Happening Tonight: Best View of Saturn At Opposition

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - Saturn is the farthest planet visible to the naked eye and in tonight's sky it will be the closet, brightest and largest of the year.

Right now it looks like tonight's forecast will be mostly clear thanks to high pressure building into Colorado.

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(credit: NASA/JPL/Southwest Research Institute)

Saturn is at opposition, or directly opposite of the sun, so in Denver it will rise around 8:30 p.m. Thursday and set around 5:30 a.m. Friday. The planet will be most visible around midnight when its highest in the southern sky.

Click here to read a great article from Sky & Telescope about viewing Saturn.

For more information about Saturn visit NASA's website by clicking here.

(credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA))

Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.