Best week to see Saturn
Starwatch: how to spot Saturn as it makes it closest approach to Earth this year
Tuesday, 6 October 2026
Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash
Warm-up
- Do you ever look at the night sky?
- What planets can you name in English?
- When is the sky clearest where you live?
Vocabulary
- planet
- A large round object in space that moves around a star.
- visible
- Easy to see with your eyes.
- approach
- A movement closer to something.
- horizon
- The line where the sky seems to meet the ground.
- telescope
- A tube with lenses that makes far things look closer.
- ring
- A thin circle; Saturn has bright circles around it.
- rise
- To go up; for the sun or a planet, to appear in the sky.
- track
- To follow and watch something as it moves.
Reading
Listen to this story
British EnglishThis week is a great time to see Saturn. The giant planet is at opposition, meaning Earth is almost between Saturn and the sun. Around this time, Saturn is at its closest approach to Earth for the year. On 4 October it reached opposition. The planet rises at sunset, stays visible all night, and sets near sunrise. To the eye it looks creamy white and steady, not twinkling like most stars. At 21:00 BST on 5 October, from London, Saturn is well above the east-south-east horizon. It sits under the Great Square of Pegasus, a useful signpost in the sky. Saturn is about ten times farther from the sun than Earth. You can track it on later evenings as it slowly moves against the constellations. You can see the planet without help, but a small telescope shows its famous rings. From the southern hemisphere, Saturn rises higher and can be easier to spot.
Comprehension
- What does opposition mean in this story?
- When did Saturn reach opposition?
- How does Saturn look compared to most stars?
- Where is Saturn at 21:00 BST on 5 October from London?
- What do you need to see Saturn’s rings?
Grammar focus
Can / could
Use can + verb for ability or possibility now; use could for past ability or polite possibility. Form: can/could + base verb. For example: "You can see Saturn" becomes "Last year, you could see Saturn in October".
- You can track it on later evenings.
- You can see the planet without help.
Grammar exercise
Complete each gap with can or could + the verb.
- This week you (spot) ___ Saturn without help.
- As a child, I (find) ___ the Great Square to guide me.
- From the southern hemisphere, you (see) ___ it higher.
- On 4 October, observers (watch) ___ Saturn all night.
- With a small telescope, beginners (view) ___ its rings.
Discussion
- Have you ever tried to track a planet? How did it go?
- Would you go outside late to see Saturn? Why or why not?
- Where near you could you get a darker sky to watch stars?
- What simple tips could help a beginner stargazer?
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