The Ultimate Guide to Observing Saturn
November 11, 2020
Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, is arguably the most breathtaking object in our Solar System. Named after the Roman god of agriculture and abundance, Saturnus (or Cronus in Greek mythology), the planet's opulent rings evoke an image of wealth and grandeur.
For centuries, Saturn has captivated telescope viewers with its stunning rings. These rings have inspired countless people worldwide to take up astronomy as a hobby. Any amateur observer will tell you that seeing Saturn's rings through a telescope for the first time is an unforgettable experience. Once you've seen it, Saturn will remain a favorite target for years.
Let's look at some cool facts about Saturn, as this ringed wonder will soon return to the night sky to captivate new and seasoned observers.
15 Key Saturn Facts
- Galileo Galilei: The Italian astronomer Galileo was the first to observe Saturn through a telescope, but his tiny refractor wasn't powerful enough to discern its rings. Instead, he noted that the gas giant had "lobes." In 1655, Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens was the first to propose that a ring encircled Saturn. Today, history credits him with the discovery of Saturn's rings.
- Saturn's Orbit: Saturn takes 29.5 Earth years to orbit the Sun. On Saturn, you would be nearly 30 years old and celebrating your first birthday!
- Size Comparison: It would take 9.5 Earths lined side-by-side to span Saturn's equatorial diameter and 21 to span its massive rings.
- Distance from Earth: When Earth and Saturn are at their closest, they lie approximately 746 million miles apart. They can be over a billion miles apart when on opposite sides of the Sun.
- Volume: More than 700 Earths could fit inside if Saturn were hollow.
- Moons: As of June 8, 2023, NASA scientists have confirmed 146 moons orbiting Saturn.
- Enceladus: One of Saturn's smallest moons, Enceladus, is covered in ice and appears to have an ocean hidden below its frozen surface. The Cassini spacecraft observed water plumes jetting into space, revealing a potentially habitable environment beneath its surface.
- Titan: Saturn's largest moon and the second-largest in the Solar System, Titan, has a thick yellow-orange methane and nitrogen atmosphere. Its surface contains liquid methane lakes. Only one space probe, Huygens, descended to its surface and briefly transmitted data back to the Cassini orbiter until its batteries failed.
- Density: Saturn is the least dense planet in the Solar System. If a body of water were large enough to hold it, Saturn would float.
- Composition: Like Jupiter, Saturn is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium with no actual landmass. Its top cloud layers are ammonia ice; below is mostly water ice with intermixed ammonium hydrosulfide ice bands.
- Hexagon Storm: Saturn's largest storm at the planet's north pole is twice as large as Earth and shaped like a near-perfect hexagon. Voyager first discovered the storm, and later, Cassini mapped it. In 2013, Australian husband-and-wife team Darryl Milika and Patricia Nicholas were the first amateur astronomers to image the hexagon using a Celestron C14.
- Rotation: Saturn is the flattest planet in the Solar System due to its low density and fast rotation speed. It takes approximately ten and a half hours to complete one rotation on its axis.
- Ring System: Although other planets have rings, Saturn's ring system is the most complex in the Solar System. The rings comprise billions of dust particles, ice chunks, and rocky remnants of comets, asteroids, and shattered moons. The rings extend more than 175,000 miles from the planet but are quite thin—only about 100 yards thick. To understand the thinness of the rings, imagine an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper. If the 11" long axis of the sheet represents the span of the rings from one side to the other, the rings' thickness would be 1/100th the thickness of the paper!
- Ring Groups: Astronomers have divided Saturn's rings into seven groups (four primary and three fainter). Outwards from Saturn, the ring groups are D, C, B, A, F, G, and E.
- Spacecraft Visits: Four spacecraft have visited Saturn. Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2 flew by the planet. Cassini orbited Saturn 294 times from 2004 to 2017, gathering a wealth of information before ending its mission in a fiery (but planned) "death dive."
