Saturn at opposition August 1-2, near Jupiter – EarthSky

From most of Earth in early August, Saturn and Jupiter ascend in the eastern half of your sky by mid-evening (midway between your local sundown and midnight). Both are bright and noticeable! This chart is via Stellarium; try it to view the orientation of the planets from your specific location on the globe. In a dark sky, notice the famous Teapot in Sagittarius, and the graceful J shape of Scorpius the Scorpion, near Saturn and Jupiter (to the right of them, on this chart).Saturn at opposition

When viewed through a telescope, Saturn is our solar systems most glorious planet. But, to the eye, Saturn isnt as noticeable as bright Jupiter. Luckily, were still less than a year past the great conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. It happened on December 21, 2020. At that time, Saturn and Jupiter were exceedingly close in the sky. Now, as Saturn reaches its opposition on August 1-2, 2021, Saturn and Jupiter are still close. Keep reading to learn how Jupiter and the moon can help you find Saturn on the skys dome.

Earths faster motion in orbit brings Saturn to opposition once each year. Opposition is a big yearly milestone for observing the ringed planet Saturn, or any outer planet. It happens when we on Earth fly between that planet and the sun. At opposition, an outer planet is generally closest to Earth and brightest for that year. Saturns opposition comes on August 2 at about 06:00 UTC. That is on August 2 at 3 a.m. ADT, 2 a.m. EDT, 1 a.m CDT, 12 midnight MDT yet on August 1 at 11 p.m. PDT, 10 p.m. Alaskan Time and 8 p.m Hawaiian Time.

And dont worry about exact times too much. Just know that in early August 2021 Saturn is generally opposite the sun in Earths sky. At opposition, Saturn rises in the east around sunset, climbs highest up for the night around midnight and sets in the west around sunrise. When opposite the sun, Saturn is visible all night and at its brightest seen from Earth.

How can you find Saturn? First, look for Jupiter, which is the brightest starlike object in the evening sky once Venus sinks below the western horizon after sunset. Saturn is not far from Jupiter, located along the same path the sun travels during the day (the ecliptic). Saturn is the bright golden star a short hop to the west of Jupiter. Saturn lies in the direction of the constellation Capricornus and can be found there for the rest of 2021.

Does it surprise you that Jupiter will be at opposition on August 19-20? Yes, the heavens are orderly! Plus, in late August, the moon full or nearly full can help you find both Saturn and Jupiter. That makes sense, because both Jupiter and Saturn are near opposition, opposite the sun or nearly so. And a full moon is also opposite the sun. Check out the chart below:

The ringed planet will be in good view in the evening sky for the rest of August and throughout September, October, November and December 2021. Saturn and Jupiter will stay rather close together on the skys dome throughout 2021. Theyll remain fixtures of the evening sky for the rest of this year.

In 2021, Saturn comes closest to Earth for the year about 5 hours after it reaches opposition. But its nowhere near us in space. In fact, Saturn is the most distant of the worlds we can see with the eye alone. At present, Saturn lies about 10 times the Earths distance from the sun, and nine times the Earth-sun distance from Earth. Astronomers refer to one Earth-sun distance as an astronomical unit (AU). Saturn is now about 10 AU from the sun, and nearly 9 AU from us. Heavens-Above gives information about the present distances of the planets from the sun and Earth.

So the distance scale of the solar system is vast, and so is the size scale. For a realistic depiction of Saturns size relative to that of Earth (but not its distance), see the illustration below.

Our fast movement in orbit brings Earth between Saturn and the sun every year, or more precisely, about two weeks later every year. For instance, in 2016, Saturns opposition was June 3. In 2017, it was June 15. In 2018, opposition came on June 27. In 2019, it was July 9. And in 2020, it was July 20.

If you recognize this golden world tonight or later this month, youll also enjoy it throughout the Northern Hemisphere summer, or Southern Hemisphere winter.

If you had a birds-eye view of the solar system on the day of Saturns opposition, youd see our planet Earth passing between the sun and Saturn. Youd see the sun, Earth, and Saturn lining up in space. But not for long. Earth moves in orbit at 18 miles (29 km) per second in contrast to about 6 miles (9 km) per second for Saturn. Soon, well be pulling ahead of Saturn in the race of the planets.

The planets that orbit the sun inside Earths orbit Mercury and Venus can never be at opposition. Only the planets that orbit the sun beyond Earths orbit Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and the dwarf planet Pluto can ever reach opposition, that is, appear opposite the sun in Earths sky.

All the planets farther from the sun reach opposition every time our swifter-moving planet sweeps between the sun and these superior planets, the planets that orbit the sun outside Earths orbit. Mars returns to opposition every other year. Jupiters opposition happens about one month later each year, whereas Saturns opposition occurs about two weeks later yearly. The farther that a planet resides from the sun, the shorter the period of time between successive oppositions.

Saturn is the sixth planet outward from the sun. People in ancient times saw it as a golden star that moved among the fixed stars: a wanderer. It wasnt until astronomers began using telescopes in the 17th century that they saw its rings. In the 1950s, astronomers spoke of Saturn as having three rings. But spacecraft in the latter part of the 20th century showed vastly more detail. They revealed that Saturn actually has thousands of thin, finely detailed rings made of tiny chunks of ice. Saturn also has at least 62 moons with confirmed orbits. Only 53 of Saturns moons have names, and only 13 have diameters larger than 50 kilometers (about 30 miles).

Saturn is truly a wondrous world of rings and moons. Its everyones favorite celestial object to gaze at through a small telescope, so if theres a public astronomy night near you this month go!

Bottom line: Look for Saturn at and around opposition in early August 2021. It will be shining in the southeast at nightfall. Clouded out tonight? No problem. Saturn will be in an excellent place to observe throughout late July, August, September and October 2021.

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Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.

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Saturn at opposition August 1-2, near Jupiter - EarthSky