Beginning Monday night, and lasting through May, the planet Saturn will be visible to the naked eye. Monday night, however, will be the brightest night, because Saturn will be at its opposition.
When the earth is directly between another planet and the sun it places the other planet in opposition. This provides an excellent view of the opposing planet.
Saturn will look like a bright yellow, disc-like object in the Eastern sky. For more advanced star gazers, Saturn will be able to be seen near the constellation Virgo. With a pair of binoculars or a small telescope you will be able to view the rings around the planet.
When a planet is in opposition it will be visible in the night sky from sunset to sunrise. It is when the planet is closest to Earth and allows amateur and professional star watchers the best opportunity to observe the planet.
Saturn was thought to be the only planet with rings until a recent discovery of rings around Jupiter. The planet is named for the Roman god of the harvest and agriculture.
Saturn comes into opposition with once every 378 days. The next time that the planet will appear this close will be April 15, 2012.
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