Overview

• Saturn’s opposition occurs at 2 a.m. ET on September 21, making it brightest for the year and visible all night from sunset to sunrise.
• Titan’s shadow crosses Saturn on the night of September 20–21, beginning just after 1 a.m. ET (05:09–07:34 UTC) and lasting more than two hours, favoring the Americas.
• A new moon brings dark skies around the peak, and Saturn sits about 1.28 billion kilometers from Earth at opposition according to EarthSky.
• The planet is visible to the unaided eye, a small telescope can show its nearly edge-on rings, and nearby Neptune reaches opposition on September 23 but requires telescopic help.
• Saturn remains well placed through February 2026, with another transit opportunity reported for October 6 and a separate Titan transit on November 22.