If you have been wanting to see Saturn and its rings, now is a great time!
This week, Saturn reaches one of its yearly milestones. On the night of June 2-3, Earth will pass between it and the Sun. At that time, astronomers say the planet has reached its “opposition”. This means the giant gaseous world will be at its closest, and brightest, for the year.
In early June, as seen from Kindersley, Saturn appears above the southeastern horizon at around 10 pm. It swings westward across the sky throughout the night, and sets in the southwest at around 4:30 am. You will see it as a bright “star”, shining with a steady golden light. As seen in the photos, Mars will be its faithful companion, blazing just a little further west.
Being the dimmest of the five “bright” planets, Saturn will not appear as spectacular as Mars or Jupiter to the naked eye. However, with a small telescope or even a pair of binoculars, you can make out the planet’s rings. And, if you are fortunate, you might even see one of its largest moons—Titan or Rhea!
Read more by Katharina on kindersleysocial.ca/webarchive/sky-watcher
