Western elongation of Iapetus visible in the sky on Saturday, August 30
Stargazers Delight: A Rare Sighting of Saturn and Its Moons
Get ready for an exciting astronomical event! This week, stargazers have the opportunity to witness a unique alignment of Saturn and several of its moons, including Iapetus, Enceladus, Tethys, Rhea, and Dione.
The icy moon Iapetus, known for its striking contrast between a light and dark hemisphere, will be turning its brighter side towards Earth during western elongation today. Iapetus, located 9.5' west of Saturn, will have a magnitude of 10th, making it a relatively bright object in the night sky. The brightness of Iapetus varies significantly as it orbits Saturn and slowly rotates.
Enceladus, with a magnitude of 12th, is a bit more challenging to observe but is worth the effort. It can be found between Dione and the edge of the rings.
Titan, the brightest of Saturn's moons with a magnitude of mid-8th, can be seen 3 arcminutes east of Saturn. Tethys, just off the eastern end of the rings, and Rhea, located north of the rings to the east of Saturn, are also visible in this alignment. Dione is situated west of the western edge of the rings.
Observational opportunities favor the late evening or early morning hours, with Saturn reaching an altitude of 25° in the east around 11 P.M. local daylight time. This means that Saturn will be rising in the east about an hour after sunset.
The moon Iapetus will be in a waxing crescent phase with 45% illumination, and the local times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset are 6:26 A.M., 7:34 P.M., 1:56 P.M., and 10:58 P.M., respectively. These times are provided for a location at 40° N 90° W.
This is a rare opportunity to observe Saturn and its moons in such close proximity, so grab your telescopes and mark your calendars for this spectacular celestial event!
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