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Saturn Position Calculator
Compute the position of Saturn for any date and time between 1 January 1600 and 30 December 2499 and visualize the results on an interactive sky map.
Saturn
Saturn is in the constellation of
Aquarius,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and is the second largest planet in the Solar System after Jupiter. It has a diameter of 116,460 kilometers and a mass of 5.68 x 10^26 kilograms, making it approximately 95 times more massive than Earth. Saturn is a gas giant planet with a composition similar to Jupiter, primarily composed of hydrogen and helium with trace amounts of other gases. The planet is famous for its extensive ring system, consisting of numerous narrow, bright rings composed of ice particles, rock debris, and dust. Saturn has a day length of 10.7 hours and an orbital period of 29.4 Earth years. The planet has 82 known moons, with the largest being Titan, a moon with a thick atmosphere and the only known moon with stable liquid on its surface. The planet has been explored by multiple spacecraft, including NASA's Cassini-Huygens mission, which spent 13 years in orbit around Saturn and its moons.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Saturn from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- Saturn is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, Saturn is visible to the naked eye, easy and bright under dark skies, might be more difficult from heavily light polluted areas.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Finder Charts
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Saturn is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Saturn?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Saturn in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Saturn from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Saturn from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of Saturn from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 1600 and 30 December 2499, the closest approach of Saturn to Earth happens on Wed Dec 11 1619 at a distance of 8.012797 Astronomical Units, or 1,198,697,442 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Saturn, according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Saturn. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 116464 km | 9.1402 |
| Mass | 568.319 x 1024 kg | 95.1609 |
| Density | 0.6871 gr/cm3 | 0.1246 |
| Escape Velocity | 36.09 km/s | 3.2252 |
| Sideral Rotation | 10.6562 hours | 0.4452 |
| Absolute Magnitude | -8.88 | |
| Geometric Albedo | 0.47 |
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Saturn computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Apparent DiameterDiameter | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Jul 21 | 23h 23m 00s | -06° 13’ 44” | 0.81 | 17.8” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Jul 22 | 23h 22m 53s | -06° 14’ 46” | 0.80 | 17.9” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Jul 23 | 23h 22m 45s | -06° 15’ 50” | 0.80 | 17.9” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Jul 24 | 23h 22m 37s | -06° 16’ 56” | 0.79 | 17.9” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Jul 25 | 23h 22m 29s | -06° 18’ 05” | 0.79 | 17.9” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Jul 26 | 23h 22m 20s | -06° 19’ 15” | 0.78 | 18.0” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Jul 27 | 23h 22m 11s | -06° 20’ 26” | 0.78 | 18.0” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Jul 28 | 23h 22m 02s | -06° 21’ 40” | 0.77 | 18.0” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Jul 29 | 23h 21m 52s | -06° 22’ 55” | 0.77 | 18.0” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Jul 30 | 23h 21m 42s | -06° 24’ 12” | 0.76 | 18.1” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Jul 31 | 23h 21m 32s | -06° 25’ 31” | 0.76 | 18.1” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Aug 01 | 23h 21m 21s | -06° 26’ 52” | 0.75 | 18.1” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Aug 02 | 23h 21m 10s | -06° 28’ 14” | 0.75 | 18.1” | Aquarius |
| 2024 Aug 03 | 23h 20m 59s | -06° 29’ 38” | 0.74 | 18.1” | Aquarius |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Saturn?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Saturn from Earth?)
- When does Saturn rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Saturn?)
- Physical data. Detailed information about physical properties of Saturn, such as mass and geometric properties.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Saturn for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Saturn in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Saturn with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.