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Observation Settings

Or select it on the map:
This Earth map fragment is intended to illustrate celestial motion across the sky, emphasizing both bearing and elevational perspectives. The map's center point corresponds to the transit, showcasing celestial objects at their highest point, while elevation gradually decreases towards the map edges. This dynamic representation offers insights into the changing positions of celestial bodies with a focus on their bearing and elevational trajectories.
Your location: Santa Clara, United States
Timezone:
Latitude:
37.3541
Longitude:
-121.955

Saturn Observation Details

Saturn

Saturn Daily Motion

Saturn will be visible throughout the entire night. It will rise at 18:28, just before twilight begins, and will be at 1° when twilight starts at 18:32. It will reach its transit at 50° at 00:20, and will fade away as twilight ends at 03:42, being at 29° elevation.
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 September 03

Saturn Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
Moon Rise, 75.5% illuminated14:44-42°
Saturn rise18:28
Astrosession begin19:057°
Moon Set23:5750°
Saturn transit00:2050°
Astrosession end03:0934°
Civil sunrise04:1323°
Sunrise04:4118°
Saturn set06:12

Track Saturn Position Throughout the Night

← Wed, 3 September 2025 →

Elevation (degrees)
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 Pisces, at right ascension 00h 03m 34s" and declination -2° 19' 08s, approximately 8.6 AU (1,286,541,688 km) from Earth. At the current time, it is below the horizon and not visible from your location.

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

TimeDescriptionConstellation
Sun, 21 September 2025Saturn is in OppositionPisces
Sun, 5 October 2025, 17:57Close approach of Saturn and the Moon. Distance - 3.8°, position - 20° above the horizon at West-SouthwestPisces
Fri, 28 November 2025Retrograde motion of Saturn endsAquarius
Fri, 26 December 2025, 18:33Close approach of Saturn and the Moon. Distance - 4°, position - 40° above the horizon at SoutheastPisces

Current position of Saturn in Solar System

Earth Saturn
DateWed, 3 September 2025
Distance from Earth to Saturn8.5975 AU (1,286,167,693km)
Elongation161°
Angular diameter19.3"
Magnitude0.6
This section provides an interactive projection of the solar system, illustrating the relative positions of Saturn, Earth, and the Sun throughout the year. By sliding the image left or right, you can change the day of the year, observing how the positions of Saturn and Earth shift in their orbits around the Sun.

Finder Chart for Saturn

Double-click to unlock the map.
Object nameSaturn
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
Saturn coordinates0.05959, -2.31894
Center coordinates0.05959, -2.31894

Saturn Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of Saturn

Time10:17
Latitude37.3541
Longitude-121.955
Saturn elevation-45°
Saturn Azimuth47°
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

Time
DateWed, 3 September 2025
Twighlight start19:00
Twighlight end03:03
Twighlight duration8h 2m
Rise18:28
Set06:12
Elevation at transit50°
Transit time00:20
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 00h 03m 31s", Dec: -2° 19' 29s
Magnitude1
ConstellationPisces
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.

Astrometric & Physical Parameters of Saturn

Coordinates & Visibility

Right Ascension0.05959°
Declination-2.31894°
Magnitude0.6
ConstellationPisces
Elevation-44.8°
Azimuth46.8°

Basic Properties

Mass, kg5.6834E+26
Mean density, g/cm³0.687+-.001

Orbit

Orbital period, days10755.698 d

Rotation

Sidereal rotation period, days10h 39m 22.4s

Surface & Atmosphere

Surface gravity, m/s²12.14+-0.01
Escape velocity, km/s35.5
Mean temperature, K134+-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.