Rare chance to see Saturn at its brightest - before its rings disappear in 2025

Saturn will be in opposition tonight
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images)


Stargazers will get a rare chance to see Saturn shining at its brightest tonight. Saturn will reach opposition this weekend which happens when the planet and the sun are directly opposite each other.

The event means the Earth will be directly between the ringed planet and the sun and will give people the chance to see the planets rings before they turn on edge and disappear from sight from the Earth. The phenomena occurs approximately once every 378 days - just over a year.

And this weekend could have another bonus - it could be the best time to see the legendary rings before they align edge-on with the Earth in March next year. This means they become impossible to see for a short time before they return to view.

Saturn will be at its biggest in the night sky early on Sunday morning just after midnight on Sunday, September 8. According to the EarthSky Saturn will be in opposition at 1am in the UK.

However while it will not be as clear it will remain visible in the evening sky for the remainder of 2024. It will finally disappear from view in February 2025.

EarthSky said Saturn will rise in the east at sunset is visible all night, depending on cloud cover. It said: "Earth will fly between the sun and Saturn on September 8, 2024, placing the ringed planet opposite the sun – at opposition – in our sky.

"Saturn at opposition marks the middle of the best time of year to see the planet. Plus, in 2024, Saturn’s opposition also heralds a ring plane crossing – during which Saturn’s rings will appear edge-on from Earth – due in March 2025."

Only planets that are further out in the Solar System than the Earth can be in opposition which means Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. However as Venus and Mercury are closer to the sun than the Earth, they can never be in opposition.

According to the Royal Museums Greenwich anyone wanting to view or photograph a planet is when they are in opposition. It said: "During opposition the planet appears at its largest and brightest, and it is above the horizon for much of the night. For stargazers and astrophotographers, it's an ideal time to view and photograph the superior planets.

Planet opposition dates

Planetary oppositions for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune happen every year, as Earth on its much faster orbit passes between these planets and the Sun. Mars is slightly different: because Earth and Mars are relatively close together in the Solar System, an opposition of Mars happens roughly every 27 months.

Here is when the next planet opposition dates are this year:

  • Saturn - Sept 8

  • Neptune - Sept 21

  • Uranus - November 17

  • Jupiter - December 7

How to photograph a planet in opposition

"If you really want to get the best photo of a planet you want to try and aim for when it’s riding really high in the sky and ‘at opposition’," explains Steve Marsh, Astronomy Photographer of the Year judge and BBC Sky at Night Magazine art editor.

"You want the air to be nice and still," he adds. "If you can get all those three things combined then you are going to have a really great picture at the end of it."