BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Brad Klein reviews the week’s astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s ‘Backyard Astronomy Guy,’ Marty McGuire. This week should be a good one for viewing the planet Saturn.
For one thing, it rises in the east-southeast, just after sunset. And it’s visible for the entire night if clouds permit clear viewing.
“It’s a fun time for observing Saturn because you can watch it all night long. It will reach its peak altitude in the sky around midnight. It's also at its brightest right now because it's in opposition in relation to the Earth,” according to McGuire.
‘Opposition’ means that the Sun, Earth, and Saturn are in alignment. So the full disc of Saturn is illuminated, like a full moon.
The angle of Saturn’s rings relative to Earth, also affect the planet’s apparent brightness, and that shifts over a period of years, as the two planets orbit the Sun.
McGuire notes that no photo from Earth can match the drama of spacecraft based cameras. But it’s still a fun a fun challenge to see the rings of Saturn, even from your Lehigh Valley backyard.
