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Saturn's Disappearing Rings

On Sunday, March 8, Saturn will be at opposition -- meaning it will appear opposite the sun in the sky as Earth moves through the line between Saturn and the sun. When Saturn is at opposition, it rises at dusk, climbs to its highest point in the sky by midnight, and then sets at dawn. This is the point in the year when Saturn will be closest to Earth. Saturn reaches opposition every 378 days, so it occurs about two weeks later than the previous year.

Viewing Saturn
February and March are normally good months to view Saturn. Saturn can currently be found in the constellation Leo and can be seen from Earth with the naked eye. Saturn’s rings can typically be viewed using a small telescope. However this year, you may not see rings around Saturn. Have they disappeared? Not to worry -- it is only an illusion. Due to Saturn’s tilt, every 13 to 16 years, the edge of the rings face Earth head on, making them extremely difficult to see. From our current vantage point, Saturn’s rings appear as a thin line across the planet, which may or may not be visible as you look through a telescope. Since Saturn’s rings reflect a large amount of light, Saturn will appear dimmer than in previous years when the rings were fully visible from Earth. In the coming years, Saturn’s rings will gradually “reappear,” and by 2017, the rings should be in full view once again as Saturn’s Northern hemisphere will be tilted towards Earth.

While viewing Saturn with a telescope, it may sometimes be possible to see its largest moon, Titan (when it is not hidden behind or in front of the planet). Titan is actually larger than the planet Mercury and is the only Saturnian moon with an atmosphere.

Look for Saturn in the night sky on March 10 when it will be paired with the full moon.

Did you know...?

• The diameter of Saturn is 75,000 miles, making it the second largest planet next only to Jupiter.
• The volume of Saturn is 755 times greater than that of Earth.
• Saturn is the lightest planet and would float in water, provided there was a body of water large enough to hold it!
• You cannot stand on the surface of Saturn since it is a giant ball of gas (mostly hydrogen and helium). It does, however, have a solid inner core. 
• Saturn has over 30 moons.
• Saturn’s rings are made up of billions of rock and ice particles -- some no larger than a speck of dust and others that measure over a half mile across. 
• The rings measure 150,000 miles across in diameter, but are only a few hundred yards thin.
• Saturn’s moons are responsible for holding the rings in place.
• One day on Saturn (the time it takes to rotate on its axis) is only 10 hours and 39 minutes long.
• Saturn’s poles are flattened due to its rapid rotation.
• One year on Saturn (the time it takes to revolve around the sun) equals 29.5 Earth years.
• Saturn tilts at 27 degrees, giving the planet the same type of seasonal changes as Earth (which is tilted 23 degrees).
• It took the unmanned Cassini spacecraft close to seven years to reach Saturn.
  

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