Saturn's rings will 'disappear' next year: Here's why

(NEXSTAR) — Skywatchers have had a dazzling year so far, with a solar eclipse, the return of the ‘devil comet,’ and multiple chances to see the northern lights. The stunning sights will continue into 2025 — or, more appropriately, the lack of a particular sight. 

It has to do with Saturn, potentially one of the most recognizable planets in our solar system thanks to its rings. According to NASA, those rings are believed to be made up of rocky and icy chunks that can range in size from small grains to chunks as big as a house.

Those rings, however, are going to “disappear” in 2025. 

Like Earth, Saturn’s axis is tilted, NASA explains. Next year, Saturn will transition and its tilt will shift, altering our view of the planet as Earth crosses its ring plane. This is where the disappearance comes in.

“The rings engage in sort of a planetary ‘sleight of hand,’ where, when viewed from the edge, the rings seem to disappear (think of a sheet of paper – it looks large when viewed from above, but as you tilt it, it gets thinner and thinner),” explained Dr. Amy Simon, Senior Scientist for Planetary Atmospheres Research in the Solar System Exploration Division at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Because Saturn is millions of miles away from us, and its rings are thin, we can lose sight of the rings when we are just a few degrees above or below them, Simon told Nexstar via email. She noted that the size and quality of a telescope, as well as “the calmness of Earth’s atmosphere,” can also impact our ability to see Saturn’s rings.

According to Simon, Saturn’s rings will disappear for a few days starting on March 23, again depending on the telescope you’re using to observe them. For many months next year, the rings will “remain very thin.”

“Unfortunately, Saturn will be very close to the Sun in the sky in March, so it will be difficult to catch this from small telescopes,” she said. “However, because the Earth’s orbit is short, a similar geometry will occur in November, when Saturn is easier to view, but it won’t be quite as edge-on as in March, so the rings may be barely visible.”

Conditions will be right again in about 13 to 15 years, Simon noted. While this occurrence may be stunning, NASA previously reported that our crossing of Saturn’s ring-plane will be even better in 2038-39 when Earth undergoes a triple passage and gives us three chances to see a seemingly ringless Saturn: October 15, 2038; April 1, 2039; and July 9, 2039.

Until then, you’ll have to hope for a good showing in March 2025. According to Simon, we’ll also have a chance to see a total lunar eclipse a week earlier than Saturn’s rings disappear on March 14.