Saturn
Saturn is in the constellation of Pisces, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of Saturn in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of Saturn against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Rings and Moons
The following image shows the current position of Saturn's major moons (Titan, Dione, Mimas, Rhea, Tethys, and Enceladus) and the tilt of its rings. For more advanced features, see the page dedicated to the system of Saturn.
Equatorial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of Saturn from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
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 graph shows the distance of Saturn from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of Saturn from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 1600 and December 30, 2499, the closest approach of Saturn to Earth happened on Wednesday 11 December 1619 at a distance of 8.012797 Astronomical Units, or 1,198,697,442 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of Saturn, i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Physical Properties
The table below lists the known key physical properties of Saturn.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 03 2025 | 00h 10m 20s | -01° 19’ 34” | 0.95 | 17.2” | Pisces |
| Jul 04 2025 | 00h 10m 24s | -01° 19’ 26” | 0.94 | 17.2” | Pisces |
| Jul 05 2025 | 00h 10m 27s | -01° 19’ 21” | 0.94 | 17.2” | Pisces |
| Jul 06 2025 | 00h 10m 31s | -01° 19’ 18” | 0.93 | 17.3” | Pisces |
| Jul 07 2025 | 00h 10m 34s | -01° 19’ 17” | 0.93 | 17.3” | Pisces |
| Jul 08 2025 | 00h 10m 36s | -01° 19’ 19” | 0.92 | 17.3” | Pisces |
| Jul 09 2025 | 00h 10m 38s | -01° 19’ 23” | 0.92 | 17.3” | Pisces |
| Jul 10 2025 | 00h 10m 40s | -01° 19’ 29” | 0.91 | 17.4” | Pisces |
| Jul 11 2025 | 00h 10m 41s | -01° 19’ 38” | 0.91 | 17.4” | Pisces |
| Jul 12 2025 | 00h 10m 42s | -01° 19’ 49” | 0.90 | 17.4” | Pisces |
| Jul 13 2025 | 00h 10m 43s | -01° 20’ 03” | 0.90 | 17.5” | Pisces |
| Jul 14 2025 | 00h 10m 43s | -01° 20’ 19” | 0.89 | 17.5” | Pisces |
| Jul 15 2025 | 00h 10m 43s | -01° 20’ 37” | 0.89 | 17.5” | Pisces |
| Jul 16 2025 | 00h 10m 43s | -01° 20’ 58” | 0.88 | 17.6” | 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 where to find Saturn in the sky.
- Distance of Saturn 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: Rise and set times of Saturn from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of Saturn's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of Saturn's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Saturn's computed ephemeris.
- Physical Data: Detailed information about physical properties of Saturn.