Last chance for Titan transits

It'll be 13 years before Titan crosses Saturn again. Here's how to grab shots of it now

- Pete Lawrence

In recent months, we've highlighted how Titan and its shadow have been passing across Saturn's disc, rare events that happen around Saturn's equinox. That's when the planet's apparent tilt angle makes it appear sideways-on to the Sun (and to us), bringing Titan into play. A lot of the early crossings that resulted were compromised by bad weather, poor seeing conditions and unfavourable timings, but now there's some good news - and some bad.

The good news? Titan will be transiting Saturn a couple of times each month from October 2025 through to January 2026, and many of these events will be well-timed for UK viewing. The bad news is that - as conditions for these transits are right only every 15 years or so - after February 2026, the next opportunity won't come until summer 2038.

It's also worth noting that, from early October, the position of the Sun as seen from Saturn is sufficiently south that Titan's shadow misses the planet altogether, which means Titan shadow transits are already off the table until 2038.

Bonus skinny rings

It's not all over, though. Back in March, Earth witnessed a Saturn ring plane crossing, though the planet appeared too close to the Sun for this to be seen. Saturn's equinox in May 2025 meant that, from Saturn, the Sun appeared on the planet's equatorial plane. The famous rings are also on this plane, so at the time the ring shadows on the planet's globe appeared very thin.