Saturn (Planet)
© NASA/Cassini
From South El Monte , Saturn is visible in the dawn sky, rising at 03:44 (PDT) – 2 hours and 2 minutes before the Sun – and reaching an altitude of 17° above the eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 05:10.
|
Name
Saturn
|
Object type
Superior planet
|
Current position
| Computed for: | 17 May 2026 |
| Right ascension: | 00h42m [2] |
| Declination: | +02°07' [2] |
| Constellation: | Cetus |
| Magnitude: | 0.73 (V) [1] |
| Angular diameter: | 16.0 arcsec[2] |
| Distance: | 10.16 AU 84.47 lightmin [2] |
Orbital elements [2]
| Semi-major axis: | 9.54 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.053862 |
| Inclination: | 2.49° |
| Longitude ascending node: | 113.66° |
| Argument of perihelion: | -21.06° |
| Epoch of elements: | 1 Jan 2000 |
| Mean Anomaly at epoch: | -42.64° |
| Absolute mag (H): | -8.95 [1] |
| Slope parameter (n): | 2.00 [1] |
Derived quantities
| Perihelion: | 9.02 AU |
| Aphelion: | 10.05 AU |
| Orbital period: | 29.45 years |
Sources
| [1] | Robin M. Green, Spherical Astronomy, 1985, ISBN 0-521-31779-7 |
| [2] | Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac, 2013, Urban & Seidelmann, Eds., Table 8.7, ISBN 978-1-891389-85-6 |
Events
| 26 Jul 2026 | – Saturn enters retrograde motion |
| 04 Oct 2026 | – Saturn at opposition |
| 10 Dec 2026 | – Saturn ends retrograde motion |
| 07 Apr 2027 | – Saturn at solar conjunction |
| 09 Aug 2027 | – Saturn enters retrograde motion |
| 17 Oct 2027 | – Saturn at opposition |
| 23 Dec 2027 | – Saturn ends retrograde motion |
| 20 Apr 2028 | – Saturn at solar conjunction |
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