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WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A golden star will rise in the
east Thursday night, soaring overhead at midnight and staying up all
night, beautiful and eye-catching -- the star is Saturn.
Jan. 13 is a special date for Saturn because it is when the
sixth planet is closest to Earth -- only 750 million miles away,
compared to a maximum distance of almost 1 billion miles. The
proximity will make the ringed planet appear unusually big and
bright.
Astronomers called this condition opposition, which means
Earth and Saturn have reached points in their orbits where Earth is
directly between the ringed planet and the sun.
Although the event is not rare -- it happens about every 13
months -- the 2005 opposition of Saturn is so perfect that an
observer on Saturn would see Earth transiting the face of the sun.
To find Saturn, step outside around 7:30 p.m. local time and
face east. The planet will be easy to see almost halfway up the sky.
Even a small telescope will show the planet's rings and, on a clear
night, a little nearby pinprick of light -- Titan, Saturn's largest
moon, which will be visited by the European Space Agency's Huygens
probe Jan. 14.