The Sky Tonight Update: Saturn at Opposition

This image is a composite of observations made of Saturn in early 2018 in the optical and of the auroras on Saturn’s north pole region, made in 2017. In contrast to the auroras on Earth the auroras on Saturn are mainly visible in the ultraviolet — a part of the electromagnetic spectrum blocked by Earth’s atmosphere — and therefore astronomers have to rely on space telescopes like the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to study them.

The ringed planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long, but the best time to see is at 11:50 PM Sunday (CT). A medium-sized or larger telescope will allow you to see and photograph Saturn’s rings, banded atmosphere, and a few of its brightest moons.

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