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Saturn

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

Related Topics: Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto 

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Thick clouds of interstellar dust and gas permeate the star forming region RCW 36, also known as Gum 20, in this deep-space image from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. Located about 2,300 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Vela, the Sails, RCW 36 is part of a much larger star formation complex, known as the Vela Molecular Ridge. Astronomers used an instrument on VLT called the Focal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph (FORS) to capture this image of RCW 36, which is in some parts so thick with dust and gas that background light cannot pass through. These dark regions are the richest with star formation.

Space Photos: The Most Amazing Images This Week!

By Doris Elin Urrutia

Here are our picks for the most amazing space photos of the week.

An up-close look at the tiger stripes on Enceladus.

Top Space Stories of the Week!

By Doris Elin Urrutia

These are the top space stories this week from Space.com.

Venus and Saturn will share the same right ascension tonight (Dec. 10) low on the horizon. This still from a NASA JPL skygazing video shows the planets and the two stars that will shine to the north of the close approach.

See Venus Near Saturn in the Night Sky This Week and Make Your (Skywatching) Season Bright!

By Doris Elin Urrutia

Earmark the next few evenings! Solar-system siblings Venus and Saturn will appear near each other in the night sky this week.

Enceladus has strange, parallel "tiger stipes" at its south pole.

Weird Physics of 'Tiger Stripes' on Icy Saturn Moon Enceladus Finally Explained

By Chelsea Gohd

New research solves some of the mysteries of the "tiger stripes" on Saturn's moon Enceladus.

An artist's depiction of a lake near Titan's north pole.

Lakes May Bubble Up into 'Magic Islands' on Saturn's Weird Moon, Titan

By Meghan Bartels

Champagne is supposed to be bubbly. So is a foaming bath. But a mixture designed to mimic the frigid lakes on an alien moon? That's a little more surprising.

As November begins, Mercury will be in the western evening sky and swinging sunward towards inferior conjunction on November 11, when the speedy planet will transit the sun. The transit will be visible in whole or in part from westernmost Russia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, South America, North America (except for the extreme north), most of the Pacific Ocean, and New Zealand. After mid-month, Mercury will return to view with an excellent morning apparition for Northern Hemisphere observers, but a poor one for the Southern Hemisphere. The planet will reach peak visibility at greatest western elongation on November 28. Viewed in a telescope during mornings in November, Mercury's disk will diminish in apparent size and wax in illuminated phase from a thin crescent to a 68% full. Over the same period, the planet will brighten. The old crescent moon will pass north of Mercury on November 24-25.

The Brightest Visible Planets in December's Night Sky: How to See them (and When)

By Joe Rao

Here's how to see planets visible in December's night sky.

Saturn will be in conjunction with the moon on Nov. 29, at 4:03 p.m. EST (2103 GMT). The pair will be visible above the southwest horizon shortly after sunset.

Cosmic Deal: You Can See Saturn with the Moon on Black Friday (It's Free!)

By Joe Rao

After its Thanksgiving rendezvous with Jupiter and Venus, the moon will pay Saturn a visit on Black Friday (Nov. 29).

The first global geologic map of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

New Map of Saturn's Moon Titan Reveals a Liquid-Filled World

By Elizabeth Howell

A new geologic map of Saturn's large moon Titan reveals just how much liquid this world holds.

The nearly full supermoon Beaver Moon rises over the Syr Darya river near the Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport in Kazakhstan on Nov. 13, 2016 in this view by NASA photographer Bill Ingalls.

November Full Moon 2019: See the 'Beaver Moon' (and Meteors) Tonight!

By Jesse Emspak

The full moon of November, called the Beaver Moon, will shine in the constellation Aries on Nov. 12, the same day as the peak of the Northern Taurid meteor shower.

Dunes on Saturn's moon Titan as seen by the Cassini probe in 2006.

A Faux Saturn Moon Titan on Earth Could Solve Solar System Mystery

By Meghan Bartels

Big, schmancy compounds keep popping up all over the solar system, and new research may help clear up confusion about how they form in so many places.

Saturn as seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

20 New Moons Found Around Saturn, Snagging Satellite Record from Jupiter

By Mike Wall

Astronomers have discovered 20 more Saturn moons, boosting the ringed planet's tally of known satellites to 82 — three more than Jupiter.

On Oct. 3, 2019, the waxing crescent moon will pass less than 2 degrees from the planet Jupiter. With binoculars or a telescope, you may be able to see Jupiter's four Galilean moons, too.

Moon Will Pay Visits to Jupiter and Saturn This Week. Here's How to See It

By Joe Rao

This week the moon is going to rendezvous with two bright "superior" planets.

Enceladus's icy water vapor jets are visible in this photo, taken by Cassini on Sept. 30, 2007.

Organic Compounds Found in Plumes of Saturn's Icy Moon Enceladus

By Chelsea Gohd

Scientists have detected new types of organic compounds in the plumes that have been erupting from Enceladus.

An artist's depiction of a fleet of Shapeshifter robots exploring Saturn's moon Titan.

Shapeshifter Robots Could Explore Volcanoes and Caves on Saturn's Moon Titan

By Elizabeth Howell

New shapeshifting robots could give us access to distant worlds like never before — including the soupy moon Titan in Saturn's neighborhood.

The plumes of the Saturn moon Enceladus, captured spewing from the moon's surface by NASA's Cassini spacecraft from a distance of 9,000 miles (14,000 kilometers) in 2010. One new study suggests that Enceladus' geysers act like a "snow-cannon" and makes Saturn's inner moons more reflective.

'Snow-Cannon' on Enceladus May Make Other Moons Shine

By Chelsea Gohd

A new study suggests that Enceladus' geysers act as a 'snow-cannon,' making nearby moons snowy and reflective.

The rings of Saturn take center stage in this portrait by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 taken on June 20, 2019.

Saturn's Rings May Be Ancient After All

By Mike Wall

The great Saturn ring debate is far from settled, a new study suggests.

The rings of Saturn and four of its moons take center stage in this portrait by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 taken on June 20, 2019.

Saturn and Its Rings Look Truly Spectacular in This Hubble Telescope Portrait

By Tariq Malik

NASA and the European Space Agency unveiled the new Saturn portrait by the Hubble Space Telescope today (Sept. 12), and it is absolutely jaw-dropping.

This artist's concept of a lake at the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan illustrates raised rims and rampartlike features such as those seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft around the moon's Winnipeg Lacus.

Some of Saturn Moon Titan's Methane Lakes May Sit in 'Explosion Craters'

By Mike Wall

Some of the lakes on Saturn's huge moon Titan may sit in craters blasted out by liquid-nitrogen bombs, a new study suggests.

See the moon make a close pass with the planet Saturn on Saturday night (Sept. 7).

Catch the Moon and Saturn Cozying Up to Each Other This Weekend

By Elizabeth Howell

The moon and Saturn have a close encounter in North American skies this weekend (Sept. 7-8).

An artist's depiction of NASA's Cassini spacecraft flying through plumes shooting out of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

On Icy Moons, Alien Life May Go with the Flow of Ocean Currents

By Meghan Bartels

One of the key determinants of which worlds can host life may lie in the motion of their oceans.