Two Moons of Saturn 

Astronomy enthusiasts head to the Nehru Planetarium this Saturday, for you will have the rare opportunity to take a look at the rings of Saturn when the planet reaches in opposition on this day. A planet is said to be in opposition when the sun is on the one side of the earth and the planet is directly on the opposite side. So that the planet is fully illuminated by the sun and appears disk-like, similar to the phenomena of a full moon.

Saturn reaches opposition at 00:11 IST on Sunday and astronomy club Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE) have made arrangements at the Nehru Planetarium here to observe the planet from Saturday evening. Using high-power telescope or binoculars, enthusiasts can observe the rings of Saturn which will rise at sunset and set just near dawn. A view through a large telescope will show many moons of the planet, the gap between the rings and also gold and brown cloud bands on the planet.

The ringed planet is brighter this year than it will be until 2015 due to slight dimming as the ring tilt becomes narrower and Saturn’s distance from the earth increases. The tilt of the rings has been decreasing since 2003 and star-gazers will get an edge-on view of the planet in 2009. This year the planet’s ring-tilt angle will give astronomers a chance to get a better view the rings.

The Venue: Nehru Planetarium, New Delhi

The Time: Sunset to Sunrise