ByJamie Carter,
Senior Contributor.
Skywatchers will this weekend be treated to the sight of Saturn close to a bright moon. The ringed planet — close to its brightest of the year — will appear to the right side of the moon, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere on Friday, Nov. 28, sit very close to it on Saturday, Nov. 29, and appear on its left side on Sunday, Nov. 30. The close conjunction occurs because the moon orbits Earth on roughly the same plane — the ecliptic — as planets orbit the sun.
About an hour after sunset each evening between Nov. 28-30, face south and look up. The closest pairing will occur on Nov. 29 when the 68%-illuminated waxing gibbous moon will be less than five degrees above Saturn, according to WhenTheCurvesLineUp.com.
Saturn will appear as a golden, steady point of light near the moon. Although it’s not as bright as Jupiter, this conjunction will be especially striking to the naked eye because Saturn is shining relatively brightly shortly after its bright opposition in September.
