one, but it's just as likely that that your sudden self-assuredness will lead you to make some risky choices.

Unsurprisingly, astrologer Kelli Fox compares dealing with a sun-Jupiter opposition to having "too much of a good thing." On the one hand, you want to take advantage of this sense of good fortune and make the moves you've been too timid to make otherwise (say, pitching that major project at work or finally getting a pixie cut). On the other hand, one too many big moves could send you down an unpleasant path (maybe that project keeps you at the office into the wee hours or your pixie cut ends up requiring way more upkeep than you'd prefer).

Luckily, we could all stand to learn the lesson that this opposition wants to teach us: Don't bite off more than you can chew. Don't overdo it. Or, to paraphrase the American classic Top Gun, don't let your ego write checks that your body can't cash. You can maintain a healthy sense of perspective and still capitalize on that invincible, totally Jupiterian feeling. And, if you need a little help sticking to a reasonable pace, just remember that sensible and slow Saturn is still retrograde — and it's more than happy to rein in any dramatic actions.