Saturn In Opposition

The planet Saturn (bright object at center) shines in the ESE sky in Marion, Iowa around 9:25 PM, Friday, April 1, 2011. Saturn is currently in Virgo, and is seen above that constellation's brightest star, Spica. The bright star at left is Arcturus in the constellation Bootes. This image was captured in a 37-second exposure at f/4.5 and an ISO of 250. The bright terrestrial glow at bottom right is ambient light from a transformer station on Alburnett Road in Marion. The foreground landscape is currently being converted from farm field to a new housing development. Saturn, currently about 800 million miles from Earth, will reach opposition (from the Sun) on the night of April 3/4, and appears in our skies at its biggest and brightest for the year. Despite this, the star Arcturus (left) still outshines the planet with comparative magnitudes of -0.07 to 0.36.