Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, is not as bright as Venus, Jupiter or Mars, but it's still easy to find if you know where to look for this pale yellow giant. What it lacks in brightness, it makes up for in sheer grandeur -- through a telescope Saturn is a magnificent sight.
Of course the reason is Saturn's bright system of rings that seem to be floating in space around the planet. There's a large gap between the planet and the rings and another gap within the rings known as the Cassini Division. The angle or tilt of the rings changes slowly over time.
Like Jupiter, Saturn has banding in its atmosphere that can be easily seen. And, like Jupiter, is has lots of moons, in fact more (83 vs 80). Unlike Jupiter, Saturn has only one moon that is bright enough to be easily seen -- Titan -- but it also has four other moons that can be seen but are dim and make for challenging targets -- Rhea, Tethys, Dione, and Enceladus.
The best time to view Saturn is during an opposition when Earth is closest to Saturn. Oppositions occur every 12.4 months. Because Saturn moves so slowly in earth's sky -- about one constellation of the zodiac eastward every two to three years -- once you learn its location it is easy to find year after year.
Look for a bright, yellowish-white orb on the ecliptic. To confirm, use a telescope at 50x power or higher to view the rings and moons.
* Good evening viewing of Saturn all month but it is low and getting lower each evening.
* Saturn is in Sagittarius at the start of the month and moves into Capricornus on the 18th.
* Saturn will be near Jupiter in our sky all month. Look W for Jupiter.
* December 21: Jupiter and Saturn will be only 6' apart. For comparison, the moon is 30' in size.
* December 16: look for Jupiter, Saturn and a Waxing Crescent Moon aligned in the evening.
Saturn (December, 2020) 
