Saturn

Saturn, sixth planet from the sun, is the second largest planet in our solar system.

Related Topics: Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto 

Latest Updates

An illustration of Saturn with the sun visible in the far distance.

Saturn may have destroyed one of its moons to make its rings

By Keith Cooper published

Saturn's rings might have formed 100 million years ago when one of its icy moons was ripped apart by the planet's gravity.

On Thursday (Sept. 8), the moon and Saturn will make a close approach to each other sharing the same right ascension , an event  known as a conjunction.

See the conjunction of the moon and Saturn on Thursday (Sept. 8)

By Robert Lea published

Every month the moon pairs up with Saturn and in September this conjunction will be seen in the evening time, visible with the naked eye.

September 7 - Bright Moon Passes Saturn

Saturn and a bright moon share the sky Wednesday (Sept. 7)

By Samantha Mathewson published

The waxing gibbous moon will pass near Saturn on Sept. 7 and 8. Meanwhile, the moon reaches perigee or its closest point along its orbit to the Earth.

Woman and child viewing night sky with a telescope.

The brightest planets in September's night sky: How to see them (and when)

By Joe Rao published

Reference Our viewing guide tells you which planets are visible in September's night sky and how you can see them.

An artist's depiction of one of the twin Voyager spacecraft exploring interstellar space.

Celebrate NASA's Voyager missions at 45 with this free webcast tonight

By Tariq Malik published

The Voyager missions are icons of cosmic exploration, and you can celebrate their 45th anniversary with a free webcast tonight (Aug. 18).

The planet Saturn seen through a telescope

Saturn is at opposition. See it shine at its best for 2022 in a free webcast tonight.

By Tariq Malik published

The ringed planet Saturn is often hailed as the jewel of the solar system and you have a chance to see why in a free webcast tonight.

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows auroras above the poles of Jupiter.

Extreme physics of 'supercritical' matter may be surprisingly simple

By Stephanie Pappas published

At 'supercriticality,' the difference between the liquid and gas phases of a material seems to disappear. New research finds that this weird tipping point may be simpler than scientists thought.

A close-up of Saturn and its rings.

Saturn at opposition: See the Lord of the Rings at its best this month

By Joe Rao published

On Sunday night (August 14th), Saturn arrives at opposition, when it lies on the opposite side of the sky from the sun.

Tethys

Rare, elliptical craters reveal new clues about strange Saturn moons Tethys and Dione

By Samantha Mathewson published

Data from NASA's Cassini mission revealed rare, elliptical craters on Saturn's moons Tethys and Dione, which may help researchers better understand the satellites' age and formation.

A view of 5 planets aligned in the morning sky with labels.

You can watch the rare 5-planet alignment in a live webcast for free today

By Elizabeth Howell published

You can watch the five naked-eye planets align for free on a livestream that will be running Sunday (June 26).

Wright Dobbs took this image of the five naked-eye planets from St. Cloud, Florida on June 24, 2022.

See the rare alignment of 5 planets and the moon in this stunning night sky photo

By Elizabeth Howell published

The rare sight of five bright planets lining up with the moon wowed skywatchers around the world Friday and you can still see it this weekend.

Graphic showing a line of planets and the moon across the predawn sky.

Rare alignment of 5 planets peaks Friday as crescent moon joins the parade

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

A rare planetary alignment will peak predawn on Friday (June 24) when the crescent moon joins the party. An alignment like this will not occur again until 2040.

A blue-green planet

On alien worlds, exotic form of ice may transport nutrients to hidden oceans

By Keith Cooper published

Alien life in the deep global ocean of a water world could receive its nutrients through a shell of high-pressure ice around the planet's core.

Graphic showing the moon approaching Saturn in the predawn sky.

The moon begins monthly tour of planets early Saturday. First stop, Saturn!

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

The moon will join Saturn in the predawn sky on Saturday (June 18). The pair will be visible to the naked eye and through a pair of binoculars.

sky map of five planets

Rare 5-planet alignment comes into better view this week. Here's what to expect.

By Joe Rao published

A rare parade of planets is coming into better view in the second half of June, and even the moon will join the show.

NASA sky map of five bright visible planets before dawn in June 2022.

A 'planetary breakup' of 5 planets in the June's big stargazing sight, NASA says

By Samantha Mathewson published

The rare alignment of five naked-eye planets will begin to "break up" as they appear to grow increasingly distant from one another in the morning sky.

Six images of Saturn's moon Titan that incorporate 13 years of data gathered by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Saturn's weird moon Titan looks a bit like Earth, and scientists might finally know why

By Stefanie Waldek published

A new theory explains why Saturn's moon Titan looks a bit like Earth, though made of completely different stuff.

Planets Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn, alongside the moon, shine above Rome at dawn, while the Chinese space station module Tianhe crosses the sky on April 27, 2022.

ISS and China's space station photobomb image of 4 planets aligned in the sky

By Jeanna Bryner published

The International Space Station and China's space station photobombed a four-planet line-up in the early morning sky for Italian astrophysicist Gianluca Masi.

Conjunctions are happily, common in the night sky. Here is a past one: Jupiter (left) and Saturn (right) are seen after sunset above Jordan Lake during the "great conjunction" on Dec. 21, 2020, near Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

See 4 planets line up with the moon in the predawn sky

By Elizabeth Howell published

The quarter-phase moon points to a stunning set of planets low in the sky: Saturn, Mars, Venus and Jupiter.

This NASA sky map shows the location of Venus, Mars and Saturn in the night sky April 4, 2022.

See Venus, Saturn and Mars shine close before sunrise this week

By Elizabeth Howell published

Venus, Saturn and Mars will be visible and very close together this week in the predawn sky. Here's how to see it.