So what does it mean with Saturn coming to "Opposition"?

Simply put it means that as the sun sets in the west, Saturn will be rising in the east.

More correctly put Saturn will be following the path of the ecliptic, this is the path that the sun and most of the planets follow across the sky. This will obviously vary depending on your latitude and the time of year. If you drew an imaginary line between, the Sun, Earth and Saturn, it would have been a straight line at the time of opposition (24th of February).

Saturn can now be seen at near its closest point to the earth for the year and as such it is an ideal time to view the beautiful ringed planet. Saturn's rings are slowly closing up as each year passes, this means that in a few years time we will see the rings edge on, making them almost disappear!

At the moment Saturn's rings are tilted at 8 degrees, making them still visible in a small telescope. Right now though is the time to look though, and if you have never seen Saturn before you are in for a big treat. It is a planet of incredible beauty and the subtle colors will be seen when your scope size is 6" or above in mirror or lens diameter.

Colors visible on a clear still night include pale yellow, Tan, white and black. If you can get a look through a telescope take the time to watch for as long as you can. Changes in the clarity of our atmosphere from moment to moment will affect just how much detail you see. You will also be able to pick out 4 or 5 moons of Saturn, depending on your scope size!

The main moons that are visible are Titan, Dione, Tethys, Encelandus, Mimas & Rhea. However there are now 60 identified moons around the ringed giant, with some as small as 2 km in diameter right up to the giant Titan which is 150% the size of our own moon.

Best time to enjoy Saturn is mid evening, when it has risen half way up in the eastern sky. If you can find the constellation of Leo and the bright star Regulus, you will be able to find Saturn approximately 5 degree's (about 1 hands width) away, as the bright yellowish "star" nearby that is not shown on the star charts.

If you want to learn more on how to find Saturn and the other planets visit http://www.nightskysecrets.com

Ian Maclean - Author, Presenter and Science Show host
Homepage: http://www.nightskysecrets.com

Discover how you can uncover the hidden secrets of the night sky for yourself.On my homepage http://www.nightskysecrets.com you will be able to download a free copy of my Audio "Night Sky Secrets - Revealed" plus get a free subscription to nightskysecrets, where you will be kept up to date with all the latest events you can see in the night sky and gain subscriber only access to my blog page, often with maps, charts, photos and movies to compliment these articles and much more. I hope you enjoyed my Article.