SATURN will be at opposition on May 23, which is excellent news for celestial observers across the region.

"This means Saturn is at its closest point to us in our orbits round the sun," Wide Bay Astronomical Society president Joe Mather said.

"This is an excellent time for viewing, especially with binoculars or telescopes."

Saturn, which is visible to the naked eye, has been known to humans for thousands of years.

Mr Mather, a former NASA employee of the late 1960s and early 1970s, fondly remembers the significance of Voyager 1's role in further documenting the giant gas planet.

"Voyager 1 was the first manmade space craft to pass through the rings of Saturn," he said.

"That is where Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot comes from, as he convinced NASA to turn Voyager 1's cameras to point towards Earth."

Voyager 1, which is still sending signals to Earth, has left the solar system and entered interstellar space.

A founding and still active member of the Wide Bay Astronomical Society, Giulio Sartore, was excited at Saturn's new lean, relative to our viewpoint from Earth.

"The rings will be almost vertical," he said.

"The rings will be upside down from top to bottom."

For those keen to observe the planet, Mr Mather said: "Look towards the east to see what appears to be an incredibly bright star."