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Saturn’s largest moon lingers near the ringed planet, as 10th-magnitude Tethys prepares to disappear into Saturn’s shadow.

A telescopic simulation of Saturn and four of its moons on August 22, 2026, at 4 A.M. CDT, shown against a black background. Saturn is shown in the center with its rings visible at a shallow angle. Titan appears as a large golden point to the upper right, while Tethys and Dione are visible as smaller white points to the right of the planet, and Rhea is positioned farther to the left.

Titan lies northwest of Saturn the morning of August 22, with several of the planet’s smaller, fainter moons also visible. Note the positions of Tethys, Rhea, and Dione may differ, depending on when you view them — Tethys will disappear into Saturn’s shadow around 5:40 A.M. MDT. Only moons brighter than mid-10th magnitude are shown here. Credit: Stellarium/Oleg Pluton

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August 21: Titan nears Saturn as Dione skims past

Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, was near the planet yesterday and remains close to its parent world today as it moves through its 16-day orbit. Visible in the early-morning sky, Saturn is highest in the sky (in the south) around 4 A.M. local daylight time. Through a telescope, the planet’s rings always take center stage. We are now looking “up” at the planet and get a great view of its southern hemisphere, including the southern side of the rings, which are tilted nearly 9° to our line of sight. 

Titan shines at mid-8th magnitude and this morning sits northwest of Saturn, nearly a full arcminute away. It is moving westward, pulling farther away from the planet as time goes by. Closer in, several smaller, fainter moons may be visible. Tenth-magnitude Tethys, Rhea, and Dione are the brightest of these. This morning, Rhea sits east of Saturn, with Dione and Tethys to the west; Tethys is closer to the ringed world than Dione. It is also getting closer, approaching the planet’s southwestern limb. Around 5:40 A.M. MDT, Tethys disappears into the planet’s shadow, just a few arcseconds away from the limb. Its disappearance is visible in the western half of the U.S. only, and is best seen along the Pacific Coast, where the sky is still darkest. 

Sunrise: 6:18 A.M.
Sunset: 7:47 P.M.
Moonrise: 4:43 P.M.
Moonset: 12:36 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous (77%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 10 P.M. local time from the same location. 

Alison Klesman is senior editor of Astronomy magazine. She holds a Ph.D. in astronomy and has studied a variety of topics, from minor planets to supermassive black holes.