The Sky Today on Sunday, November 30: Watch Titan reappear

Saturn’s large moon Titan reappears from an occultation behind the ringed planet early this evening, as smaller moons stand nearby.
By | Published: November 30, 2025

This view shows the Saturn system after Titan has already emerged from occultation and has started moving away from the ringed world. Tethys is closing in for its own transit, which will begin in the next few hours. Credit: Stellarium/Oleg Pluton
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • On November 29, Titan will re-emerge from an occultation by Saturn, commencing at 6 P.M. EST, an event lasting approximately 15 minutes and primarily visible to observers in the eastern United States.
  • Other observable Saturnian moons include Dione, Rhea, and Tethys, with the latter scheduled for its own occultation behind Saturn's northwestern limb shortly after 9:45 P.M. EST.
  • The planet Mercury concludes its retrograde path on November 29.
  • Local ephemeris data indicates a waxing gibbous Moon (80% illuminated) alongside specific times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset for a given location.
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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. 

November 29: Mercury’s retrograde path ends

Titan reappears from an occultation behind Saturn this evening beginning at 6 P.M. EST, a short-lived event visible for those with dark skies in the eastern half of the U.S. Those on the East Coast will have the easiest time; observers across the Midwest will find the sky starting to darken but may also have some luck. 

Make sure your telescope is zeroed in on Saturn at least several minutes before the start time. Keep a close eye on the planet’s southeastern limb, as this is where the large moon will appear. It takes some 15 minutes for mid-8th-magnitude Titan to fully emerge from behind Saturn, and it’s a fascinating event to watch. Observers farther west will see the moon moving away from Saturn to the planet’s east after darkness falls in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. 

Also visible may be Saturn’s trio of 10th-magnitude moons, Tethys, Rhea, and Dione. Dione lies to Saturn’s east, off the end of the rings, while Rhea is far from the planet on the west and Tethys closer to Saturn, also on the west. Tethys is closing in for its own occultation behind the ringed world, and will disappear behind Saturn’s northwestern limb shortly after 9:45 P.M. EST. Note, however, that Tethys is very close to the edge-on rings, which may dim the moon’s brightness somewhat.  

Sunrise: 7:02 A.M.
Sunset: 4:35 P.M.
Moonrise: 1:36 P.M.
Moonset: 1:43 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous (80%)
*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.

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