In August 2024, Saturn is the planet to plan your observing around, as the ringed planet will be climbing higher in the ever-darkening skies.
After the June solstice, the lengthening period of night really aids in the visibility of Saturn.
Saturn is now getting higher, which will hopefully give steadier views – essential for good results when imaging the planet.
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On 1 August 2024, Saturn reaches its highest position in the sky due south, with an altitude around 30° up under deep twilight.
However, by 10 August it reaches this position at 03:30 BST (02:30 UT) under truly dark conditions.
Saturn's rings
Saturn looks slightly odd through the eyepiece as its tilt relative to Earth is now just 3°.
This affects the visibility of Saturn's famous rings, which currently appear very thin.
The planet will undergo a ring-plane crossing in March 2025, when the rings will appear edge-on to us.
The rings are surprisingly thin, ranging from 10 metres to 1km thick.
At the larger end of this scale, if you shrunk the rings to fill a sheet of paper, their scaled thickness would be 1/100th the thickness of the paper!
Consequently, when a ring-plane crossing takes place, the rings appear to disappear from view.
Saturn's lunar occultation
Excitingly, on the morning of 21 August Saturn will be occulted by a 97%-lit waning gibbous Moon.
This occurs just as the sky is becoming brighter with the onset of dawn.
Saturn will be at mag. +0.3 on this date, disappearance occurring at 04:28 BST (03:28 UT) as seen from the centre of the UK and relatively easy to observe.
Reappearance occurs at 05:13 BST (04:13 UT), which is before sunrise but with a much brighter sky.
Despite this, it should still be easily visible given clear skies.
Saturn August 2024, quick guide
- Best time to see: 31 August, 01:45 BST (00:45 UT)
- Altitude: 30°
- Location: Aquarius
- Direction: South
- Features: Rings, banded atmosphere, brighter moons
- Recommended equipment: 75mm scope or larger
If you observe or image Saturn this month, share your observations and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