Where to Find Saturn in Summer/Fall 2024
On September 8, 2024, at 04:27 UTC. The Earth will pass between Saturn and the Sun, placing the ringed planet on the opposite side of the sky in an event known as opposition and be visible all night. Saturn will be at its closest approach to Earth, approximately 805 million miles (1.3 billion kilometers) away and fully illuminated by the Sun. Saturn will be slightly dimmer this year, shining at a magnitude of +0.6 as Saturn's rings are tilted by a mere 3.3 degrees, making them narrow from tip to tip and less impressive than a full-on tilt. Its almost straight-line appearance may remind observers of a small, yellowish ball with a "toothpick" running through the planet, as seen through telescopes. Like in 2023, the ringed planet will reside in the constellation Aquarius, the water-bearer. Saturn will appear oval through binoculars, so you'll need a telescope to see it, along with a few of its brightest moons.
In March 2025, Saturn's rings will appear edge-on from Earth and virtually disappear. Due to Saturn's axial tilt, the rings will gradually reappear after March 2025 but disappear again in November 2025. Saturn's full ring tilt will be back in view by 2032. Make sure you follow Celestron on social media for more updates about the rings’ disappearance as the events unfold.
What to Look for while Observing Saturn
 |
Rings: Saturn's rings are undoubtedly its most iconic feature. With a smaller aperture telescope, you can see the rings as a small, cream-colored oval encircling the planet. A larger aperture telescope, under steady viewing conditions, will reveal the intricate divisions within the rings. Look for the main outer A ring and the middle B ring, separated by the dark Cassini Division. For a more challenging observation, use an 11-inch or larger telescope under extremely steady conditions to try spotting the faint Encke Division near the edge of the outer A ring. Pay attention to the tilt of the rings over time. In 2017, the rings were at their widest angle of 27 degrees, as seen from Earth. Since then, the angle has gradually decreased. By 2025, the rings will appear edge-on and, due to their thinness, will virtually disappear, leaving Saturn looking like a lonely orb. Gradually, the rings will begin to reopen until they reach their maximum tilt again in 2032.
|
 |
Seeliger Effect: Around the time of opposition, when Saturn is fully illuminated by the Sun, its rings appear a bit brighter for a few nights. Saturn's shadow is hidden behind the planet during this period, revealing more of the ring's surface. The tiny particles that make up the rings cast no shadows, allowing sunlight to reflect directly into our line of sight. These factors combine to make Saturn's rings temporarily shine brighter than usual. Look for this effect when the rings open again in the coming years. |
 |
Shadows: Observers can witness a fascinating interplay of shadow and light on Saturn. Sometimes, the rings cast intriguing shadows onto the planet. At other times, Saturn casts its shadow onto the rings. By observing over many nights, you can see these changes unfold. Look for this effect once the rings open again in the coming years. |
 |
Moons: Amateur telescopes can resolve approximately six of Saturn's 146 moons. Its largest moon, Titan, shines at about ninth magnitude and is easily visible. During your observing session, try to identify Titan, Rhea, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus, and Mimas. |
 |
Belts and Zones: Look for dark belts and zones on Saturn's face. These regions flow strongly in opposite directions around the entire planet. Although they are much less pronounced than Jupiter's belts and zones, they contain smaller storms. Using color filters can help bring out more detail. |
 |
Conjunctions: Planetary alignments, or conjunctions, occur when two or more planets appear very close together in the night sky, creating the illusion that they are near each other, even though they are thousands of miles apart. Conjunctions are often spectacular, especially involving the largest or brightest planets. One such event was the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn during the 2020 Winter Solstice. Look for the next conjunction when Saturn and Venus pair up on January 19, 2025. |
The Best Equipment for Viewing Saturn
|
Telescopes
|
A small telescope with an aperture of at least 50mm and a modest power of 25x is sufficient to reveal Saturn's rings and its brightest moon, Titan. For optimal viewing, Maksutov-Cassegrain and Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes, with apertures ranging from 4" to 14", are recommended due to their superior light-gathering capabilities, longer focal lengths, and ability to support higher magnifications (150x or more). Larger telescopes can reveal intricate details in Saturn's atmosphere and rings, especially under calm conditions. Using a larger telescope will enhance your ability to observe prominent features. Remember, the larger the telescope's mirror or lens, the more light it will collect, resulting in better resolution. However, this also increases the cost and weight of the telescope, so carefully consider these factors when choosing your ideal telescope. |
|
Filters |
