Iran to Implement over 20 Public Saturn Observation Plans

According to the announcement of the Communications Working Group of the Amateur Committee of the Iranian Astronomical Society, in these programs, astronomical groups and societies will provide the public with the opportunity to view the closest and best observational position of this planet and its magnificent rings using telescopes.

Saturn, with its famous and beautiful rings, will be in opposition on September 21. In this situation, the planet Earth will be located directly between the Sun and Saturn, making Saturn closer to Earth than at any other time during the next year. The distance between Saturn and Earth in this situation is about 1.28 billion kilometers, which is approximately 200 million kilometers closer than usual.

Now that Saturn is at opposition, it will rise in the East at sunset, reach its highest point above the Southern horizon at midnight, and set in the West at about sunrise. This will give enthusiasts the opportunity to watch the "Lord of the Rings" of the solar system with the naked eye all night long and see its rings through a telescope 

When Saturn reaches opposition, the rings appear much brighter than normal because the direct sunlight reflects off the rings and eliminates shadows among the countless particles that make up Saturn's rings, according to Astronomy Magazine. The Seeliger effect lasts a few days around the time Saturn reaches opposition.

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