Jupiter at opposition 2026: Best time to see Jupiter

Jupiter at opposition

Jupiter reaches opposition when Earth passes between the sun and the giant planet Jupiter.

As the sun and Jupiter are on opposite sides of the Earth during opposition, they appear on opposite sides, or 180° apart, in our sky.

As a result, Jupiter rises in the east when the sun sets in the west, reaches its highest point in the sky at midnight when the sun is below your feet, and sets in the west when the sun rises in the east.

Jupiter is best visible around opposition

Jupiter at opposition marks the best time to see the outer planet, as it’s visible throughout the night under clear skies. More precisely, it signifies the middle of the best time of the year to observe the planet.

After opposition, Jupiter disappears from the morning sky gradually as it rises and sets four minutes earlier each day.

So, one month after opposition, Jupiter rises 4*30 minutes = 120 minutes = 2 hours before sunset and sets 2 hours before sunrise.

So, three months after opposition, Jupiter is visible in the evening sky only as it rises 6 hours before sunset, i.e., at noon, and sets 6 hours before sunrise, i.e., at midnight.

Jupiter is closest, largest and brightest around opposition

Jupiter is closest to Earth around the time of its opposition because the sun, Earth, and Jupiter are all lined up in a straight line, and Jupiter is located on the same side of the sun as Earth around the time of its opposition.

Jupiter at opposition and the closest approach of Jupiter to Earth would occur at the same time if the orbits of Earth and Jupiter were perfectly circular.

Jupiter appears largest and brightest in our sky around the time of its opposition, as it marks the closest approach of Jupiter to Earth.

Jupiter at opposition in 2026

Jupiter will reach opposition on January 10, 2026, at 08:00 UTC (3 a.m. EST).

Best time to see Jupiter: Jupiter will be best visible from early to late January 2026, when the planet rises in the east at sunset and is visible all night long.

Closest approach of Jupiter to Earth: Jupiter will be closest to Earth on January 9, 2026, that is, one day before its opposition in 2026. At its closest approach, Jupiter will be 4.23 A.U., that is, 632 million km from Earth.

Brightness at opposition: At its January 10 opposition, Jupiter will be brightest for 2026 and will shine with a magnitude of -2.5. It will be the second brightest object in the night sky after the moon.

Disk size at opposition: At its January 10 opposition, Jupiter will be largest in size for 2026 and will appear 45.6 arcseconds in diameter through a telescope.

Constellation at opposition: At its January 10 opposition, Jupiter will be located in the zodiac constellation Gemini, the Twins.

Visibility through the naked eye: Jupiter is easily visible to the naked eye. It will appear brighter than all the stars in the night sky around the time of its opposition.

Visibility through binoculars: Jupiter will appear as a bright white disk. You will be able to see Jupiter’s four largest moons (known as the Galilean moons) through a pair of binoculars, appearing as star-like points of light next to Jupiter.

Visibility through a telescope: A telescope reveals the actual color of Jupiter. You will need a larger telescope (6-inch diameter or more) to see the Great Red Spot of Jupiter and its bands in more detail.

How often does Jupiter reach opposition?

Jupiter takes about 12 Earth years to orbit the sun once. So when our Earth makes one full orbit around the sun, Jupiter travels 1/12 of the way around the sun. So to create Jupiter’s opposition, our Earth would have to travel an extra 1/12 of the way in its orbit, which takes about (1/12)*365 = 30 days to travel.

That’s why planet Jupiter reaches opposition once every 1 year and 30 days, or 13 months.

Dates of Jupiter’s opposition

Here are the dates of Jupiter’s opposition from 2024 to 2029, according to NASA:

Related article: Saturn at opposition 2025: Best time to see Saturn

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