Future oppositions of Saturn

[AndyWB]

So, I was reading that after this year Saturn will have worse oppositions for the UK for some time. The book "Practical Astronomy" shows that the declination is lower until about 2023 - so, it could be as high this year as it will be for a decade, if I understand it. Is that right?

However, I started thinking about it - but what about the rings? They should open up twice every Saturn year - so once every 15 Earth years.

I'm not sure if the rings are becoming more or less visible, but is there a calendar of 'best predicted oppositions'? Though I guess the balance of ring position and declination is a subjective one.

Also, does the declination also follow a 30 year cycle too?

[Champagnerocker]

Exterior planets will be lower in the sky from the UK during summer oppositions.

Saturn's opposition comes a couple of weeks later each year. With this year's opposition being in April that means it will be in worse positions for the next 4 or five years and then slowly get better again after 2018. It will be at opposition close to the winter solstice in 2032.

[Dunkster]

This gives a nice demonstration of how its appearance changes... http://www.nakedeyep...aturn-orbit.htm

The rings are currently opening up, fully open in 2017 when Saturn will be at its lowest from the UK but it's just coincidence...the 2002 opposition must have been good from the UK (compared to now) and the rings were fully open back then too, and it will,come around again as Champagnerocker says

[AndyWB]

Ah, okay; that's what I was trying to figure out...

"By a stroke of good luck on nature's part, Saturn's perihelion (its closest orbital point to the Sun) takes place only a short while after the planet's Southern pole is tilted at its greatest angle towards the Earth, so at these times - namely, every 29½ years - we are treated to a splendid, 'close-up' view of both the globe and the ring system when seen through Earthbound telescopes. For Northern hemisphere observers the situation is even better: whenever it is near perihelion, Saturn rides high in the sky on the Taurus/Gemini border, giving the best possible observing conditions. Saturn last passed perihelion in July 2003 and will next pass it in December 2032 (when it will be in Gemini); it will then be 9.015 AU (838 million miles or 1,348 million kms) from the Sun. The planet will reach its most Northerly point in the zodiac some six months later, in April 2033."

I wasn't sure if location in sky, axial tilt and perihelion were related. It sounds like 'No, but we got lucky'.

Nothing like planning ahead, eh? Gives me some time to build a little observatory - and buy a house with a garden first...

[Dunkster]