Not every day the prominent features of the solar system disappear, but that’s exactly what happens to Saturn. On weekends, Saturn’s gorgeous ring will almost disappear from sight. Don’t worry, they’ll be back in a few weeks.
This phenomenon is caused by optical illusion that occurs when stars line up. Saturn has an inclination of 26.73 degrees in its orbit, while the Earth is very close to an inclination of 23.5 degrees. When the two planets are just right, Saturn’s rings are almost entirely horizontal from the perspective of the Earth, thus making them mostly disappear.
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So anyone looking up at the sky this weekend might notice that without its trademark ring, the Earth wouldn’t look like Saturn. However, if you are using a powerful telescope, the ring is still visible. As shown in the picture above, it looks like a thin line is passing through the middle of Saturn.
How does Saturn’s ring disappear?
Saturn’s ring looks like a line.
The tilt between Saturn and Earth is the main one. It’s like looking at a piece of paper. If you fix it horizontally to the eye level, it is actually invisible.
Paper is an appropriate analogy here, because Saturn’s rings are thin. According to NASA, Saturn’s rings average about 30 feet across the entire length of the ring. This means that when viewed from the side at a distance of about 1.5 million kilometers (983,000 miles) you might also look at a piece of paper from the side.
The ring is still technically visible. People with higher power in telescopes may be able to see lines across Saturn. However, those with low-power telescopes may not see it, making Saturn look naked.
When will the ring return?
The peak of this small celestial dance will take place on the weekend. So technically, the ring has been like this for a week or two and it’s hard to see April. By then, Saturn’s orbit will begin to tilt the ring again, and they will slowly return to the ring for the next month or two.
How rare is this incident?
According to NASA, this happens on average every 13 to 15 years. However, this is not an exact science, as previous events occurred in 1980, 1995 and 2009. The next article is expected to be 2038 or 2039.
