Observing the Moon’s Journey Towards Saturn during the Early Hours: A Starwatching Experience

This week, the moon will be aligning with Saturn in the sky. Saturn, the sixth planet in our solar system, will be visible near the border of Pisces and Aquarius during the early morning hours. The chart depicts the view from London at 03.00 BST on 27 June.

On this day, the moon will be positioned to the west of Saturn and will be just over 20 days old. It will be approaching its last quarter phase, with about 70% of its visible surface illuminated. The following day, the moon will have moved past Saturn and will now be visible to the east of the planet.

Observers in the Americas, Pacific region, Australasia, and the far east will witness a much closer alignment between the moon and Saturn. From the west coast of the Americas, Saturn will be in close proximity to the moon as dawn breaks on 27 June. Across the international date line, on 28 June in some locations, the moon will pass directly in front of Saturn, creating a very close conjunction visible from places like New Zealand, Fiji, and New Caledonia.