Can you see Saturn?

The five brightest planets - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn - have been known since ancient times and can easily be seen with the naked eye if one knows when and where to look. Saturn has been known to stargazers since long, long time ago because it is easily visible to the naked eye. Not until the invention of the telescope, however, did people observe Saturn's magnificent rings. In 1610 Galileo Galilei became the first person to see Saturn with a telescope. So if you want to see Saturn through a telescope - even a modest telescope will enable you to see it’s glorious rings.

Saturn is easy to find during this year, near the bright star Spica in the constellation Virgo. In March Saturn and Spica reach their high point in the sky around 3 a.m. You will also be able to see Saturn on nights when it’s near the Moon.

March is a big month for viewing planets, we are able to see Venus (dusk/mid-evening), Mars (dusk to late evening), Jupiter (early evening to day break) and Saturn (early hours to day break).

Wherever you may live, I wish you fun stargazing and for the rest of us here in the Pacific Northwest - let's hope for no rain!