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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Two views of Saturn's moon Titan captured by the James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam instrument.

James Webb Space Telescope view of Saturn's weirdest moon Titan thrills scientists

By Meghan Bartels published

It's been a cloudy season for Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

An illustration of the night sky on Monday (Nov. 28) depicting the conjunction of Saturn and a young crescent moon.

See the crescent moon visit Saturn in the night sky Monday (Nov. 28)

By Robert Lea published

When the moon shares the same right ascension with Saturn, the solar system's second-largest planet, it will offer skywatchers a guide to observing the gas giant and its stunning ring system.

rocky structures covered by dots and blobs

Surprise finding at Arctic vent site could help in the search for extraterrestrial life

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

A vent deep under the Arctic ice is surprisingly similar to what may occur on Saturn's icy moon, Enceladus.

An illustration of the first quarter moon near Saturn in the night sky.

See the first quarter moon join Saturn in the sky tonight (Nov. 1)

By Stefanie Waldek last updated

Catch Saturn making a close approach of the moon in its first quarter phase on Tuesday (Nov. 1).

A group of people look up at the night sky through telescopes.

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

By Joe Rao last updated

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

icy moon with small geysers shooting out

NASA has a life-detecting instrument ready to fly to Europa or Enceladus

By Keith Cooper published

OWLS, the Ocean Worlds Life Surveyor, would autonomously search for life on the icy moons of the outer solar system.

41 Cassini observations were combined to create this image of Saturn's rings.

See Saturn's rings in glorious detail in stunning new composite image

By Stefanie Waldek last updated

A newly processed image, comprising 41 observations by NASA's retired Cassini mission, provides insights into the origins of Saturn's rings.

Five of Saturn's moons from left to right are Janus, Pandora, Enceladus, Mimas and Rhea. Saturn is on the right.

Saturn's moons: Facts about the weird and wonderful satellites of the ringed planet

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Reference Explore all 63 of Saturn's verified moons, along with their names and discovery dates. Other moons await official confirmation of their discovery.

rendering of odd helicopter vehicle against orangeish landscape

NASA's Titan Dragonfly will touch down on a field of dunes and shattered ice

By Keith Cooper published

NASA's Dragonfly mission to Saturn's largest moon will touch down on a terrain of dunes and shattered, icy bedrock, according to a new analysis of radar imagery from the Cassini spacecraft.

Graphic ilustration from Starry night software showing the moon and saturn close together in the night sky with a green circle surrounding them to demonstrate the observable field of view through a pair of binoculars.

See the moon and Saturn close together in the night sky tonight (Oct. 5)

By Stefanie Waldek published

Across the United States, the moon and Saturn will appear to be close neighbors for a good portion of the night.

purple haze shooting down from arc of ice

Missing element for life may be present in ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus

By Keith Cooper published

The underground ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus may contain significant amounts of phosphorus, which is vital for life as we know it.

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 last updated

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.

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 last updated

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).