The Moon barrels toward the planet Saturn tonight. Saturn looks like a prominent star to the upper left of the Moon at nightfall. As they drop lower in the sky, the gap between them will close. From most of the country, they’ll be a couple of degrees apart as they set – the width of a finger held at arm’s length. From Alaska and Hawaii they’ll be even closer – almost touching each other.

Although Saturn is bright, it’s a little fainter than average now. That’s because of our viewing angle on the planet’s rings. Most of the time, the rings are tilted enough to add quite a bit to Saturn’s luster. But right now, we’re seeing them almost edge-on. At that angle, they just about disappear.

The rings will be precisely edge-on early next year. But Saturn will appear so close to the Sun that it’ll be hidden in the Sun’s glare.

Saturn’s rings turn edge-on to Earth roughly every 15 years. It takes almost 30 years for Saturn to orbit the Sun. Because of the planet’s tilt on its axis, its north and south poles take turns dipping toward the Sun – just like Earth’s poles. The changing angle brings a change in seasons – also like Earth. The rings turn edge-on to Earth and the Sun at the equinoxes – the start of spring and fall.

Northern fall arrives next year. So the rings will look like a thin ribbon across the planet for a good bit longer. After that they’ll begin to open up – providing a better view of Saturn’s majestic rings.

Script by Damond Benningfield