The presence of Saturn in our Solar System is even important for our planet. The ringed gas giant plays an important role in maintaining our Earth’s comfortable temperatures. If the orbit of Saturn would have been a little different, the orbit of our planet was elongated, leading to a much different climate.
Perhaps now you’re more motivated to welcome the arrival of Saturn in the same line with both Earth and our Sun. According to NASA, the celestial event will occur Sunday night, August 1, and on Monday morning, August 2.
Saturn won’t be too bright this time
While the annual opposition usually means that a planet is exceptionally bright, it won’t be the case this time. The Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics reveals that “the difference will hardly be noticeable, given how far out Jupiter, and especially Saturn, orbit.”
However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t grab a pair of binoculars or a telescope and use them to take a good look at the heavens. You’ll still get to notice something outstanding if you’re looking closely enough and if you’re making an accurate comparison with what you can usually see in the same portion of the night sky.
Surely there still is a lot to discover about Saturn. But landing there with a spacecraft is next to impossible. We’re talking about a planet made almost entirely of gases and where gravity is even stronger than it is on Earth.
According to Cool Cosmos, the surface gravity from Saturn is roughly 107% of the one from Earth. This obviously means that if, for instance, you weigh 100 pounds on our planet, you would weigh 107 pounds on the gas giant while assuming that you invent a special and revolutionary device to physically sit on Saturn.
