Saturn in 2019 from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captures exquisite details of the ring system. … [+]
This Monday, Saturn will be the brightest during 2020, and will be visible throughout the night.
Saturn is in “opposition” on Monday, July 20, 2020, an important date for amateur astronomers and planet watchers because the planet will be well positioned and shine for the next few weeks and months.
It’s a busy month to observe the sky, with Jupiter’s opposition just before Saturn, along with a brilliant comet in plain sight, various missions to Mars, and many other celestial aspects to find.
What is Saturn’s opposition?
As with any of the outer planets of the Solar System, Saturn’s opposition occurs when Earth passes between it and the Sun on its own, faster journey around the Sun.
As a consequence of that geometry, Saturn’s disk will be fully illuminated, as seen from Earth. Therefore, Saturn will consider its biggest and brightest and best for all of 2020.
When is Saturn’s “opposition”?
Saturn’s opposition specificity date is Monday July 20, 2020, but practically speaking you can get the best views of the year from the “ringed planet” any time this week and month. Throughout July and part of August, Saturn will shine at its brightest moment in all of 2020; Technically it is going to be bigger and brighter between July 4 and August 9, 2020.
Why look at Saturn during its ‘opposition’?
“Opposition” is a good time to look at Saturn because:
- Its disc and its rings are as brilliant as those of the whole year.
- The apparent size of your disc is as big as it gets all year.
- Saturn is “awake” all night, more or less getting up at sunset and setting at dawn.
- You can see a “Saturn Rise” and a “Saturn Set”.
Where to find Saturn in the night sky
The ringed planet is currently on the boundary between the constellations Sagittarius, the Archer, and Capricorn, the Sea Goat. To find it, wait an hour after sunset and look southeast. If you have a clear view of the horizon, you should see it easily enough as a bright light just above the horizon.
Within an hour Jupiter will also see approximately 7º to the upper right corner of Saturn.
How to find Saturn in the night sky at 10 pmel July 20, 2020 from mid-north latitudes.
How Saturn’s position changes
Saturn’s position will change overnight; it will move higher in the sky, although from the midlatitudes of the northern hemisphere it never rises particularly, and will remain in the southern night sky.
The good news is that Saturn will be visible in the night sky alongside Jupiter until the end of December 2020, and both planets will appear to be moving west as Earth catches up to them. As they do, Jupiter will catch up with Saturn and appear to be getting closer.
The bad news is that Saturn’s disk never gets as big or bright as Jupiter’s.
How to see Saturn’s rings
Unlike Jupiter and its four large Galilean moons, Saturn’s rings are only visible in a telescope. Any small telescope will do to take a look, though around 150mm / 6 inches is recommended for a good view.
However, the rings don’t look better right now; They have been “open” for a few years, but now they are “closing” from Earth’s point of view. That said, viewing Saturn’s rings through a telescope is still perhaps the most impressive sight of all that begins with stargazing, planet-watching, and astronomy. They are also particularly brilliant in the few days around the opposition, so it’s worth the effort.
Just don’t expect Saturn’s rings to fill the field of view, we’re talking at a glance. After all, Saturn is about 845 million miles away.
On July 29, 2011, Cassini captured five of Saturn’s moons in a single frame with their narrow angle … [+]
How to see Saturn’s moons
Although Saturn’s moons are not particularly easy to find, if you are using a small telescope, you can spot one or two of them. There are 82 in total, although by far the easiest to see is its huge moon Titan, which is larger than the planet Mercury.
Next thing for Saturn: a ‘Great Solstice Conjunction’
As Earth moves away from its alignment with Saturn, the ringed planet will dim a little in the sky and move west. It will also rise earlier and earlier, eventually becoming visible in the western sky just after sunset. That will be the case in late December, when Saturn and Jupiter will appear so incredibly close to each other.
On December 21, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will be in a “Great Conjunction” and appear to be less than 1º apart in the night sky. That is so close that the two giant planets will seem to glow as one, and it will be as close as they seem to be since 1623.
What’s more, it is a “Grand Solstice Conjunction” as it occurs on the solstice date, although that is simply a coincidence. Such conjunctions between Saturn and Jupiter occur every 19.86 years, and the next one expires on October 31, 2040.
In the meantime, settle behind a small telescope and get the best 2020 view of Saturn’s rings. Or use your naked eyes to find it near Jupiter.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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