BRITS will have a brilliant view of Saturn tonight – and it’ll be looking pretty unusual to boot.
This week marks Saturn’s opposition, which is a premium stargazing (or rather, planet-gazing) event.
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During the opposition, Saturn is at its closest point to Earth.
And Saturn will be visible opposite the Sun in the sky so it’s fully illuminated.
That means it’ll be at its brightest point of the year.
So if you want to spy it, you’ll have your best chance tonight – assuming that it’s not cloudy.
It should rise after sunset and be visible all night.
This event will make Saturn easily visible to the naked eye,” said the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
“Appearing as pale yellow and rising in the east, located in the constellation of Pisces.”
Interestingly, this is a particularly special event because Saturn’s rings will be difficult to see.
They’re tilted at a severe angle to us, as we passed through their “plane” back in March.
We do that roughly every 13 to 15 years.
During a few weeks either side of that crossing, you can’t see the rings unless you have a very good telescope.
And even though we’re well on from March, the rings are still very severely tilted.
In fact, they’re just two degrees off dead straight to us.
“Saturn’s beautiful rings won’t be fully visible due to Saturn’s rotation turning edge-on to us,” Royal Observatory Greenwich said.
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“So unfortunately the rings will appear very narrow.”
If you miss Saturn (or you really enjoy it) then there’s another opposition opportunity just a couple of days later.
Neptune can be seen at opposition on September 23 – that’s the Tuesday.
“The planet will be visible with a telescope, rising in the east and setting in the west at sunrise,” Royal Observatory Greenwich explained.
The Sun’s top tips for amateur stargazers
Here’s an easy guide to get you started…
- Head up somewhere high
- Avoid light pollution
- Bring binoculars
- Wrap up warm and bring a snack
- Sit out in the dark for at least half an hour to let your eyes adjust
- A star spotter guide and a compass can help you find a particular constellation or star
- Alternatively, consider using an app like Night Sky on iPhone
“Neptune, the farthest planet in our Solar System at 4.3 billion kilometres away, will be at its closest point to Earth, shining blue and brighter than any other time of the year.”
But it won’t be easy to see.
Neptune is extremely far away – much further than Saturn.
So you’ll need a very good telescope to spy it.
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“Even with an optical aid, Neptune appears faint and you’ll need a high magnification to get a clear view,” the observatory added.
Best dark-sky locations to view the stars
Here are the 10 best locations to see the night sky in the U.S. and U.K.:
United States
- Death Valley National Park – California
- Arches National Park – Utah
- Vermillion Cliffs National Monument – Arizona
- Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor – Oregon
- Acadia National Park – Maine
- Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park – Arizona
- Adirondack Mountains – New York
- Waimea Canyon – Kauai, Hawaii
- Bisti Badlands – New Mexico
- Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest – California
United Kingdom
- Cairngorms National Park (Tomintoul and Glenlivet – Cairngorms) – Scotland
- North York Moors National Park – North East England
- Yorkshire Dales National Park – North East England
- Northumberland National Park (with Kielder Water and Forest Park) – North East England
- Lake District National Park – North West England
- Snowdonia National Park – Wales
- Elan Valley – Wales
- Brecon Beacons National Park – Wales
- Exmoor National Park – South West England
- South Downs National Park – South East England
