This Monday, Saturn will be the brightest it gets during 2020, and it will be visible all night long.
Saturn is at “opposition” on Monday, July 20, 2020, an important date for amateur astronomers and planet- gazers because the planet will be well- positioned and shining brightly for the next few weeks and months.
(Image: NASA)
It’s a busy month for skywatching, with Jupiter’s opposition coming just before Saturn’s, along with a bright naked-eye comet, various missions to Mars, and plenty of other celestial highlights to find.
What is Saturn’s opposition?’
As with any of the Solar System’s outer planet’s, Saturn’s opposition occurs when Earth passes between it and the Sun on its own, faster, journey around the Sun.
When is Saturn’s ‘opposition?’
The specificities date of Saturn’s opposition is Monday, July 20, 2020, but practically speaking you can get the year’s best views of the “ringed planet” anytime this week and month. During all of July and some of August, Saturn will shine at its brightest of all of 2020; technically it’s going to be at its biggest and brightest between July 4 through August 9, 2020.
Why to look at Saturn during its ‘opposition’
“Opposition” is a great time look at Saturn because:
- Its disk and its rings are as bright as the get all year.
- The apparent size of its disk is as big as it gets all year.
- Saturn is “up” all night long, more or less rising at sunset and setting at sunrise.
- You can watch 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 of Sagittarius, the Archer and Capricorn, the Sea Goat. To find it, wait an hour after sunset and look to the 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 the hour you’ll also see Jupiter about 7º to Saturn’s upper-right.
(Source: Skysafari)
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