The two-faced saturnian satellite Iapetus lies far east of the ringed world today, while brighter moons cluster closer to the planet.

| Published: November 10, 2026

Look for Saturn’s far-flung moon Iapetus at eastern elongation on November 10. Even if you can’t find the faint moon, several brighter satellites cluster closer to the ringed planet. Credit: Stellarium/Oleg Pluton

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Challenge yourself to pick up Saturn’s moon Iapetus, which tonight reaches greatest eastern elongation 9.4’ east of the ringed planet. The two-toned moon is tidally locked to its parent world, which means it rotates in time with its orbit. At eastern elongation, Iapetus’ darker hemisphere faces earthward, reducing the moon’s magnitude to nearly 12. This, combined with its distance from Saturn, makes it more of a challenge to find, but you can give it a try if you’ve got a larger scope.

Try around 9 P.M.…