For reference, the moon is about 30 arcminutes across. Saturn’s disk is about 18.5 arcseconds across, while Jupiter, which is a larger planet and closer to us, is nearly 49 arcseconds across. Being at opposition means they are at the smallest distance from us and therefore at their brightest and largest apparent size.Īs of early August 2021, Saturn is shining at magnitude +0.2, rivaling bright stars, while Jupiter is at a much brighter magnitude -3.9 ( bright enough to be a UFO), just slightly dimmer than Venus, which is visible just after sunset. In this case, these planets are outside the orbit of the Earth, so we are passing them on our inside track. Think of it as being the same as seeing the full moon. A bit of an easier target is Jupiter, which is “following” Saturn across the summer sky.īoth are well positioned for viewing and photography, as they are near opposition, which is the point opposite the sun from our viewpoint. But for astrophotographers, it’s a tough target. Indeed, Saturn is a great target for visual observers, especially if it’s your very first view through a telescope. Aside from the Perseid meteor shower, the summer hype is on for viewing Saturn.
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