Saturn's Rings Will Briefly "Vanish" In 2025
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Planetary rings are a natural feature of the larger outer planets like Jupiter and Neptune, but none are as spectacular as Saturn's. However, in March and November 2025, these majestic rings will not be visible to observers on Earth. Fortunately, this rare event is only an optical illusion. It is caused by the orientation of Saturn's thin rings and the planet's tilt relative to Earth. The last time this occurred was in 2009.
The science behind the "vanishing" rings
Similar to Earth, Saturn's axis is tilted. For half of its 29.4 years, the ringed planet leans toward the Sun. This lights up the planet’s northern hemisphere and the top of its rings. During the other half, Saturn tilts away. This causes the sunlight to shine on its southern hemisphere and the bottom of the rings.
However, every 13 to 15 years, there are two brief periods when Earth aligns perfectly with Saturn’s ring plane. This makes the rings appear edge-on from Earth. Since Saturn’s rings are incredibly thin — only about 30 feet (9 m) thick in some areas — they become nearly invisible when viewed from this angle.
To better understand this phenomenon, imagine holding a large, flat sheet of paper. When you look directly at its surface, you can see the entire sheet. But if you tilt it sideways and view it from the edge, all you see is a thin line. This is essentially what happens with Saturn's rings. Instead of viewing the full ring system, we only see the thin edge.
For how long will the rings be "gone?"
After "disappearing" on March 23, 2025, Saturn's rings will gradually become visible again over the following months through large telescopes. They will fade from view a second time in November 2025. Once again, the rings will slowly reappear, first through large telescopes and later through regular ones. By 2027, Saturn’s rings will be fully visible again for another 13 to 15 years.
Ringless Saturn provides learning opportunities
The rare, unobstructed view of Saturn during these "ring plane" phases has given scientists the chance to learn more about the planet. During previous such phases, astronomers discovered 13 of Saturn’s 148 moons, including its largest, Titan, and its smallest, Mimas. In 1966, they also spotted Saturn’s outermost ring — now known as the "E ring" — for the first time during this phase.
However, the upcoming 2025 event is not expected to provide any new insights into the ringed planet. Similar to 2009, Saturn will be positioned close to the Sun, making it challenging to observe.
Resources: Smithsonian.com, theconversation.com, Earth.com
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78 Comments
lilmoonjelly10 daysI have a telescope and I think this is so cool! I can't wait to see Saturn's rings "vanish" for a while! Astronomy is SOOOOO cool, and I like to hear about and discover new planets on TV! THIS IS GREAT!- mojujukohipa7 daysAmateur Astronomy is a lot of Fun! As well as being fun, astronomy can also make you smarter, like reading books and going to school makes people smart. As this article shows, Saturn can be fun and beautiful to look at. You can also "split stars"! Most stars are binary, trinary, that look like one star without a telescope. That means a lot of stars are are really more than one star when you look at them through a telescope. For example, 'Sirius' is the brightest star in the night sky and it looks like a single star to the naked eye. But Sirius is really a double star and can be "Split" with a powerful telescope! You can catalogue "Split Stars", then check with NASA to see if it has been registered yet, and then send the information to NASA. NASA will register your information "if that star" has not been yet been registered. It is possible to even name the star! Besides a telescope, you can also use binoculars to look at Saturn as well as the Moon and Stars! But try to steady your arms on the hood of a car or something so the binoculars do not wobble.
seqnoe484716 dayscool!- psapsl20 daysit would just be jupiter 2.0
- 4nn44421 daysI love saturn
- psapsl20 daysmy favorate is jupiter
cutecore22 daysits kinda strange that saturns rings are randomly vanishing from our sight and can only barely be seen through large telescopes. 🌸🦴
cinnamon_zara24 daysSaturn is my fav planet and it’s so sad that the rings and gonna go away its a pain for people in this generation- psapsl20 daysthe rings are not going to be gone forever
jessiedogonews21 daysIt's only going to be gone for a while...
akaza_dono27 daysSaturn is beautiful with its rings :( its rings make it beautiful.... it would look like Jupiter without its rings :(- psapsl20 daysjupiter but smaller and recolored
kittyisbest27 daysthat's kinda cool but kinda sad at the same time.
beargaming28 daysAww Saturn is my favorite. I wish the rings wouldn't disappear. :( But it's good they will come back in a few months after that. I love how beautiful and majestic Saturn's rings are and I can't wait for this phenomenon! It's so cool that it only happens every 13-15 years!
yourfavoritenpc28 daysWOW! THIS IS SO SAD!!! PLEASE I DONT WANT SATURN LOSE RING NOOOOO- psapsl20 daysthe rings wont go away forever
- jessiedogonews21 daysThey will come back... The rings will only just "disappear"
