Saturn to make its closest approach to Earth!

Its closest distance to Earth is about 1.2 billion km (746 million miles), and its phase angle—the angle that it makes with the Sun and Earth—never exceeds about 6°. Saturn, seen from the vicinity of Earth, thus always appears nearly fully illuminated. This is the time. This August, Saturn comes nearest to us for 2023. It will remain close, big, and bright from mid-August through mid-September as it races towards its August 26-27 opposition