Live · Saturn

How far is Saturn from Earth right now?

How far Saturn is from Earth right now is the centre-to-centre distance below. NASA’s range is 1,205.5 million km to 1,658.6 million km, and even at the near end the light takes more than an hour.

See Saturn in 3DAll distances

Computing the distance from your device’s clock…

Why the distance changes

Saturn orbits at about 9.6 AU, so Earth’s position changes the distance less, in proportion, than it does for Mars. NASA’s Saturn Fact Sheet lists 1,205.5 million km at the minimum and 1,658.6 million km at the maximum. The near point is opposition, about every 378 days, when Saturn rises as the Sun sets.

The live number is the JPL 3000 BC–3000 AD model used on the distance table. The nominal distance error for Saturn is about 4 million km. Light takes about 67 minutes at the near end and about 1.5 hours at the far end. The opening angle of the rings changes through Saturn’s 29-year orbit, but that tilt does not change the centre-to-centre distance reported here.

Other distances

Back to every body on the distance table. The same clock also fills these pages:

• Sun
• Moon
• Mercury
• Venus
• Mars
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune
• Pluto

Frequently asked questions

How far is Saturn from Earth right now?

The figure is the centre-to-centre distance at the time shown, from JPL’s approximate Keplerian elements for 3000 BC–3000 AD. The nominal distance error for Saturn is about 4 million km. It is not a Horizons ephemeris.

What is the closest and farthest Saturn gets?

NASA’s Saturn Fact Sheet lists 1,205.5 million km and 1,658.6 million km. The minimum is near opposition, which returns about every 378 days.

Why is the view of Saturn more than an hour old?

Even at 1,205.5 million km, light takes about 67 minutes to arrive. At 1,658.6 million km it takes about 1.5 hours. A telescope shows Saturn as it was that long ago.

Do the rings change the distance?

No. This page measures centre to centre. The rings’ tilt toward Earth changes how open they look across Saturn’s 29-year orbit. It does not change the distance figure.

Sources: JPL Approximate Positions of the Planets · NASA Saturn Fact Sheet for the 1,205.5 and 1,658.6 million km range.