Scheduled air date: 1998 Oct 12-18
Saturn will be at opposition on October 23rd, rising at Sunset and setting at Sunrise.
Because it is at about its closest to Earth—and because its rings are
currently tilted toward us—Saturn will be its brightest in years. (Shown about
30 minutes after Sunset for mid-Northern latitudes.)
A planet is said to be at opposition when it appears opposite the Sun as seen from the
Earth. This is also when the planet is roughly at its closest to Earth, which makes
it appear brighter than usual.
If you wish to view illustrations for other episodes, please see our Star Gazer Illustrated directory.
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Illustrations on this page were created using
TheSky Astronomy
Software, an advanced desktop planetarium program designed for Windows. Copyright © 1999-2006 by Software Bisque, Inc. |