2024, September 7: Saturn at Opposition, Nightly Planet Parade Continues

September 7, 2024:  Saturn is at opposition tonight, appearing in the sky all night.  The parade of the five bright planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn – continues during the night.

Saturn (NASA)
Photo Caption – Saturn (NASA)

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:23 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:13 p.m. CDT.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Saturn at Opposition

Saturn
Image Caption – This NASA Hubble Space Telescope photo of Saturn reveals the planet’s cloud bands and a phenomenon called ring spokes.

Saturn is at opposition at 11:35 p.m. Central Time. This occurs when Earth is between the planet and the sun. The sun and Ringed Wonder are in opposite directions.  Saturn rises in the east-southeast when the sun sets in the west-northwest.  It is south around 1 a.m. (midnight without daylight time), and sets in the west-southwest when the sun rises in the east-northeast.

Saturn retrogrades, 2024
Chart Caption – 2024: Saturn retrogrades through a single binocular field of view in front of Aquarius during 2024.

Saturn continues to retrograde in front of a dim Aquarius’ starfield.  Watch the planet through a binocular appear to move westward compared to starry background.

Retrograde’s Illusion

Saturn Retrogrades
Chart Caption – 2024, June 30: Saturn appears to move westward against the stars until November 15th.

The illusion of retrograde occurs when Earth overtakes and passes between a more distant body – planets, asteroids, and comets – and the sun.  The line of sight from Earth to the planet normally moves eastward as they revolve around the sun. The planet appears to move eastward against the starfield.  As Earth approaches, the line of sight shifts westward and the planet moves westward or retrograde.  After Earth passes by, the line shifts eastward again and the planet moves eastward or direct against the starfield.

When opposition occurs, Saturn is closest to Earth.  Tonight, it is nearly 800 million miles away.

Saturn’s Rings Approaching Edge On

Saturn's Rings
Photo Caption – Looming like a giant flying saucer in our outer solar system, Saturn puts on a show as the planet and its magnificent ring system nod majestically over the course of its 29-year journey around the Sun. These Hubble Space Telescope images, captured from 1996 to 2000, show Saturn’s rings open up from just past edge-on to nearly fully open as it moves from autumn towards winter in its Northern Hemisphere

Saturn’s brightness at this opposition is dimmest since 2010.  This is from the orientation we see the icy rings that reflect considerable sunlight.

Saturn, Ring-Plane Crossing
Photo Caption – In one of nature’s most dramatic examples of “now-you see-them, now-you-don’t,” NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured Saturn on May 22, 1995 as the planet’s magnificent ring system turned edge-on. This ring-plane crossing occurs approximately every 15 years when the Earth passes through Saturn’s ring plane. (NASA photo)

Saturn revolves around the sun every 29.5 years.  Like Earth, it is tilted with respect to its orbital plane.  With a tilt of 26.7°, earthbound telescopes see changing views of the planet and the ring system, while the planet maintains this angle. Currently from Earth, the rings are tilted less than 3°, nearly edge on, like looking at the edge of a plate.

Saturn's orbit
Chart caption – Saturn moves through its orbit.

Since 2009, the planet has presented the northern hemisphere toward Earth, along with a view of the ring’s northside. During March 2025, sky watchers view the rings edge on.  During the next 14 years following the ring plane crossing, the planet’s southern hemisphere and rings’ southern side are easily visible, followed by another ring plane crossing in 2039. Then another long spell occurs when the northern hemisphere is presented to Earth again.

As daylight wanes and Saturn is higher in the sky during the early evening hours, find a local astronomy club or a planetarium that has public telescope nights.  The view of Saturn is impressive and memorable.

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Here is today’s planet forecast:

Morning Sky

Jupiter and Mars

Saturn at Opposition Nightly Planet Parade
Chart Caption – 2024, September 7: Jupiter and Mars are high in the southeastern sky at one hour before sunrise.

Four of the bright planets are visible before sunrise.  Step outside an hour before daybreak.  Bright Jupiter is high in the southeastern sky.  It is the brightest starlike body in this morning’s sky, easily outshining Sirius, nearly 45° below the Jovian Giant.

Jupiter is plodding eastward in front of Taurus, 10.4° to Aldebaran’s lower left, the Bull’s brightest star, and 6.9° to Elnath’s lower right, the northern horn.

Mars, about the same color and brightness as Aldebaran, marched into Gemini yesterday.  It is 2.4° to the upper right of Propus, Castor’s toe.

Mars Marching Eastward in front of Gemini

Mars marches into Gemini
Chart Caption – 2024, September 5-15: Through a binocular, Mars passes the star cluster Messier 35 and some Gemini stars.

Through a binocular, the Red Planet nears a star cluster, cataloged as Messier 35, passing 1.0° from the stellar bundle tomorrow morning.

Morning Saturn

Saturn at Opposition Nightly Planet Parade
Chart Caption – 2024, September 7: Saturn is in the west-southwest during morning twilight.

Leading up to its opposition tonight, Saturn is in the south-southwest before sunrise.

Mercury Ends Nightly Parade

Saturn at Opposition Nightly Planet Parade
Chart Caption – 2024, September 7: At 45 minutes before sunrise, Mercury and Regulus are in the eastern sky.

Mercury, a few days past its greatest elongation, is nearly 8° above the eastern horizon at 45 minutes before sunrise. Brighter than nearly all the other heavenly bodies this morning except for Jupiter and Sirius, Mercury is 2.6° to Regulus’ upper right, Leo’s brightest star.  The planet passes the star in two mornings.

Regulus is making its first morning appearance, known as the heliacal rising.  The planet and the star fit into the same binocular field of view.  Can you find Regulus without the optical assist?

Evening Sky

Venus Leads Planet Parade

Saturn at Opposition Nightly Planet Parade
Chart Caption – 2024, September 7: Venus, crescent Moon, and Spica are in the western sky after nightfall.

Venus leads the nightly planet parade.  It is bright enough to shine through bright twilight.  Find it in the western sky 30 minutes after nightfall, over 5° above the horizon.  It is nearly 30° to the lower right of the crescent moon, 20% illuminated.

Use a binocular to find the star Spica, over 12° to Venus’ upper left.  The star is slightly lower each evening as it is about to disappear into bright sunlight.  A wide Venus-Spica conjunction occurs on the 17th.  Beginning on the 12th they fit into the same binocular field.

Earthshine

Crescent Moon with Earthshine
Photo Caption – 2024, June 10: Crescent Moon with Earthshine

As the sky darkens further, look for earthshine – sunlight reflected from Earth’s features – on the moon.

Saturn, Opposition Night

Saturn at Opposition Nightly Planet Parade
Chart Caption – 2024, September 7: On opposition evening at one hour after sundown, Saturn is about 10° above the east-southeast horizon.

With Saturn rising at sunset, it is over 10° up in the east-southeast by an hour after nightfall.  As its nightly westward journey ends at sunrise, find it again in the west-southwest before sunrise.

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