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Opposition
Neptune at Opposition
Neptune lies opposite the Sun in our sky — closest to Earth, brightest, and visible all night in Pisces.
Your local time
26 Sept 2026, 06:56
Universal time
26 Sept 2026, 01:26 UTC
Countdown
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Partially visible from New Delhi, IndiaTelescope RequiredVisible worldwide where sky conditions allow
At opposition Neptune is directly opposite the Sun as seen from Earth. It rises at sunset, is highest around local midnight and sets at sunrise. This is also close to its minimum distance from Earth, so the planet appears at its largest and brightest for the year — the best time to observe it with a telescope.
Observation details
- Visibility
- Partially visible
- Best viewing time
- 26 Sept 2026, 00:26
- Direction to look
- W · azimuth 275°
- Altitude at peak
- -8.7°
- Equipment
- Telescope Required
- Distance from Earth
- 28.876 AU
- Apparent magnitude
- 7.8
- Constellation
- Pisces
The event's peak happens below your horizon, but the same part of the sky reaches 61° later in the night.
New Delhi, India
28.6139°, 77.2090° · default location
Photography & observing tips
- •Observe when the planet is highest, near local midnight, to look through the least atmosphere.
- •Let a telescope cool to ambient temperature for 30 minutes before high-magnification viewing.
- •Planetary imaging works best by recording short video and stacking the sharpest frames.
Other opposition events
The nearest occurrences before and after this one.