Jan. 13th: Saturn at it's closest to Earth.
When the sun sets on Thursday, January 13th, a golden star will rise in the east. Soaring overhead at midnight, it will be up all night long, beautiful and eye-catching.
That "star" is Saturn
January 13th is a special date for Saturn because that's when it is closest to Earth: only 750 million miles away, compared to a maximum distance of almost a billion miles. This makes the ringed planet unusually big and bright.
An astronomer would say "Saturn is at opposition" because Saturn and the sun are on opposite sides of the sky.
More: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/12jan_saturn.htm
Also, some (delicious, lol) headlines from http://spaceweather.com/