Saturn's awe-inspiring rings are the most iconic celestial feature in our solar system. They will vanish in about six months from now.

Note: The title is a bit clickbait (they’ll merely become invisible from our line of sight), but I’m not going to editorialize the article title.

Come March 2025, Saturn’s majestic rings will become virtually invisible to earth-based observers. This phenomenon occurs due to the unique tilt of Saturn’s axis, which will position the rings edge-on to our line of sight. […] Saturn’s axial tilt, which is the angle its axis leans compared to its orbit around the Sun, is about 27 degrees. As Saturn moves during its 29.5 year orbit around the Sun, this tilt means different parts of its rings and moons get sunlight at different angles, changing how they look. So, the rings are not really disappearing but rather playing a celestial game of hide and seek. At their reappearance, we can also enjoy an accentuated view of Saturn’s moons.

  • ericjmorey@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    2 months ago

    Wikipedia has a great image of orientations on the dates of Saturn’s opposition from 2001 thru 2029 (copied below). It really shows what’s going on and the approximate timing of visibility of the rings as they change from a Northern to Southern view from Earth’s perspective. Between March and November of 2025 the rings will be in the least visible orientations.