Saturn will reach opposition—on the opposite side of the sun in our sky—on September 21, 2025.
Saturn at opposition in 2025
When to see in 2025: Saturn is best visible around its September 21 opposition as it rises in the east at sunset and is visible all night. After opposition, Saturn disappears from the morning sky gradually as it rises and sets four minutes earlier each day. Three months after opposition, i.e., by the end of December 2025, Saturn is visible in the evening sky only as it sets at midnight.
How to identify: Saturn will appear brighter than all the stars in the eastern sky after sunset around its September 21 opposition. It shines with a steady light (unlike stars) and is easily visible to the naked eye. However, you will need a telescope to see its rings.
Closest approach of Saturn in 2025: Saturn will be closest to Earth around its September 21 opposition, when Earth passes between the sun and Saturn. At its closest approach, Saturn will be 8.55 AU, or 1.28 billion kilometers, from Earth.
Brightness at opposition: At its September 21 opposition, Saturn will be brightest for 2025 and will shine with a magnitude of +0.6.
Disk size at opposition: At its September 21 opposition, Saturn will be largest in size for 2025 and will appear 18.8 arcseconds in diameter through a telescope.
Constellation at opposition: At its September 21 opposition, Saturn will be located in the zodiac constellation Pisces, the Fish.
What does “Saturn at opposition” mean?
Saturn reaches opposition when Earth passes between the sun and the ringed planet Saturn.
As the sun and Saturn are on opposite sides of the Earth during opposition, they appear on opposite sides, or 180° apart, in our sky.
As a result, Saturn 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.
How often does Saturn reach opposition?
Saturn takes about 29.4 Earth years to orbit the sun once. So when our Earth makes one full orbit around the sun, Saturn travels 1/29.4 of the way around the sun. So to create Saturn’s opposition, our Earth would have to travel an extra 1/29.4 of the way in its orbit, which takes about (1/29.4)*365 = 12 days to travel.
That’s why Saturn reaches opposition once every 1 year and 12 days, or 377 days.
Saturn’s opposition dates
Here are the dates of Saturn’s opposition from 2025 to 2029, according to NASA:
| Date of opposition | Date of closest approach | Distance of closest approach (A.U.) |
|---|---|---|
| September 21, 2025 | September 21, 2025 | 8.55 |
| October 4, 2026 | October 5, 2026 | 8.43 |
| October 18, 2027 | October 18, 2027 | 8.32 |
| October 30, 2028 | October 31, 2028 | 8.22 |
| November 13, 2029 | November 14, 2029 | 8.14 |
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