The planets · Saturn
Saturn at opposition, Oct 4, 2026
At opposition Saturn is on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun: it rises in the east as the Sun sets, is highest around midnight and sets at sunrise. It's the closest and brightest it gets this year, and it stays nearly as good for a few weeks either side.
- Opposition
- Oct 4, 2026, 12:12 PM UTC
- Distance
- 1261.7 million km (784.0 million miles)
- Brightness
- magnitude 0.2
- Size through a telescope
- 19 arcseconds
- Where
- in Cetus
Any small telescope shows the rings. The tilt of the rings changes over the years; in 2025 they were nearly edge-on and they slowly open up again after that.
From your city
When Saturn rises that night where you are, and where it's highest.
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