On Thursday (September 8), the Moon and Saturn will approach each other, sharing the same direct ascendant, an event known as a conjunction.
The two objects will pass within about 3⁰ 43′ of each other in the evening sky and will be visible in front of the constellation Capricorn. Over the New York sky, the conjunction will be visible around 19:33 EST (23:33 GMT) and will be in the southeast at about 13⁰ above the horizon. (A fist at arm’s length is approximately 10⁰.)
The moon and Saturn will reach 33⁰ above the southern horizon around 11:14 PM ET (03:14 GMT on September 9) — the highest point of conjunction — and the event will remain visible until about 3:29 AM ET (07:29 GMT) , at which point the month and Saturn will disappear between the horizon in the south-west.
On the subject: The night sky, September 2022: What to see tonight [maps]
Connection of Saturn — art Solar systemthe second largest planet in the US, and the Moon is best seen with the naked eye or binoculars. A telescope is not suitable for viewing the event due to the great distance between the Moon and the gas giant, which exceeds the telescope’s field of view.
During the conjunction, the Moon will have a visual magnitude of 12.7, while Saturn’s magnitude is 0.3.
Saturn is the sixth planet from The sun and one of the five brightest planets in the solar system, including Mercury, VenusMars and Jupiter — which is visible to the naked eye.
Seen from Earth To the naked eye, Saturn looks like a twinkling speck of light, but it only takes a small telescope to see one of the planet’s most amazing features –his rings. Embedded in these rings, which are thought to consist of material ranging in size from dust-like particles to car-sized lumps, are some Satellites of Saturn.
Looking through the telescope as a hazy brownish-yellow blob, Saturn’s atmosphere composed mainly of hydrogen and helium with relatively large amounts of methane and ammonia.
Conjunctions like the one between the Moon and Saturn are a type of close conjunction in the sky between two or more astronomical objects called an oppulse.
The most common type of apulse involves the moon in a pair with one of the planets of the solar system. This is because the Moon moves quickly across the night sky compared to other cosmological bodies and thus can pass through each constellation about once a month.
As a result, conjunctions between the Moon and the planets occur about once a month and at about the same time each month.
There is no strict definition of how close two celestial bodies in the sky must come to make a pulse. Astronomy website In The Sky believes the pulse occurred between two objects visible to the naked eye when they pass to within 3⁰ (opens in a new tab)and objects visible only through a telescope applaud when only 1⁰ separates them.
The next conjunction of the Moon with Saturn is scheduled for October 5, 2022.
You can check our guides on the best binoculars and the best telescopes spot the Moon, Saturn or many other celestial objects. If you’re hoping to get a good duo shot, check out our tips for finding the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.
Editor’s note: If you’ve taken a photo of the Moon-Saturn conjunction and want to share it with Space.com readers, send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
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