Saturn's Pulling a Stunt That Hasn't Happened Since 2009: How to Watch

It's not every day that a prominent feature of our solar system disappears, but that's precisely what will happen with Saturn. Over the weekend, Saturn's gorgeous rings will nearly vanish from sight. No worries, they'll be back in a couple of weeks. This phenomenon is caused by an optical illusion that occurs when the stars line up. Saturn is tilted at 26.73 degrees on its orbit, while Earth is very close to that at a 23.5-degree tilt. When the two planets line up just right, the rings of Saturn are almost entirely horizontal from the perspective of Earth, causing them to mostly vanish. Read more: Best camera to buy in 2025 So, anyone looking up at the sky this weekend will likely note that the planet won't look very Saturn-like without its trademark rings. However, if you're using a powerful telescope, the rings will still be visible. It'll appear as though a thin line is running through the middle of Saturn, as shown in the graphic above. How do Saturn's rings disappear? Saturn' ... Read full article.