See Saturn Shine Bright On Friday During Its Opposition

The opposition of Saturn which will reportedly take place on Friday, June 3 will provide one of the most incredible glimpses of the planet, whether viewed by telescope or through the naked eye.

The event is known as opposition because Saturn gets positioned directly opposite the sun in orbit, which will make it appear brighter than normal. The opposition location would also place Saturn at its closest approach to Earth, which will make it look larger. Saturn in opposition also means that the planet will mimic the motions of the Sun by rising in the east at sunset, attain its highest position at midnight and set in the west at sunrise, according to an astronomy website. Incidentally Saturn, which is located 1.2 billion kilometers away from Earth at its closest, is the farthest planet that can be seen from our planet with the naked eye and it returns to opposition every 54 weeks.

Saturn, however, won't dominate the sky during its opposition though it will be big and bright; rather that position will be taken up by Mars, which was also at opposition a few weeks ago and is at its closest distance to our planet right now. NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft, which generally captures images of the Sun, was able to take a photo of Saturn, Earth, and Mars in alignment in a single frame. The star Antares can also be seen in the image.

NASA’s Stereo-A probe caught Saturn and Mars … with Earth in between! https://t.co/khABOHql6N #totallyawesome pic.twitter.com/LWcOn1Zc7s

— EarthSky (@earthskyscience) May 26, 2016

Those interested in catching a glimpse of the ringed planet can do so by locating Mars near the ruddy bright constellation Scorpius in the southeastern sky. A golden Saturn can be spotted on the left of Mars. The planet will be visible with naked eye, however to view its spectacular rings, a 25 times magnification telescope will be needed. Astronomy enthusiasts can also view the event on astronomy website Slooh, which will be streaming it live. Additionally, if you miss Saturn in opposition on Friday, you can still view it for the next couple of weeks.