Saturn Observation Details
Saturn Daily Motion
Saturn will be visible until March, 5, when it will move too close to the Sun. During this time, its proximity to the Sun will cause it to disappear from the night sky, making it unobservable for a while.
Saturn Visibility Timetable on December 14
Saturn Rise and Set Timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
| Moon Rise, 35.4% illuminated | 23:24 | -14° |
| Saturn rise | 10:35 | |
| Moon Set | 11:01 | 5° |
| Sunset | 14:49 | 43° |
| Civil sunset | 15:19 | 46° |
| Saturn transit | 16:22 | 49° |
| Astrosession begin | 16:24 | 49° |
| Saturn set | 22:09 | |
| Astrosession end | 03:40 | -55° |
Track Saturn Position Throughout the Night
← Sun, 14 December 2025 →
| Time | |
| Altitude | |
| Azimuth |
Shift the map to change the time and observe Saturn changing position in the night sky.
Where is Saturn right now?
Saturn is located in the constellation Aquarius, at right ascension 23h 46m 45s" and declination -3° 57' 40s, approximately 9.42 AU (1,409,211,942 km) from Earth. At the current time, it is above the horizon at an altitude of 18 degrees toward the east-southeast from your location, with an apparent magnitude of 1.Saturn’s Rings Are Currently Invisible Due to Its Inclination
Saturn’s majestic rings, usually one of the most striking features of the planet, are currently disappearing from view as seen from Earth. This phenomenon occurs because of Saturn’s axial tilt and the changing orientation of its ring plane relative to our line of sight.Saturn’s rings are aligned with the planet’s equatorial plane, which is tilted by about 26.7° relative to its orbit around the Sun. As Saturn moves along its nearly 30-year-long journey around the Sun, its tilt causes the rings to appear at different angles when observed from Earth. Roughly every 13 to 15 years, the rings become edge-on, making them nearly invisible due to their extremely thin structure.
In 2025, Saturn’s rings will reach an edge-on orientation, temporarily vanishing from view. This is a natural and predictable event that last occurred in 2009. While Saturn remains a bright object in the night sky, its iconic rings will not be easily visible through telescopes until they start to tilt again, revealing more of their structure in the following years.
Saturn's Moon Positions
This section focuses on the positions of Saturn's major moons, such as Titan, Rhea, Dione, and Tethys, relative to Saturn during nighttime. Using a telescope, observers can follow the orbits of these moons, with Titan taking about 16 days to complete an orbit and Tethys just 1.9 days.
Upcoming Events
| Time | Description | Constellation |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, 26 December 2025, 17:33 | Close approach of Saturn and the Moon. Distance - 4°, position - 40° above the horizon at Southeast | Pisces |
| Wed, 25 March 2026, 14:00 | Pisces | |
| Mon, 27 July 2026 | Retrograde motion of Saturn begins | Pisces |
| Mon, 5 October 2026 | Saturn is in Opposition | Cetus |
| Fri, 11 December 2026 | Retrograde motion of Saturn ends | Cetus |
Current position of Saturn in Solar System
| Date | Sun, 14 December 2025 |
| Distance from Earth to Saturn | 9.4194 AU (1,409,122,183km) |
| Elongation | 93° |
| Angular diameter | 17.6" |
| Magnitude | 1 |
Finder Chart for Saturn
Double-click to unlock the map.
| Object name | Saturn |
| Field of view | |
| Limiting magnitude | |
| Saturn coordinates | 23.77943, -3.96131 |
| Center coordinates | 23.77943, -3.96131 |
Saturn Passage Through Night
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Current position of Saturn
| Time | 20:38 |
| Latitude | 37.3541 |
| Longitude | -121.955 |
| Saturn elevation | 18° |
| Saturn Azimuth | 110° |
Here you can see the current position of the Saturn on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the Saturn's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.
Annual motion of Saturn
| Date | Mon, 15 December 2025 |
| Twighlight start | 16:24 |
| Twighlight end | 03:38 |
| Twighlight duration | 11h 15m |
| Rise | 10:31 |
| Set | 22:05 |
| Elevation at transit | 49° |
| Transit time | 16:18 |
| Equatorial coordinates | RA: 23h 46m 50s", Dec: -3° 57' 01s |
| Magnitude | 1 |
| Constellation | Aquarius |
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a Saturn, providing a comprehensive overview of its daily appearances and transit times throughout the year.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the Saturn is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the Saturn is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.
Astrometric & Physical Parameters of Saturn
Coordinates & Visibility
| Right Ascension | 23.77943° |
| Declination | -3.96131° |
| Magnitude | 1 |
| Constellation | Aquarius |
| Elevation | 17.8° |
| Azimuth | 109.6° |
Basic Properties
| Mass, kg | 5.6834E+26 |
| Mean density, g/cm³ | 0.687+-.001 |
Orbit
| Orbital period, days | 10755.698 d |
Rotation
| Sidereal rotation period, days | 10h 39m 22.4s |
Surface & Atmosphere
| Surface gravity, m/s² | 12.14+-0.01 |
| Escape velocity, km/s | 35.5 |
| Mean temperature, K | 134+-4 K |
Brightness
| Visual magnitude V(1,0) | -8.88 |
Data Acknowledgment
Our solar system data—including planetary physical and orbital parameters—comes from the Solar System OpenData API , maintained by Le Système Solaire. We thank Christophe and the contributors for making this open data available.