Sept. 9, 2025
Today’s Apple Event didn’t deliver a new version of the Vision Pro as some rumors from Bloomberg predicted, but existing owners of the device did get a treat. Finally delivering on the promise made months ago, Apple pushed out a new update within visionOS 26 that adds the planet Jupiter to the list of immersive environments.
The new environment is the first among the previous options that gives users a kind of science fiction setting within which to watch their favorite space-based epics. (Yes, that’s a Foundation on Apple TV+ shout-out. It’s so good!)
Sure, we already had the moon, but, unless you believe the conspiracy theorists, the moon is already a part of our collective lived human experience. The introduction of Jupiter adds a new element of deep space wonder to the device.
SEE ALSO: Apple Vision Pro gets Harry Potter upgrade »
And to be clear, you’re seated on one of the nearby moons of Jupiter, not the planet itself, since it’s a gas giant. For those who aren’t up to speed on their planetary science, Jupiter has 95 moons. The one featured in the Vision Pro is called Amalthea (also known as Jupiter V), and was discovered in 1892 by American astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard.
This immersive environment is unique in that it is the only one on Vision Pro that can be controlled. Users can access the Vision Pro’s control panel (the one you open by reverse gesturing your hand, not the main app menu) and speed up the rotation of Jupiter. Speeding up Jupiter’s rotation helps the viewer more clearly notice the otherworldly gas swirls that hug the planet. And if you look away from Jupiter in the opposite direction, you can even see other stars and moons moving in realistic synchronization with your own rotation in space, it’s beautiful.
The new control also allows users to change the time of day to see what Jupiter looks like from its moon during night, afternoon, sunset, dawn, and sunrise on Amalthea. I think I’ve finally found my favorite immersive environment on Vision Pro when it’s time to watch my favorite science fiction films and TV series.
