The spectacular planetary conjunction can be seen starting at 8:00 p.m. on September 17 in the southeastern sky, at which time Saturn will appear as a star-like orange point of light 5 degrees to the right of the massive-looking full moon, Svábhegy, the observatory told MTI on Wednesday.
Despite the proximity of the Moon, Saturn will be clearly visible to the naked eye, although an open, unobstructed horizon is required to see it, but the conjunction can also be observed later, when both celestial bodies are already rising higher.
According to the announcement, a few hours later, at dawn, the only partial lunar eclipse of the year will occur.
After 3:45 a.m., you can see with the naked eye that the upper right part of the Moon begins to darken, as if a shroud has fallen over it: this is the penumbra, known as the penumbra in Latin. The darkness is increasing. The Moon's shadow reaches its maximum coverage at 4:44 a.m., when the Earth covers 9 percent of the Moon's diameter. The shadow finally descends from the Moon at 5:16 a.m.
According to the information, an all-night program will be organized at the Svábhegy Observatory on September 14 from 5 pm, during which visitors can hear interesting facts about Saturn. During the programs, you can learn, among other things, how the Cassini spacecraft discovered Saturn's unique ring system, you can smell the clouds in which the Dragonfly drone landing on Titan's moon will have to operate, and you can also make out the smoky cooling springs of Enceladus.
After dark, visitors can take part in a telescope show. A detailed report on the program and astronomical phenomena for September can be found on the website of Svábhegyi Csillagwiszlógó.
