Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Ephemeris for Thursday, June 28th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 9:32, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:00. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 9:54 this evening.

Just before midnight last night Saturn was in opposition to the Sun. We’re not talking about an argument here. To the astronomer opposition simply means that a planet, in this case Saturn, is 180 degrees from the Sun, or opposite the Sun in the sky. It is a time when the planet rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. It is also a time when the planet is around its closest to the Earth. It’s not a big deal for Saturn, which is almost 10 times farther from the Sun than we are. However it is a big deal for a nearby planet like Mars, which at the end of July will be closer to us than at any time since 2003, at 35.8 million miles. That’s a big deal since Mars is a small planet, a bit more than half the size of the Earth.

The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.

Addendum

The apparent sizes of Saturn and Mars as seen from the Earth at opposition and solar conjunction. All at the same scale. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).