Look up! Oct. 4 will be the best time to view Saturn
The ringed planet will be visible all night, rising as the sun sets in the evening and setting with the rising sun in the morning.
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After gracing our night sky for the last several months, Saturn now takes center stage in October. Saturn will shine the brightest this year with its closest approach while at opposition on Oct. 4. Opposition is when a planet is directly opposite the sun and it reflects all of the sunlight back to Earth. Think of it like a full moon in our night sky.
The ringed planet will be visible all night, rising as the sun sets in the evening and setting with the rising sun in the morning. The best time to view it is closer to midnight, because it will be highest in the night sky. Saturn is easily visible with the unaided eye. It will be shining at a 0.3 magnitude and look as bright as the brightest stars. Using binoculars will make viewing even better. You’ll be able to see the planet as a disk. If you would like to see the planet’s rings, then you’ll need a small telescope at least.
Last year the rings were hard to see because they were edge-on to Earth. This is a cycle that happens every 13-15 years. Currently, the rings have tipped to about 7.5 degrees and are visibly widening.
Be sure to take a look this weekend, or anytime we end up with a clear night sky now through the end of the year. Saturn will be back at opposition in 378 days on Oct. 18, 2027.
Fun facts about Saturn: Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun. It moves very slowly and takes almost 30 Earth years to complete one orbit. When in opposition, it will be 784 million miles away from Earth. Put it another way, it takes 70 minutes for its light to reach us. The beautiful ringed planet also has a tilt, which is similar to Earth’s and this results in seasons.
