Your next chance to see Saturn is tonight, low in the western sky just after sunset, and you don't need a telescope. But while the rings are what everyone pictures, the real story is a moon that's larger than Mercury, has an atmosphere almost as thick as Earth's, and is considered more habitable in some senses than Mars.

Scientists have been arguing for years about how Saturn's rings and moons actually formed. The new theory: a collision so massive it created both Titan and Hyperion at once, two moons still tidally locked to each other billions of years later. Titan's atmosphere resembles what Earth looked like in its earliest history, which is why the Dragonfly mission is expected to launch within the next few years. The rings are tilted thin right now, making moons easier to spot than usual.

What makes this moment specific: the rings are at their thinnest, and the window closes as February ends. The moon worth looking for is bigger than a planet, has weather, and is possibly the most scientifically interesting object in the solar system that most people can't name.

Topics: Saturn planet parade, Titan moon atmosphere, Dragonfly mission, Saturn rings, space science Canada

GUEST: Elaina Hyde | Director, Alan I. Carswell Observatory, York University

Originally aired on 2026-02-24