Not so long ago, we had no planets in our evening skies.  Now Venus hangs in the west, Jupiter is bright and high in the south, and starting tonight, Saturn will be joining the party.

Saturn is at opposition – directly opposite the Sun, rising as it sets – on June 27, just as the Moon slides by it.  (The following night, the Moon is full – the Strawberry Moon this month).

At opposition, Saturn is near its closest approach, and theoretically is at is biggest and brightest as seen from our vantage point.  I’m just excited about being able to see those beautiful rings without getting up in the early morning…  if you have never seen Saturn through a small telescope, go do it.  Find a neighbor with a scope, anything you have to do.  It’s absolutely remarkable, and I have yet to find anybody who sees Saturn for the first time and isn’t completely overwhelmed by the fact its rings are so obvious, so apparent, and so beautiful, even from so far away.

Go take a look, you won’t be disappointed!

And BTW, as an afterthought, Mars is on its way to its closest approach in a long time – believe it or not, it will soon be ALSO in our evening sky, and will outshine even Jupiter.  Just a month or so away…

Get Out There
Troy
http://www.flying-squirrel.org