Opposition
Uranus at Opposition
Uranus lies opposite the Sun in our sky — closest to Earth, brightest, and visible all night in Taurus.
Your local time
26 Nov 2026, 03:57
Universal time
25 Nov 2026, 22:27 UTC
Countdown
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At opposition Uranus 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
- Visible
- Best viewing time
- 25 Nov 2026, 23:57
- Direction to look
- W · azimuth 275°
- Altitude at peak
- 38.0°
- Equipment
- Telescope Required
- Distance from Earth
- 18.444 AU
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.6
- Constellation
- Taurus
The object is 38° above your W horizon in a dark sky.
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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.