Saturn’s Rings Will Temporarily Disappear From View in 2025 | SmartNews
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The James Webb Space Telescope’s first image of Saturn.
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, M. Tiscareno (SETI Institute), M. Hedman (University of Idaho), M. El Moutamid (Cornell University), M. Showalter (SETI Institute), L. Fletcher (University of Leicester) , H. Hammel (AURA); image processing by J. DePasquale (STScI)
The popular conception of Saturn is virtually inseparable from its majestic rings. But in a little over a year, skywatchers won’t be able to see these iconic structures: In 2025, Saturn’s rings will be invisible from Earth for several months.
Fortunately, this isn’t a sign of a planetary apocalypse. Rather, it’s a matter of simple physics.
“While it’s true the rings will become almost invisible from Earth in 2025, this is neither a surprise nor a reason to panic,” Jonti Horner, an astrophysicist at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, wrote in the Conversation.
Why won’t Saturn’s rings be visible?
In reality, it all has to do with planetary alignment. Saturn’s rings are so thin that they seem to vanish when viewed edge-on. And as Earth and Saturn travel around the sun on their respective orbital paths, our planet reaches this particular vantage point like clockwork, roughly every 13 to 16 years.