Saturn in August will be as close to Earth as possible
The planet Saturn will come as close as possible to Earth in the coming days. It can be viewed with the naked eye, reports The Daily Mail.
Dr. Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society noted that Saturn is fairly easy to spot because it will appear in “a relatively empty part of the sky.” The gas giant will look like a yellowish star. But, unlike real stars, its glow will be constant and not flickering.
“It is also brighter than the vast majority of stars in the sky, so it will stand out for this reason,” the expert noted.
Saturn will be in an easy-to-observe position for the next month. Every evening it will appear low above the horizon in the southeast and then move south.
Scientists have emphasized that Saturn is the most distant planet that can be seen with the naked eye. If you have a telescope, those who wish will be able to see the ice rings around it.
The best view of Saturn will be from Earth's southern hemisphere. From August 19, Jupiter will join him. It will appear to the right of Saturn and will glow a little brighter.
As astronomers explained, Saturn is nine times farther from the Sun than Earth. At closest approach, the distance between this planet and the Earth is 1.2 billion kilometers.
Scientists continue to study the planet Saturn. Earlier it became known that the gas giant may be devoid of a solid core.
