In pictures: Saturn seen cosying up to the moon in rare conjunction
The moon and Saturn conjunction seen Singapore on Jul 25, 2024. (Photo: Facebook/The Photographic Society of Singapore (PSS)/Gordon Koh)
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SINGAPORE: Saturn appeared to cosy up to the moon in the early hours of Thursday (Jul 25) in a rare event that made both heavenly bodies appear to "touch".
The phenomenon, known as a conjunction, occurs when the moon, a planet or a star appear close together in the earth’s night sky, according to NASA.
"This happens because of Saturn’s and the moon’s position in their respective orbits around Earth and the sun," the Science Centre Observatory (SCOB) told CNA previously.
CNA reader A Kannan photographed the conjunction from Woodlands at about 4.30am.
The moon appeared full and bright, with Saturn seen at the bottom left corner of his pictures.
"This is a rare event – planet-moon conjunctions occur often, but Saturn-moon conjunctions only once every 20 years because of the ringed planet's much longer orbit around the sun," he said.
Others also took to social media platforms to share their shots.
Mr Gordon Koh, a member of The Photographic Society of Singapore Facebook group, captured the conjunction between 3.50am and 4.35am.
Describing the scene as the moon and Saturn almost "kissing", his image showed the planet seemingly dwarfed by the moon, with the satellite's craters seen in sharp relief.
Mr Brandon Chng, a member of a hobbyist Facebook group CloudSpotting & SkySpotting Singapore, shared his iPhone snap taken from Potong Pasir.
Saturn can be seen on the right side of the moon, with the planet's rings faintly visible.
Another member of the group, Mr William Lim, shared an image where the moon appeared to be behind Saturn.
In response to a comment, Mr Lim explained the conjunction created the false impression that the moon and Saturn were very near each other.
According to NASA, Saturn is nine times wider than the Earth.
The moon is an average of 384,400km away from Earth while Saturn is at a distance of about 1.2 billion km.
Local astronomy hobbyist Facebook group Stargazing Singapore shared an image taken by a member, credited as Ms Lily Yeo.
Her photo, taken from Novena at about 4.30am, showed Saturn's rings appearing to almost "touch" the moon.
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Next month will see the Perseids peak over Singapore between Aug 12 and Aug 13, said SCOB previously.
It is known for being one of the brighter annual showers and gets its name as it comes from the same direction as the constellation Perseus.
December will also see the Geminids peak on the night between Dec 13 and Dec 14.
Planning to catch the next supermoon or meteor shower? Send us your photos via CNA Eyewitness or on WhatsApp.
