Tonight, students and the general public will have the opportunity to view Saturn’s rings edge-on, an astronomical phenomenon that happens only once every 15 years.

The viewing is part of the department of astronomy’s monthly open telescope night.

Saturn’s axis is tilted by approximately 25 degrees, much like Earth’s tilt, according to Robin Shelton, an associate professor in the physics and astronomy department.

Unlike Earth, however, Saturn’s rings make it much easier to observe the effect the tilt has on the planet, such as creating seasons.

The tilt also offers astronomers the opportunity to see Saturn’s ring pattern at certain times during the year and, during this month, the ring’s edges.

“I looked at it on Saturday night [with the 10-inch telescope], and it looks like a bright circle with a bright line sticking out on each side,” she said. “It’s a rare sight and only happens about once every 15 years, which is twice per a Saturn orbital year, which is 30 years.”

Although the rings have now passed being exactly edge-on due to Saturn’s continuous orbit around the sun, Shelton describes the slight degree change as “barely noticeable.” She said she is sure it is almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.

“Even though the angle will tilt ever so slightly, to our eyes it will still look perfectly edge-on,” she said. “People could even make it into a contest to see who has the best eyesight and can tell, but I doubt anyone could.”

The rings of Saturn are one of the staple astronomical views shown on public nights, according to Loris Magnani, a professor in the astronomy department.

Along with double-stars, they tend to gather the most “ohhs and ahhs” from the public, Magnani said.

“Really, the public nights are geared for people who don’t have a background in physics or astronomy because if you are a hard-core amateur astronomer, you will probably be a little disappointed,” he said. “We try to stick with things people are already familiar with and know a little about because they are the most impressive.”

“Perhaps, to an amateur astronomer, those seem a little pedestrian, but to someone who only looks through a telescope twice a year, it’s pretty cool.”

Although views of Saturn and other planets usually are exciting for people to view, Magnani warns people about the lengthy wait time between the different views.

“It turns out we are pretty popular, so on a clear night, it is not uncommon to get 100 to 150 people up there. So, there are lines to look through the telescopes,” he said.

“We try to alleviate that wait by having a few smaller telescopes out on the roof so there can be more small lines and people get to see more.”