Color filters are an excellent way to enhance subtle features in Saturn's atmosphere, making your observing experience more enjoyable. Filters can be threaded individually onto the end of eyepiece barrels or stacked together to combine their benefits. (Note: Stacking filters reduces the amount of light that reaches your eye, so we recommend this only for telescopes with at least an 8" aperture.) Here are the most popular filters for enhancing details on Saturn:
Color filters are available in the following Celestron kits:
|
|
Cameras and Phone Adapters
|
Now that you have observed Saturn visually, take your experience to the next level by capturing detailed images of the ringed planet with your smartphone, DSLR, or a planetary imaging camera. Smartphones' built-in cameras are continuously improving. You can hold your phone up directly to the telescope's eyepiece to take advantage of its image scale with higher magnification to capture the planet and its magnificent rings. You can use the smartphone's digital zoom feature to increase Saturn's size. It can be tricky to center your target correctly, but using a smartphone adapter like the Basic Phone Adapter #81035 or the NexYZ 3-Axis Universal Smartphone Adapter #81055 will make centering Saturn quick and easy. DSLR cameras are another popular tool you can use to capture Saturn. You will need a T-Adapter (different models are available for your telescope) and a camera-specific T-Ring (i.e., Canon, Nikon, etc.). The T-Ring attaches to your camera's bayonet. Then, the T-Adapter threads onto the T-Ring. Depending on your T-Adapter, it will slide into the eyepiece drawtube or screw directly onto the telescope's rear cell. Planetary imaging cameras are also a great way to capture high-resolution images with tremendous detail—and getting started is easier than you might think! The camera takes the place of your telescope's eyepiece and connects via USB to your computer or laptop. The software analyzes each frame of the live video capture and throws away the blurry images due to poor atmospheric turbulence. It then stacks and perfectly aligns the clearest video frames to create a bright, detailed, colorful image. Celestron's planetary imaging cameras include: |
Helpful Observing Hints
|
Tip #1:
|
Steady Seeing Conditions: Steady seeing conditions are crucial for imaging or observing Saturn. Avoid nights with poor seeing when the atmosphere is turbulent and Saturn appears as a shimmering blob on your laptop screen or in a telescope eyepiece. Start with low magnification and increase it if the views remain steady. On a night with good seeing, you'll be amazed at how sharp and detailed Saturn appears—even the Cassini Division will be visible when the rings are at a favorable tilt to see it. |
|
Tip #2:
|
Cooling Your Telescope: Make sure to bring your telescope outside about an hour before observing to allow it to cool to ambient temperature. The telescope needs to reach thermal equilibrium with the outside air to avoid producing distorted views. Telescopes with large mirrors and lenses may take longer to cool down properly for the best views. |
|
Tip #3:
|
Collimation: If you own a Newtonian or Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, ensure the optics are collimated. Proper collimation is crucial for discerning fine planetary details. Misaligned optics can prevent you from seeing Saturn's clearest and sharpest features. Make it a habit to check and adjust collimation once your telescope has cooled down. Most refractor telescopes generally do not require collimation. |
|
Tip #4: |
Early Observing: Why wait until complete darkness to begin observing Saturn? Saturn is bright enough to be seen in a telescope around dusk. With Celestron's Solar System Align, you can align your computerized telescope on the Moon (if visible) or the Sun (with a safe solar filter in place) and then command your telescope to slew to Saturn. Having an optical finderscope helps find Saturn in a twilight sky and fine-tune your alignment. Give it a try! (Remember always to use caution and keep your telescope pointed far away from the Sun when observing during the day.) |
|
Tip #5: |
3-D Appearance: Saturn displays a noticeable 3-D appearance due to the darkened edges of its disk. A stereo binocular viewer attached to a mid-to-large-aperture Schmidt-Cassegrain or Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope will enhance this 3-D effect, making it feel like you can reach and almost touch the planet! You'll need two matching eyepieces of the same focal length, which can be costly, but the reward is a unique, realistic view full of detail and contrast, making it an excellent investment. |
Saturn is one of the most exciting planets to view through a telescope. Its rings always steal the show and are a favorite target for backyard astronomers. Saturn's beauty is so overwhelming that first-time observers often ask, "Are you holding up a photo of Saturn in front of the telescope?"
We hope this guide helps you get acquainted with Saturn and serves as a resource for you and your family during your next observing session. Enjoy viewing Saturn's nearly edge-on appearance for the rest of the year until they virtually disappear next year!
Clear skies and happy observing!
Other articles you might be interested in: Ultimate Guide to Observing the Universe
