2024-07-18
Saturn observations acquired by several amateur observers, notably Trevor Barry, but also many other observers, show a wealth of atmospheric features as the planet approaches Equinox on May 5, 2025, together with changes in the colors of the multiple bands of the planet. Over 2024 and 2025 there are different occasions where the rings appear nearly edge-on from the Earth. Saturn's rings will be exactly edge-on from the Earth on March 23-24, 2025 with the planet at a small solar elongation of only 9.5ยบ. Equinox will occur near quadrature, on May 5, 2025. Observations near Saturn's opposition on Sept. 8, 2024 and Sept. 21, 2025 will provide good opportunities to continue monitoring the changing seasons in Saturn in this key moment in the slow seasonal cycle of Saturn.
Observations with the rings edge-on will provide the best possible observations of the bright Equatorial Zone, where time variable winds, and strong vertical wind shears are known to exist in relation with the planet' seasons.
The plot on the right shows the evolution of sub-Earth latitude over Saturn and the key dates of Equinox, opposition together with the changing apparent size of the planet and its elongation from the Sun.