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Moon near Saturn on November 28 and 29
A bright waxing crescent moon passes by Saturn on the evenings of November 28 and 29, 2022. The waxing crescent moon is up as darkness falls. It appears almost half-lighted, since the first quarter moon is on November 30, 2022.
Saturn reached its yearly opposition on August 14. That’s when Earth was passing between Saturn and the sun, placing the ringed planet opposite the sun in our sky. Now Earth has moved on in its smaller, faster orbit around the sun, and Saturn is no longer visible all night. So, in November we see Saturn low in the southern sky at nightfall. And Saturn sets around 10 p.m. local time in late November.
Also, Saturn has faded a bit, but it’s still shining at a bright +0.8 magnitude.
Even small telescopes will reveal Saturn’s glorious rings. Plus, you might catch a glimpse of one or more of Saturn’s 82 moons.
Later use Saturn to find Capricornus
Saturn is currently located in the dim constellation Capricornus the Sea-Goat. And the moon can lead you to Saturn, and then Saturn can help you find the faint constellation Capricornus. So in the coming evenings, after the moon moves on, use Saturn as your guide to find the dim stars of Capricornus. But you’ll need a dark sky to clearly see it.
Capricornus is one of the 12 constellations of the zodiac. Its stars are only third and fourth magnitude. However, this constellation has a distinctive shape – that of an arrowhead – making it is easy to pick out.
Bottom line: Look for the waxing crescent moon near Saturn on the evenings of November 28 and 29, 2022. Then when the moon moves away, find Saturn and look for the arrowhead shape of stars that make up the constellation Capricornus.
For more great observing events in the coming weeks, visit EarthSky’s night sky guide
