The ringed planet Saturn is now poised for our viewing in the nights ahead. The planet enters our evening sky after sunset. It rises in the east at about the same time as when the sun sets in the west. And in the nights ahead, it will be higher and easier to spot.

Though close, in opposition, Saturn is not as bright as usual. Though you'll have no trouble finding the planet in the zodiacal constellation Pisces, rising in the southeast alone. There is no other celestial object as bright or as stunningly obvious. We can expect Saturn to spend the next two years in this constellation.

What makes it fainter? The rings we are so used to seeing in photographs and through telescopes are almost unviewable. The rings are pointing at us. We are seeing them nearly on edge. That view makes the planet slightly less bright. This has been going on since March, when the rings seemed to disappear. This is the brightest you'll see Saturn this year.

Right now, the rings are tilted two per cent and this will change. Now in opposition, the planet is 795 million miles away. At that distance it takes light 71 minutes to reach us.