Neptune at opposition, 2 October 2029

Neptune reaches opposition on 2 October 2029 around 15:04 UTC: the Sun, Earth and the planet line up, with the planet opposite the Sun, so it is visible all night. It is also closest to Earth, about 28.86 astronomical units (4,317 million km) away.

Visibility from Hungary (calculated for Budapest): the best moment to observe is 3 October 2029, 00:19 CEST: the target stands 45° high in the south, under a dark sky. The calculation is for Budapest; elsewhere in the country rise and set times differ by only a few minutes.

In the page's interactive 3D model the time machine jumps to this moment (2 October 2029) and the camera takes the view that fits the event: a close-up of the planet. You can freely scrub time forwards and backwards.

Planet positions come from our own approximate calculation (about 0.1-1° accuracy, times within a few hours).