ILLUSTRATION BY STUART FUNK
You may want to stay up late on the night of Aug. 26 and into the morning hours of Aug. 27, because after midnight, Saturn will reach opposition. This means that the ringed planet will be on the opposite side of the sky from the sun. It will be perched high overhead at around 1 a.m. This is also when Saturn begins to enter our evening sky, rising as the sun sets and continuing to rise earlier and earlier.
If you have access to a telescope, the end of this month is a great time to start training it on Saturn in the evenings.
Each month, Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory astronomer Eric McLaughlin spotlights a notable celestial event. For information about the observatory, visit ranchomiragelibrary.org/observatory.
- READ NEXT: The best guided tours in the desert.