2006-12-11 22:05:58 · 1 answers · asked by L U K E 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
On New Years Eve the Lord of the Rings will be closer to Earth and brighter than at any time in three decades. All month long skywatchers can enjoy Saturn at its finest. A similar opportunity won't come again for another 30 years.
If in 2003 we had the Summer of Mars, this will be the Winter of Saturn.
On Dec. 31, Saturn will be opposite the Sun in relation to Earth. That means from our planet, Saturn will rise as the Sun sets, reaching its highest point in the southern sky at midnight and setting as the Sun rises. Astronomers call this opposition.
Saturn takes 29.42 years to orbit the Sun. Its path is not quite circular, and it was just on July 26 that Saturn reached its closest point to the Sun on that orbit, called perihelion. The near coincidence of perihelion and opposition dictate that on New Years Eve, Saturn will be closer to Earth than at any time since December 1973.
2006-12-11 22:09:33 · answer #1 · answered by Basement Bob 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