The ringed planet Saturn is close to us. The planet will reach opposition on Sunday, closer to the Earth than at any other time in the past year and it is only slightly brighter. Saturn rises in the eastern sky around sunset. It is in the zodiacal constellation Aquarius and it shines as the brightest celestial object in that area of the sky. You'll have a lot more ease at finding the planet on Wednesday night when the full moon rises with the planet. At their closest, the two will only be five degrees apart.

Saturn is the most distant planet in our solar system that you can see without binoculars or a telescope. Saturn is also so distant it takes light 73 minutes to get to us. Compare that to the sun where it only takes light eight and one third minutes to reach us.

Saturn is the only planet we can watch in the evening sky this month. Venus and Jupiter are in the morning sky. Mars is just too close to the setting sun.