Stargazing: Saturn Just Below the Moon on Oct. 6 – Telescope Titan Visible

Saturn viewing holds treats for telescope observers this week. After its recent opposition, when Saturn was at its brightest this year, the planet is still easy to spot. It’s in an area surrounded by the dim stars of the constellations, Aquarius and Pisces. For those following changes in the ringed planet’s rings, in March, Saturn’s rings appeared edge-on from our Earthly point of view. Saturn was near the sun at that time and out of our sight, but we are now able to see the rings close to that edge-on view. With the rings appearing narrow and less reflective, it will be a prime time to spot a bright “star” hovering near enough to appear to touch the rings. This is Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.

Titan is the second-largest moon in the solar system, larger than the planet Mercury, and the only moon that has a dense atmosphere. Even more unusual, it is a world of rivers, lakes, and seas. But unlike Earth’s waterways, Titan’s great distance from the sun has created a cold realm flowing with liquid methane. Astrobiologists, intrigued by the combination of liquid methane and complex carbon compounds, study the possibility of conditions that might be similar to what created life on Earth.

On the night of Oct. 6, Saturn will be in a beautiful conjunction with the full Harvest Moon.