Catch saturn’s rings before they disappear

There are few things quite as captivating as seeing the rings of Saturn for the first time. This month, on 27 August, the planet will reach opposition, when it lies directly opposite the Sun relative to Earth and will be at its brightest and highest, clearly visible at magnitude +0.4 and reaching around 25˚ in altitude from the UK. You can find Saturn in Aquarius this year and into 2024.

At the start of August, Saturn will be at its best after midnight. It rises earlier as the month goes on, becoming more of an evening object and by opposition is up all night. It will be relatively low, so we’ll be looking at Saturn through more of our own atmosphere. Normally, this isn’t ideal for imaging, but you’ll want to catch the planet this year, as over the next few years Saturn’s rings are going to disappear.

Don’t worry! They’ll be back. It’s just that the apparent tilt of Saturn’s rings varies over its 29-year orbit. This year, the rings are tilted down at a 9˚ angle at opposition, but next year they’ll be just 3.7˚ and by 2025, they’ll disappear into an almost imperceptible line as Earth views them edge on. After that they’ll become increasingly visible as the southern pole of the planet tips towards us, reaching their maximum inclination of 27˚ in 2032. In a way, the rings being less tilted is an opportunity as you can watch the rapidly orbiting moons more easily.

Personally, I love to image Saturn, capturing the planet’s bands on camera and tracking how the moons move around it. Why not make 2023 the year you get started in planetary photography and record the rings before they go? Doing so is now easier than ever, and it’s even possible to capture the planets under skies with a lot of light pollution. I encourage you to have a go – the results can be extremely satisfying.

Planetary imaging takes practice. You might not immediately get prize-winning astrophotos, but with this guide you should be able to get an image you can be proud of.