Saturn viewing tonight

[Joe G]

Hi all

I've been viewing Saturn for the last few weeks & hoping to get a good session later on tonight. As everyone is aware, it's been getting lower on the horizon every year lately but still worth it as the rings are well tilted at present.  I've been searching various places for the following information without any great success so hoping some of your more experienced people could point me in the right direction

* What year will the planets, especially Saturn begin to appear higher in the sky? I live approx 54 degrees N

* Will the rings still be visible  for the foreseeable future & will the tilt move as it rises?

Basically what I'm asking is can the answers to the above be scientically predicted or would it be based on previous occurrences/ informed guesswork, whatever? 

Again thanks for feedback

Joe

 

[Craney]

This might help Joe,

http://www.nakedeyeplanets.com/saturn.htm

 

Sean.

[Ibbo!]

or visit the southern hemisphere

[Pondus]

Stellarium  Download it.

Set Your location, play With the dates. Zoom in for ring positions.

 

Rune

Edit : At 54N, I`m afraid youll have to wait until 2021 before it gets 18 degrees above Your horizon, With less favorable 'ring tilt' for another half decade.

The good thing is that the planet from 2021 will be nicely placed on the night sky for more than 20 years on.

Edit2 :  I live at 59N... 

[Joe G]

49 minutes ago, Ibbo! said:

southern hemisphere

I had a son in Australia for 3 years & thought about going but would have missed the Orion Belt too much_ just joking!  Someday I hope to view the Southern Cross in the Southern Hemesphere

[Stu]

Hi Joe,

To answer your last question first, yes the positions/altitudes of the planets can be predicted very accurately. Their orbits are well know and any of the planetarium programs or apps will show where they will be in future. The tilt of Saturn's rings is also well known and is shown in these programs.

I went through SkySafari to put this table together which I hope is hopeful.

The rings are wide open now, but in around 2024 they will be closed and open again 2032.

[Joe G]

Thanks to all of you that went to the trouble of explaining / providing the excellent research material. I knew things like eclipses,  comets etc could be predicted but wasn't aware that  the whole scheme of things was so well mapped out. It's nice to know us northerners have better planet viewing times ahead

Again thanks