Saturn fans prepare. The ringed planet gets better this month as the sky gets darker, and will be occulted by the Moon

Saturn, its rings now nearly edge-on to us, is climbing higher in UK skies this month

By Pete Lawrence

Published: Wednesday, 31 July 2024 at 09:28 AM

In August 2024, Saturn is the planet to plan your observing around, as the ringed planet will be climbing higher in the ever-darkening skies.

After the June solstice, the lengthening period of night really aids in the visibility of Saturn.

Saturn is now getting higher, which will hopefully give steadier views – essential for good results when imaging the planet.

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Saturn’s rings as they appeared through a telescope in late May 2024. Credit: Pete Lawrence

On 1 August 2024, Saturn reaches its highest position in the sky due south, with an altitude around 30° up under deep twilight.

However, by 10 August it reaches this position at 03:30 BST (02:30 UT) under truly dark conditions.

Chart showing the location of Saturn in August 2024. Credit: Pete Lawrence
Chart showing the location of Saturn in August 2024. Click chart to expand. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Saturn’s rings

Saturn looks slightly odd through the eyepiece as its tilt relative to Earth is now just 3°.

This affects the visibility of Saturn’s famous rings, which currently appear very thin.

The planet will undergo a ring-plane crossing in March 2025, when the rings will appear edge-on to us.

The rings are surprisingly thin, ranging from 10 metres to 1km thick.

At the larger end of this scale, if you shrunk the rings to fill a sheet of paper, their scaled thickness would be 1/100th the thickness of the paper!

Consequently, when a ring-plane crossing takes place, the rings appear to disappear from view.

In August 2024, Saturn’s rings are tilted by just 3°, as shown here in March 2009. Credit: Pete Lawrence
In August 2024, Saturn’s rings are tilted by just 3°, as shown here in March 2009. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Saturn’s lunar occultation

Excitingly, on the morning of 21 August Saturn will be occulted by a 97%-lit waning gibbous Moon.

This occurs just as the sky is becoming brighter with the onset of dawn.

Saturn will be at mag. +0.3 on this date, disappearance occurring at 04:28 BST (03:28 UT) as seen from the centre of the UK and relatively easy to observe.

Reappearance occurs at 05:13 BST (04:13 UT), which is before sunrise but with a much brighter sky.

Despite this, it should still be easily visible given clear skies.

Chart showing timings for the lunar occultation of Saturn on 21 August 2024.
Saturn will disappear behind a 97%-lit waning gibbous Moon on the morning of 21 August. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Saturn August 2024, quick guide

If you observe or image Saturn this month, share your observations and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com