Saturn will be in opposition to the sun on Saturday night (7) and Sunday morning (8) and will be visible to the naked eye on Earth, marking the best period to observe the planet in 2024. It will reach its greatest brightness of the year.
Opposition occurs when the Earth is between the Sun and the planet, forming a straight line, according to the National Observatory. The phenomenon marks the only moment in which it is possible to perceive the Seeliger effect, when the rings become much brighter than normal due to the incidence of light perpendicular to the ice crystals in the rings.
Saturn goes into opposition almost every Earth year. More precisely, Saturn’s oppositions are approximately 378 days apart and occur about two weeks apart each year. Last year, for example, the opposition occurred on August 27.
Check out astronomy apps here to help you locate and track astronomical phenomena in the night sky.
See below the main astronomical phenomena of the month of September according to the astronomical ephemeris guide of the Valongo Observatory, of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).
- 1/9: Conjunction between the Moon and Mercury in the constellation of Leo. The stars will be very close to the western horizon, during twilight, before dawn.
- 5/9: Conjunction between the Moon and Venus before dusk, towards the west, in the constellation of Virgo. On the 4th and 5th, the Moon, Venus and the star Spica will form a beautiful celestial trio.
- 7/9: Saturn in opposition to the Sun. The planet can be seen all night in the constellation Aquarius.
- 17/9: Conjunction between the Moon and Saturn in the early evening, eastward, in the constellation of Aquarius. In addition, the Full Moon in a Supermoon event can be seen throughout the night in the constellation of Aquarius. A partial lunar eclipse also occurs, which can be seen throughout the Americas in the transition from the night of the 17th to the 18th. The eclipse will, however, be
very faint, with the Moon being covered by only 0.08%. - 20/9: Neptune in opposition to the Sun. The planet can be seen (using small telescopes in dark skies) all night long in the constellation of Aries.
- 22/9: Spring equinox in the southern hemisphere (beginning of spring) at 09:43.
- 23/9: Conjunction between the Moon and Jupiter in the middle of the night, eastward, in the constellation of Taurus.
- 25/9: Conjunction between the Moon and Mars in the early morning, eastward, in the constellation of Gemini.
- 27/9: Perihelion of comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinschan-ATLAS). This star will be visible, through binoculars and possibly with the naked eye, in dark skies, in the last week of the month, when it will transit through the constellation of Sextant, towards the east.
See also: August 19th’s super blue moon around the planet
Satellite pollution threatens to alter our view of the night sky
This content was originally published in Opposition to the sun, Saturn will be visible to the naked eye on Earth this Saturday (7) on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
