Whether you want to observe in the morning or evening, the solar system has something for you today as two worlds reach their stationary point.
In the morning sky, Saturn stands high as it comes to a stationary point in Pisces. Credit: Stellarium/USGS/Celestia/Clementine
- Saturn is visible in the southeast before sunrise.
- Neptune is close to Saturn and visible through binoculars or a telescope.
- Asteroid Juno is visible in the southwest after sunset.
- Juno’s motion will change direction today.
Saturn stands stationary amid the stars of Pisces at 4 A.M. EDT. It is followed two hours later by asteroid 3 Juno, which reaches its stationary point in Libra at 6 A.M. EDT.
Only Saturn is visible in the morning sky, while Juno is up after sunset. Starting in the morning, look for magnitude 0.9 Saturn 40° high in the southeast two hours before sunrise. It hangs to the lower left of the Circlet in Pisces. Just 1° to Saturn’s north is magnitude 7.7 Neptune, visible together with the ringed planet in binoculars or a telescope. Neptune will appear as a faint, “flat” star with a bluish or grayish tinge. Saturn’s motion has been keeping it relatively the same distance from Neptune for the first half of the month; now, the ringed planet will begin moving retrograde, pulling slowly away from Neptune as it slides southwest relative to the background stars. However, Saturn and Neptune will still remain within about 1° of each other through the rest of the month.
Through a telescope, you’ll also spot Saturn’s stunning ring system and likely easily find its mid-8th-magnitude moon, Titan, some 3’ east of the planet. Take note, as that moon will close in on Saturn by the end of the week and its shadow will transit the gas giant’s cloud tops.
Evening observers can look for 11th-magnitude Juno in far northern Libra, near the border of the Balance and Serpens Caput. Wait until full dark — by 10:30 P.M. local daylight time, Juno is still 40° high in the southwest, about 7.1° north of magnitude 2.6 Zubenesch (Beta Librae). Note that Juno is just 16’ southwest of a brighter, 7th-magnitude field star, and 5’ southwest of a second field star that is roughly the same magnitude as the main-belt world.
Today marks the end of Juno’s retrograde (westward) motion, and it will now start slowly sliding southeast of its current position. It will cross the boundary into Serpens by the 23rd.
Sunrise: 5:44 A.M.
Sunset: 8:28 P.M.
Moonrise: 10:56 P.M.
Moonset: 9:38 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (84%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.
For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column.
