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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSaturn will be visible tonight .....yep didn't make a joke about Uranus
Saturn will be so close to Earth this month that its rings will be visible through a normal telescope. On Tuesday, the ringed planet will shine at its maximum brightness and come less than a million miles from Earth. That means planet gazers can see Saturn's rings in any telescope that magnifies to at least 20 power, or sharper, Space.com reports.
On Tuesday, Saturn will lie on the opposite side of the sky as the sun, and its brightness will rival some of the shiniest stars in the galaxy. In fact, Saturn would rank as the seventh-brightest star if it was compared to the 21 brightest stars, according to Space.com.
Saturn will rise in the east-southeast and set in the west-northwest, and at around 1 a.m. local daylight time, it will be visible in the southern region of the sky. If you don't have a telescope, you could still see Saturn with the naked eye it will look like a bright yellow-white star, according to Space.com. Just look toward the star pattern known as the "Teapot" in the Sagittarius constellation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/saturn-will-get-so-close-to-the-earth-on-tuesday-2019-07-09-night-its-rings-will-be-visible-through-a-telescope/
rsdsharp
(9,170 posts)Bullshit. That would put it inside the orbits of Jupiter, the asteroid belt AND Mars, and place it only about four times farther from Earth than the moon.
qazplm135
(7,447 posts)Well, actually it would probably seriously perturb out orbit wiping out all life so, no, never mind.
Blecht
(3,803 posts)It's 839 million miles, so the doofus at CBS substituted an "m" for a "b" in the story.
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,425 posts)The sky was clear last night, after all the rain we had earlier in the day. You don't need binoculars to see either one, but with my binoculars I could see one or two of Jupiter's bigger moons. You will need a telescope to make out Saturn's rings.
I've linked to this before, but that's no reason not to link to it again:
If Earth had rings like Saturn, the sky would look like this
Space and science fiction illustrator Ron Miller has created magnificent images of how Earth's skies would appear if our planet had giant rings.
By Tim Hornyak | May 22, 2013 6:00 AM PDT
If Earth had rings, Congress would have even more glory to bask in, according to this Ron Miller illustration. Ron Miller
The sunsets would be impossibly beautiful. The evening sky would glitter with a thousand silver arcs. If Earth had rings like Saturn, you'd only have to look up to get a spectacular show.
Veteran astronomy artist Ron Miller has created some stunning views of what our skies would look like if Earth were a ringed planet, and they make me want to launch a Kickstarter campaign to make it happen.
....
Earth: if you like it, put a ring on it (pictures) 6 photos
The mean photos of the illustrations, not photos of Earth's rings. I think.
SWBTATTReg
(22,114 posts)Celerity
(43,333 posts)might explain Rump
lapucelle
(18,252 posts)Its that magical time of year again, when our solar systems most beautiful planet Saturn is well placed for viewing in our sky. Looking starlike to the eye alone, with a distinct golden color, Saturn is a lovely object even without optical aid.
Binoculars will enhance its color, and a small telescope will let you see Saturns rings. That makes the coming month or so a great time to go to a star party, where amateur astronomers are set up to show you telescopic objects.
Check the club map at NASAs Night Sky Network to find star parties near you. Or try this list of astronomy clubs by state from the Astronomical League. Or call a local university or science museum and ask about star parties. Or maybe a neighbor, or friend, has a telescope stashed in a closet?
https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/viewing-saturns-rings-tips-for-beginners
Here, she and a colleague explain what makes tonight especially great viewing:
Our planet Earth flies this week between Saturn and the sun, bringing Saturn to what astronomers call opposition. Opposition is a big milestone each year for observing the ringed planet Saturn, or any superior planet (planet orbiting the sun outside Earths orbit). When we fly between a superior planet and the sun, the planet is generally closest to Earth and brightest for that year. Saturns opposition comes on July 9, 2019, at 17:00 UTC.
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https://earthsky.org/tonight/saturn-closest-and-brightest
tymorial
(3,433 posts)I was so excited. I could see the bands of Jupiter and the moons. I was really into my telescope for a while but then I had to move. Where I live now the light pollution is so awful it's like a completely different night sky. It's funny though I'm really geographically not that far from where I used to live.