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47601
From: Eve, [DNS_Address]
Subject: ~Saturn at Opposition & Brightest in Aquarius - August 26th - 27th~
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Caption: As evening falls in August 26, 2023, watch for bright golden Saturn just above the southeastern horizon. Saturn’s opposition, when we fly between Saturn and the sun, is at 8 UTC on August 27 (3 a.m. CDT). So it’s in a wonderful place to see now, ascending in the east in the evening, as seen from around the globe. Saturn at opposition is in the dim constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer. In addition, if you have a dark sky, you can see the dim, but pretty constellation Capricornus the Sea-goat. It has the shape of an arrowhead. Indeed, you can see them crossing the sky all night, traveling along the ecliptic, the same path the sun travels during the day. Also, the bright star Fomalhaut is nearby. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky. Earth flies between the sun and Saturn on August 26-27, 2023, placing the ringed planet opposite the sun – at opposition – in our sky. Saturn at opposition When and where to watch in 2023: Around its August 26-27 opposition, Saturn is rising in the east at sunset and is visible all night. Afterward, for the rest of 2023 Saturn will remain visible in the evening sky. It’ll finally disappear in the sunset glare by mid-February 2024. Date and time of opposition: 8 UTC on August 27, 2023 (3 a.m. CDT). Brightness at opposition: At opposition, the ringed planet shines at its brightest for 2023, at magnitude 0.4. Distance from Earth at opposition: Around opposition, Saturn is at its shortest distance from Earth for 2023, at 73 light-minutes (about 8.8 astronomical units). Constellation at opposition: Aquarius the Water Bearer. Disk size at opposition: Saturn’s disk size is largest around opposition. At its largest, Saturn will appear 19 arcseconds across. Ring tilt at opposition: At opposition, Saturn’s rings are tilted by 8.1 degrees, relative to earthly viewers. The rings will span 44.2 arcseconds. Note: Opposition marks the middle of the best time of the year to see an outer planet. Even though you can’t see Saturn’s rings through binoculars, it’ll appear through binoculars as a bright oval-shaped disk. But any small backyard telescope will show the rings.  Opposition happens when Earth flies between an outer planet, like Saturn, and the sun. Illustration via Heavens-Above. Used with permission. --->For precise sun and Saturn rising times at your location: Old Farmer’s Almanac (U.S. and Canada) timeanddate.com (worldwide). Stellarium-Web (online planetarium program) |
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47602
From: Eve, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: ~Saturn at Opposition & Brightest in Aquarius - August 26th -...
URL: https://www.almanac.com/saturn-closest-earth-and-brightest-august-2023
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Saturn and Earth are in constellation Aquarius, the Sun is in constellation Leo. Saturn was rather bright when I looked a few nights ago so anyone who has clear skies may want to take a look here is an excerpt from Farmer's Almanac with tips on how to see this event: Tips on how see Saturn at its closest point to Earth (EXCERPT) WHEN TO LOOK: While Saturn is at “opposition” in late August, the planet doesn’t change much month to month, so start looking the next time you have a clear night this month. Saturn will have risen by 8:30 P.M., but look around midnight when the planet shines at its highest. See Saturn’s rise and set times for your location. WHERE TO LOOK: Face towards the south-southeast. Around midnight, look about a third of the way up the sky. Saturn only gets to about 35 degrees high in the south at its highest, near the zodiac constellation Aquarius. Saturn is the ONLY bright star in that location. The Ringed Planet glows slightly brighter than a first-magnitude star all night. Another hint is that stars generally twinkle, and planets do not. Saturn will shine steadily and appear as a golden-colored object. If you’re still not absolutely sure, well, on Wednesday, August 30, it will hover right next to the Full Moon, so put that in your calendar app.  Saturn reaching opposition on August 27, 2023. Credit: Adler Planetarium |
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