Jupiter reaches opposition on January 10, 2026

Jupiter reaches opposition on January 10, 2026, appearing high in the northern winter sky; it will be about 4.23 AU from Earth around January 8 and shine near magnitude −2.7.

Jupiter is moving into the evening sky and will be at opposition in January 2026. Opposition places the planet opposite the setting Sun, so it rises at sunset and stays high through the night. For northern-hemisphere viewers, this opposition makes Jupiter prominent on long winter nights. The 2026 opposition occurs with Jupiter in the constellation Gemini. Key details: - Opposition date: January 10, 2026. - Closest approach timing and appearance: Jupiter passes about 4.23 AU (393 million miles / 633 million kilometers) from Earth on January 8, shines near magnitude −2.7, and shows an apparent disk of about 47 arcseconds. - Geometry and timing: This is one of the northernmost oppositions of the decade and the northernmost until 2036; Jupiter’s oppositions shift along the ecliptic on its 11.9-year orbit. - Brightness and daytime visibility: Jupiter is the fourth-brightest natural object in Earth's sky after the Sun, Moon and Venus; daytime spotting is possible with precise pre-sunset alignment and binoculars. - Moon and occultations: The Moon passes about 3.8° north-northeast of Jupiter on January 31; a series of four lunar occultations of Jupiter runs from September 8 through November 30, with a notable visibility event early on the morning of October 6 for eastern North America. - Visual features and dynamics: Even modest telescopes reveal Jupiter’s cloud bands and its four major moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto); the planet rotates in just under 10 hours, the Great Red Spot now appears more salmon to brick hued, and the Southern Equatorial Belt has shown occasional multi-year disappearances (last noted in 2010). Summary: Jupiter’s opposition on January 10 places the planet high and visible through northern winter nights, with close-approach and brightness peaking around early January. Several related events are noted for 2026, including the Moon’s close pass on January 31, a sequence of lunar occultations from September through November with an October 6 event for eastern North America, and the moons’ orbital plane becoming edge-on in October leading to mutual transits later in the year. Eastern quadrature is noted for April 5, 2026.