
Credit NASA/ESA/E.Karkoschka
Ask people to draw a planet and they’ll probably draw Saturn. Its wonderful rings make it probably the most recognisable of all the planets. And it’s in the sky during National Astronomy Week – but this year it doesn’t look the same as the picture above. Read on to find out why!
How to find Saturn during National Astronomy Week 2025
In the early evening on 1 February, just after it has got dark at about 6:30, look to the west and you’ll see a brilliant object very close to the Moon. That’s not Saturn – it’s Venus. But look directly below Venus and you will see Saturn, quite a lot fainter but still easy to spot. Take a look at our video recorded under the stars to see exactly how it looks.
Want to see it close-up, through a telescope? Try and get along to one of the public stargazing sessions being organised throughout the week across the UK. There’s a map to help you find one. Get there early because Saturn sets quite early in the evening. Or view our livestreaming sessions online.
If you can get to see it through a telescope, it won’t look like you might expect. That’s because this year the rings are almost edge-on, so they are hardly visible. Here’s a picture taken on 2 January.

The little dot just below and to the left of the rings is one of Saturn’s moons, Enceladus.
Five fun facts about Saturn
1. Saturn’s rings aren’t solid but are made of countless chunks of ice with a bit of dust mixed in. The largest chunk is probably no bigger than a bus and most are no bigger than hailstones.
2. The globe of Saturn itself is mostly hydrogen gas, about 120,000 km across. Even though it’s so big, its density is less than water.
3. Saturn has more known moons than any other planet, not counting the tiny ones in the rings – 143 at the last count. Seven are large enough to be seen in telescopes.
4. Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, has an atmosphere of nitrogen, like the Earth. A European lander called Huygens descended to Titan’s surface in 2004 and photographed lakes and rivers. But they weren’t water – they were liquid methane, as Titan is bitterly cold.

Credit NASA/JPL/ESA/University of Arizona
5. Saturn’s moon Iapetus has one dark half and one bright half. The leading edge of the planet in its orbit around Saturn is the dark side.
