This is a dated observing guide for one event. Check the source calendar and local conditions before making plans. A later year needs its own fresh forecast.
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When it happens
JPL Horizons puts opposition at about 00:29 UTC on February 11, 2027. SkyLumi’s own ephemeris gives 00:17 UTC, twelve minutes earlier. Both use the same geometry, and the difference is far smaller than the window that matters.
The date matters more than the minute. Jupiter stays near its best for several weeks either side. A clear night in late January or early March still works.
What you will see
Jupiter shines at magnitude −2.6 at opposition, brighter than any star in the sky. It is 652 million km away, and its disc measures 45 arcseconds across.
To the eye it is a steady creamy point that barely twinkles. Braced binoculars show up to four of its moons as tiny dots strung out in a line.
You will not see the cloud belts or the Great Red Spot without a telescope. A small telescope at 50x shows two dark belts. The Red Spot needs steady air and some patience.
Where to look
Jupiter sits in Leo at this opposition, at right ascension 9h 39m and declination +15 degrees. It rises in the east as the Sun sets, and stands highest around local midnight.
That northern declination puts it high for most of Europe, North America and Asia. From southern Australia and southern South America it stays lower, though it is still easy to find.
The Moon that night
On February 11, 2027 the Moon is a waxing crescent about 22% lit, per the US Naval Observatory. It sets early in the evening. Moonlight does not trouble a planet this bright in any case.
The next one
Jupiter comes to opposition about every 13 months. The next falls around March 12, 2028, computed with the same ephemeris this site uses. That page will be written once the date is checked against a primary source.
Mars reaches its own opposition eight days after this one, also in Leo. Read the Mars opposition guide for that night.
Sources and image credits
- NASA JPL Horizons. Opposition instant, distance, apparent magnitude and apparent diameter, from apparent geocentric ecliptic longitudes at one-minute steps, fetched 8 September 2026.
- NASA: Jupiter. General facts about the planet and its moons.
- US Naval Observatory: Moon phase and illumination. Moon phase and illuminated fraction on February 11, 2027, fetched 8 September 2026.
Written for beginners from the sources above. How we research and correct the library. Found an error? Tell us.