Opposition · The night of October 17–18
Saturn at opposition 2027
Saturn sits on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun: it’s up all night, closer and brighter than at any other time of the year. It shines at magnitude −0.1 in Pisces and its disk is 20″ (arcseconds) across.
- Opposition
- Monday, October 18, 2027
- Distance
- 1246 million km (774 million mi)
- Brightness
- Magnitude −0.1
- Size
- 20″
- Where
- In Pisces
- From Madrid
- 56° high at 2:06, when it crosses the meridian
From your location
Calculating…
How to see it
With the naked eye it’s a bright point, with a steady light, rising in the east at dusk. Through a telescope, the rings show up even at low power, and with more, the Cassini Division and Titan alongside.
How to photograph it
- Lots of focal length and a planetary camera: f/15 to f/20 with a small-pixel camera. Without enough focal length it’s just a dot.
- Video, not photos: thousands of frames in SER format, then AutoStakkert! keeps the sharpest ones and stacks them.
- Seeing is king: look for nights with steady air and the planet near the meridian, as high as possible.
Frequently asked questions
When is Saturn at opposition in 2027?
On October 18, 2027. The weeks around it are just as good: its size and brightness barely change.
Do I need a telescope?
To see it, no: it’s a bright point, and it doesn’t twinkle like the stars. To see the rings, yes: a small telescope is enough.
What’s the best time?
When it crosses the meridian and is at its highest: from Madrid, at 2:06, 56° up. The higher it is, the less atmosphere you’re looking through and the sharper it gets.
Calculated with Astronomy Engine (MIT) for the center of each city. It doesn’t take your horizon or the clouds into account. Times in 24-hour format: UT is Universal Time; Spanish time is CET in winter (UT+1) and CEST in summer (UT+2).