July 26, 2026: Saturn begins retrograde motion in the predawn sky. Learn why the Ringed Wonder appears to move westward, how opposition creates the effect, and where to observe it.
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope photo of Saturn reveals the planet’s cloud bands and a phenomenon called ring spokes.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:39 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:15 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Venus as an Evening Star
Saturn Retrogrades
Saturn begins to retrograde. Any body in the solar system that is farther from the sun than Earth appears to move backward when Earth passes between that object and the sun. Normally, the planets appear to move eastward compared to the distant starfield. As Earth overtakes one of the distant bodies, the line of sight from Earth to that object appears to shift westward against the distant stars, creating the illusion of retrograde motion.
This occurs when Earth overtakes Saturn and passes between the planet and the sun, known as opposition. Because Saturn revolves around the sun in nearly 30 years, successive oppositions occur about every 378 days.
Track Saturn’s Retrograde Through A Binocular
Retrograde begins in the morning sky when Saturn is nearly 110° west of the sun in the south-southeast before sunrise. Geometrically, the Sun-Earth-Saturn angle is about 110°. The planet appears to move westward through opposition (October 4), when it rises at sunset and remains in the sky throughout the night. Retrograde continues until Saturn appears nearly 110° east of the sun (December 10) in the south-southwest during the evening hours. The beginning and ending points of retrograde occur at nearly equal angular separations from the sun on opposite sides of opposition.
During this apparition, Saturn is near the Pisces-Cetus border in front of a non-descript starfield that includes 96 Piscium (96 Psc) and 14 and 20 Ceti (14 Cet and 20 Cet). The planet retrogrades within a binocular field, crossing in front of Cetus on September 6.
Saturn Before Sunrise
Tonight, Saturn rises before local midnight. When morning twilight begins, around two hours before daybreak, the Ringed Wonder is 45° above the southeast horizon, an excellent location to view its rings through a telescope. An hour later, Saturn is in the south-southeast and the rings remain visible.
Saturn’s rings are easy telescope targets throughout the retrograde season as the planet brightens toward opposition.
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