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Credit & Copyright: Andy Casely
Explanation:
Ringed planet Saturn
will be at its 2023 opposition,
opposite the Sun in Earth's skies, on August 27.
While that puts the sixth planet from the Sun at its
brightest
and well-placed
for viewing, its beautiful ring system isn't
visible to the unaided eye.
Still, this sequence of telescopic images taken a year
apart over the last six years
follows both Saturn and rings as seen from inner planet Earth.
The gas giant's ring plane tilts
from most open in 2018 to approaching edge-on in 2023 (top to bottom).
That's summer to nearly the autumn
equinox for Saturn's northern hemisphere.
In the sharp planetary portraits, Saturn's northern
hexagon and a large
storm system are clearly visible in 2018.
In 2023, ice moon Tethys
is transiting, casting its shadow across
southern hemisphere cloud bands, while
Saturn's cold blue south pole is emerging
from almost a decade of winter darkness.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Saturn
Publications with words: Saturn
See also: