EVERYLAUNCH // PLANETARY FIX
Saturn is 1,297 million km away
That’s 8.67 astronomical units, and its light takes 72.1 minutes to reach you. The figure is worked out for right now. Saturn’s distance from Earth keeps changing, so an average would be wrong on almost every day.
COMPUTED 2026-11-11 06:29:36Z · RECOMPUTED EVERY 15 MINUTES
Drag the globe to spin it, or use the view buttons. The shaded side is night, set from the real angle between the Sun, Saturn and Earth. Surface features are drawn at their real coordinates. We don't work out which side faces Earth right now, so the side you see is just where you've turned it.
Right now
- DISTANCE
- 8.67 AU
- 1,297 million km · 806 million mi
- NEXT CLOSEST
- October 18, 2027
- 1,249 million km · 776 million mi, computed
- LIGHT TIME
- 72.1 min
- one way
- BRIGHTNESS
- +0.7
- naked eye
- APPARENT SIZE
- 19.2″
- 94× smaller than the Moon
- LIT
- 100%
- of the disc
- FROM THE SUN
- 140°
- angular separation
- IN THE SKY
- evening
- sets after the Sun
- SUN DISTANCE
- 9.44 AU
- its own orbit
What Saturn is like
Less dense than water, and the only planet whose rings you can see in a small telescope.
- TEMPERATURE
- -140 °CMean, at the 1-bar level, since there's no surface
- PRESSURE
- 1 barQuoted at the 1-bar level. It keeps rising the deeper you go
- WINDS
- 1,800 km/hFastest sustained winds recorded
- ONE DAY
- 10.7 hoursSunrise to sunrise
- ATMOSPHERE
- 96% hydrogen, 3% helium
PUBLISHED REFERENCE VALUES FROM NASA FACT SHEETS · NOT LIVE READINGS · NO SPACECRAFT REPORTS LIVE WEATHER FROM SATURN
Orbitburn is a gravity lander where every planet pulls on your ship. It's free on Android.Get it free on Google Play
Common questions
How far away is Saturn right now?
Saturn is 1297 million kilometres (806 million miles) from Earth right now. That's 8.67 astronomical units, or 72 light-minutes. The figure keeps changing as both planets move. This page works it out fresh instead of quoting an average, because an average is wrong on almost every day.
When is Saturn closest to Earth?
Saturn's next closest approach is around October 18, 2027, at about 1249 million kilometres (776 million miles). It's worked out to the nearest day from the same orbit model as the live figure on this page.
Can I see Saturn tonight?
Yes, with the naked eye. Saturn is at magnitude +0.7 and 140 degrees from the Sun. It's in the evening sky and sets after the Sun. Look for a point of light that doesn't twinkle.
How long does light take to reach us from Saturn?
72.1 minutes right now. You always see Saturn as it was that long ago. The delay changes as the distance does, and right now there are 1297 million kilometres between us.
How hot is Saturn?
-140°C on average, measured at the 1-bar level, since there's no surface. Quoted at the 1-bar level. It keeps rising the deeper you go. That's a published reference value, not a live reading. No spacecraft sends live weather from Saturn right now.
How big does Saturn look from Earth?
19.2 arcseconds across right now. The full Moon is about 1,800 arcseconds, so Saturn looks about 94 times smaller than the Moon. That's why it's just a point of light without a telescope.