Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and is the second largest planet in the Solar System after Jupiter. It has a diameter of 116,460 kilometers and a mass of 5.68 x 10^26 kilograms, making it approximately 95 times more massive than Earth. Saturn is a gas giant planet with a composition similar to Jupiter, primarily composed of hydrogen and helium with trace amounts of other gases. The planet is famous for its extensive ring system, consisting of numerous narrow, bright rings composed of ice particles, rock debris, and dust. Saturn has a day length of 10.7 hours and an orbital period of 29.4 Earth years. The planet has 82 known moons, with the largest being Titan, a moon with a thick atmosphere and the only known moon with stable liquid on its surface. The planet has been explored by multiple spacecraft, including NASA's Cassini-Huygens mission, which spent 13 years in orbit around Saturn and its moons.
Saturn Position Calculator
Compute the position of Saturn for any date and time between 1 January 1600 and 30 December 2499 and visualize the results on an interactive sky map.
In Evidence
Saturn
Saturn is in the constellation of
Pisces,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Saturn is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Saturn?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Saturn in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Rings and Moons
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Saturn from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- Saturn is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, Saturn is visible to the naked eye, easy and bright under dark skies, might be more difficult from heavily light polluted areas.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Saturn from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Saturn from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of Saturn from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 1600 and 30 December 2499, the closest approach of Saturn to Earth happens on Wed Dec 11 1619 at a distance of 8.012797 Astronomical Units, or 1,198,697,442 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Saturn, according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Saturn. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 116464 km | 9.1402 |
| Mass | 568.319 x 1024 kg | 95.1609 |
| Density | 0.6871 gr/cm3 | 0.1246 |
| Escape Velocity | 36.09 km/s | 3.2252 |
| Sideral Rotation | 10.6562 hours | 0.4452 |
| Absolute Magnitude | -8.88 | |
| Geometric Albedo | 0.47 |
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Saturn computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Apparent DiameterDiameter | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 May 10 | 23h 58m 33s | -02° 22’ 03” | 1.15 | 15.7” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 11 | 23h 58m 53s | -02° 20’ 02” | 1.15 | 15.8” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 12 | 23h 59m 14s | -02° 18’ 02” | 1.14 | 15.8” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 13 | 23h 59m 34s | -02° 16’ 04” | 1.14 | 15.8” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 14 | 23h 59m 54s | -02° 14’ 08” | 1.14 | 15.8” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 15 | 00h 00m 13s | -02° 12’ 13” | 1.13 | 15.9” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 16 | 00h 00m 33s | -02° 10’ 20” | 1.13 | 15.9” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 17 | 00h 00m 52s | -02° 08’ 29” | 1.13 | 15.9” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 18 | 00h 01m 11s | -02° 06’ 39” | 1.13 | 15.9” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 19 | 00h 01m 29s | -02° 04’ 52” | 1.12 | 15.9” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 20 | 00h 01m 48s | -02° 03’ 06” | 1.12 | 16.0” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 21 | 00h 02m 06s | -02° 01’ 22” | 1.12 | 16.0” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 22 | 00h 02m 24s | -01° 59’ 39” | 1.11 | 16.0” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 23 | 00h 02m 42s | -01° 57’ 59” | 1.11 | 16.0” | Pisces |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Saturn: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com
- Saturn's Rings and Moons: Rings orientation and satellites position in real time or at any date and time.
- Where is Saturn?: Key information on locating Saturn in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Saturn is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Saturn?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Saturn's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Saturn's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Saturn's computed ephemeris.
- Physical Data. Detailed information about physical properties of Saturn, such as mass and geometric properties.