September is going to be the best month to view Saturn. The planet will reach its peak brightness on Sunday, September 8, 2024. At this point, it will also be at its opposition. This means that Saturn will be directly opposite the sun in the sky, making it visible all night long for stargazers everywhere.
Saturn’s brightest period also coincides with Saturn being closest to Earth. Although Saturn is at its brightest the second week of the month, you will be able to spot the planet throughout every night of September. It will be easily seen without a telescope and you may be able to see the planet’s rings and some of its biggest moons. The rings and the moons will surely be brilliant and can be seen with the help of a telescope. You should get the chance to see Titan, Rhea, Enceladus, Mimas, Dione, and Tethya, six of Saturn’s brightest moons.
A partial lunar eclipse will also be visible across nearly all of North America, with the exception of western Alaska. The time to look for the partial eclipse is Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 10:44 p.m., which will be the height of the eclipse. This lunar eclipse will also be a supermoon, meaning the moon will appear slightly bigger than normal.
