Saturn opposition on Sunday, planet to appear brightest and closest to Earth in 2026

Saturn will be at opposition on Sunday, when Earth passes between the Sun and Saturn, placing the ringed planet directly opposite the Sun in the sky. The event will make Saturn appear its brightest to the naked eye and largest through telescopes, while remaining visible throughout the night.

Hyderabad: A face-off between the Sun and Saturn is slated for Sunday with the planet Saturn being closest to Earth and appearing at its brightest to the naked eye, on Sunday. The celestial event of Saturn Opposition will occur at 5.59 pm tomorrow and due to the alignment, Saturn will be positioned directly opposite the Sun.

N. Sri Raghunandan Kumar, Director, Planetary Society, India, said in a statement Earth passes between the Sun and Saturn, creating a celestial ‘face-off’ between the two planets as seen from Earth. Because of this opposition, Saturn will also be at its closest to Earth in 2026, appearing at its brightest to the naked eye and largest when viewed through telescopes.

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Due to opposition, Saturn can be seen all through the night. As the Sun sets in the west, Saturn rises in the east and as the Sun rises in the east, Saturn sets in the west.

The general public can spot Saturn with the naked eye 45 minutes after sunset in the opposite direction. At midnight, by facing south, one can look high up in the southern sky to spot Saturn. In the morning, Saturn can be spotted towards the west-south-est direction.

The last Saturn Opposition took place on September 21, 2025, and this celestial event will occur again on October 18, 2027.

Due to the elliptical orbits of Earth and Saturn around the Sun, the distance between the two planets is constantly changing. According to planetary records, the distance between Saturn and Earth is approximately 120.55 crore km, whereas its maximum distance between the two planets can reach approximately 165.86 crore km, Raghunandan said.