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Saturn (March, 2018) ⬅︎
Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, is not as bright as Venus, Jupiter or Mars, but it's still easy to find if you know where to look for this pale yellow giant. What it lacks in brightness, it makes up for in sheer grandeur -- through a telescope Saturn is a magnificent sight.

Of course the reason is Saturn's bright system of rings that seem to be floating in space around the planet. There's a large gap between the planet and the rings and another gap within the rings known as the Cassini Division. The angle or tilt of the rings changes slowly over time.

Like Jupiter, Saturn has banding in its atmosphere that can be easily seen. And, like Jupiter, is has lots of moons, in fact more (83 vs 80). Unlike Jupiter, Saturn has only one moon that is bright enough to be easily seen -- Titan -- but it also has four other moons that can be seen but are dim and make for challenging targets -- Rhea, Tethys, Dione, and Enceladus.

The best time to view Saturn is during an opposition when Earth is closest to Saturn. Oppositions occur every 12.4 months. Because Saturn moves so slowly in earth's sky -- about one constellation of the zodiac eastward every two to three years -- once you learn its location it is easy to find year after year.
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Level RatingBest Viewing
* Viewing improves all month as the sun moves E away from Saturn.
* Late in the month Saturn will be close to Mars (see above).
* Saturn will be getting brighter as it approaches opposition on June 27, 2018.
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WARNING
Never use binoculars or telescopes to view near the sun.