Jupiter at its brightest, February 2027

90 nights to go

Wednesday 10 February 2027 · All night

The Moon that night: 19% lit. If the sky is clear.

On the evening of 10 February 2027 (US time), Jupiter is opposite the Sun in our sky: it rises in the east at sunset, is up all night, and is at its brightest of the year, brighter than any star. It is the best week of 2027 to look at Jupiter with binoculars.

In February, Jupiter is up all night and very bright. It's the biggest planet. Ask a grown-up to help you find it in the east after dark.

Opposition means Earth is passing between the Sun and Jupiter, so Jupiter is opposite the Sun in our sky. It rises as the Sun sets and is closest to us for the year, so it looks brightest. Binoculars show its four big moons.

Astronomy-engine puts Jupiter's opposition at 5:17 pm Mountain Time on 10 February 2027, at magnitude about −2.6. Galileo saw the same four moons in 1610; their changing positions from night to night were early evidence that not everything goes around Earth.

Two bright dots in a black sky, the lower one with tiny dots beside it. — Saturn (top) and Jupiter (bottom, with its moons as tiny dots) from Alexandria, Virginia, 17 December 2020. Photo: NASA/Joel Kowsky (NASA Image and Video Library, public domain).

Where to look

East at sunset, high in the south around midnight, west before dawn.

What to do

After sunset, look east for the brightest point that doesn't twinkle: that's Jupiter.
Brace binoculars on a fence or car roof and look for up to four tiny dots in a line: its biggest moons.
Look again the next night: the dots will have moved.

More sky events

“If it's cloudy, don't worry. The planets will still be there tomorrow night.”