Watch: Saturn Emerges From Moon’s Shadow In Astrophotographer’s Viral Clip

An Astrophotographer has released a stunning video of Saturn emerging from behind the Moon. Andrew McCarthy’s 1.03-minute clip, posted to X, presents the gas giant in black-and-white detail, appearing from the shadow of the Moon. The planet’s iconic rings are visible in striking detail.

“Watch Saturn emerge from behind the moon in real-time. The only editing done to this clip was brightening the shadows since Saturn was so much darker than the full moon,” Mr McCarthy wrote alongside the video. He explained the video was captured using an infrared filter, giving it the black-and-white effect, while the ingress of Saturn was recorded in colour. 

Watch the video here:

Watch Saturn emerge from behind the moon in real-time. The only editing done to this clip was brightening the shadows since Saturn was so much darker than the full moon.

This was captured using an infrared filter which is why it’s a b&w clip. The ingress was captured in color. pic.twitter.com/ExlCVgeqbx

— Andrew McCarthy (@AJamesMcCarthy) September 24, 2024

In a follow-up tweet, the photographer also posted a high-resolution image of Saturn, showing the planet during the ingress – the moment it disappeared behind the Moon. 

In case you missed my photo of ingress. This is a tight crop of the shot I released in print from the event. I’ll have them available for a few more days here: https://t.co/tfauJ8noV3 pic.twitter.com/n0vL2ILngk

— Andrew McCarthy (@AJamesMcCarthy) September 24, 2024

The internet is awestruck by the rare celestial sight. 

A user commented under his post, “Wow! What an incredible transformation you’ve made to the final shot.”

Wow! What an incredible transformation you’ve made to the final shot ????

— Visionaledge (@Visionaledge) September 24, 2024

“Thank you for the details,” another said. “I was always curious how you handled the immense difference in luminosity between the Moon and Saturn.”

Thank you for the details. I was always curious how you handled the immense difference in luminosity between the Moon and Saturn.

— Wear your masks (@tonyver45) September 25, 2024

A space enthusiast shared, “My mind can’t even wrap around this. I would be shaking if I saw this through the scope! I get gitty when I can spot the tiny dot of Jupiter and 4 of its moons!”

My mind can’t even wrap around this. I would be shaking if I saw this through the scope! I get gitty when I can spot the tiny dot of Jupiter and 4 of its moons!

— SyeClops (@SyeClops) September 24, 2024

Saturn, known for its iconic rings, will temporarily lose visibility of these structures in 2025. This phenomenon will be caused by the planet’s axial tilt of 26.7 degrees, which periodically aligns the rings edge-on with Earth. As a result, the rings will become nearly invisible due to their thin profile.

While Saturn’s rings won’t completely vanish, they will be difficult to spot from Earth during this alignment. The rings will appear edge-on to us, much like a sheet of paper viewed from the side. This celestial event occurs every 13 to 15 years, with the rings going fully edge-on around March 23, 2025, before reappearing by 2032.