Get your stargazing field glasses out! Overnight from Aug. 20 to 21, the blue supermoon will pass in front of– or occult– the ringed world Saturn. Saturn and the moon will be low in the sky when the occultation begins, they will be quickly noticeable when the occasion ends. After Saturn emerges from behind the moon, the big world will remain near the moon all night.

Here’s whatever you require to understand to see this spectacular occasion.

How to see

Seeing Saturn with the naked eye isn’t perfect; if you do not utilize a great yard telescope or set of field glasses, Saturn will be identical from any intense stars in the sky. The very best method to see Saturn is to utilize a set of high-powered field glasses or a telescope so that you can see its signature rings and moons. If you utilize a telescope, you can see Saturn in even more information: in addition to seeing its rings and moons, you will be able to see the bands of clouds at its surface area.

On Aug. 20, Saturn and the moon will increase in the southeastern part of the sky and embeded in the southwestern part of the sky. Saturn will depend on the constellation Aquarius, however given that Saturn will be so near to the moon, you most likely will not require to utilize Aquarius as a waypoint.

Related: Unusual ‘moonbows’ illuminate night sky throughout United States as blue supermoon increases– and you might still identify another one

When to see

Saturn and the moon will increase around 9 p.m. regional time on Aug. 20, and will set around 8 a.m. regional time on the 21st. Depending upon your viewpoint, they will reach their acme in the sky in between around 2 and 3 a.m., reaching a height of about 42 degrees above the horizon, according to theskylive.com

The moon will pass in front of Saturn around 8:44 p.m. regional timeDepending upon your precise place, the occultation will take place right away before or right away after the 2 things cross the horizon.

If you miss out on the minute when the moon begins to occult Saturn, you might have the ability to see Saturn emerge from behind the moon, which will occur around 12:38 a.m. regional timewhen the moon is greatest in the sky.

You can utilize apps like Stellarium to examine the accurate times in your particular area.

Observing conditions

On the night of Aug. 20-21, the moon will be intense and complete. Generally, dark skies are the most perfect for observing due to the fact that moonlight can rinse other items in the sky. Saturn is rather intense, so it will still be plainly noticeable regardless of the complete moon.

The occultation of Saturn may not show up to all observers due to the fact that the evident position of Saturn and other celestial things can differ approximately 2 degrees depending upon your position in the world. (This evident shift in a things’s position depending upon your perspective is called parallax. Even if you simply miss out on the occultation, you will still be able to see Saturn make an exceptionally close technique to the moon the whole night.

Gretchen Rundorff is an astronomy lover who is enthusiastic about science interaction and empowering individuals to discover the night sky. She has actually seen numerous meteor showers, has actually seen a partial solar eclipse in 2016, has actually photographed the 2024 overall solar eclipse, and has actually utilized telescopes to see worlds and star clusters. Gretchen holds a bachelor’s degree in approach and French from the University of Pittsburgh, and a graduate-level certificate in copyediting from the University of California San Diego.