Over the course of my previous observing sessions I have taken every opportunity to take in a view of the magnificent outer planet Saturn. A small telescope or a pair of high powered binoculars will reveal some of the moons as well as the majestic rings which are a fantastic sight to behold. Saturn can currently be found under the constellation of Leo just below the star Chertan (a simple finder chart can be downloaded from here), and at magnitude 0.93 it’s looking pretty bright. From 21:30 UT onwards Saturn is well placed for observation and is on show the whole night/morning through, not beginning to set until 06:19 UT. From my own experiences so far (using a pair of 25×100 binoculars) I have been able to observe the rings as well as two moons: Titan and Hyperion. However for a truly in-depth observation I would highly recommend a telescope with a long focal length - a 60mm refractor with a minimum focal length of 800mm will easily be up to the task.
Physically Saturn is very similar to Jupiter - composed mainly of hydrogen and helium with trace amounts of ethane, ammonia, methane, phosphine and acetylene. What differentiates Saturn from Jupiter is it’s stunning yet mysterious system of rings. Made from fragments of ice and rock, the rings extend 4,ooo miles above the cloud decks of Saturn out to 46,250 miles. The material in these rings is made up of 99.9 percent pure water ice and range in size from dust particels to objects a few meters across. There are various theories regarding the formation of the rings - the French scientist Édouard Roche promoted the idea that the rings were the detritus of a moon torn apart by tidal forces after it strayed too close to Saturn. Others suggest that the rings are the remains of the material from which Saturn was formed or the debris from a small moon that was obliterated by a comet/asteroid impact. The formation of the rings will probably forever remain a mystery, but either way they are one of the most awe inspiring marvels in our cosmic backyard. So the next time you are out observing, take a moment to turn your binoculars or telescope on to this wonderful planet and drink in the view.
[Image editied: 18.02.09]
Tags: Chertan, Dione, Hyperion, Jupiter, Leo, Saturn, Titan
Posted in Astro Art, Observing | 4 Comments »
My failed observing session on January the 29th (save for a weak observation of Saturn and Titan) left me almost empty handed. However, Wednesday the 4th of February rewarded my patience and determination with a captivating view of Messier 13 (The Hercules Globular Cluster) and Messier 92, another smaller, but exquisite globular cluster also in the constellation of Hercules.
M13 presented me with a truly magnificent sight and left me in absolutely no doubt that it is the king of globular clusters. I spent a good 15 minutes scrutinizing the field of view using direct vision which showed the cluster as an almost spherical, slightly hazy smudge with an extremely dense core. The whole cluster (including the core) brightened considerably when using averted vision where upon it also revealed a delicate hint of some very fine granularity. While M13 had thoroughly impressed me, M92 proved to be more of a polished gem than a shining diamond, but this small and almost diffuse cluster really came to life when using averted vision showing a real increase in brightness but lacking the density or texture of M13. With hindsight this DSO is probably better observed in darker conditions, but even under my light polluted skies M92 is still a wonderful globular cluster to observe. It really does boggles the mind when you realise that you are observing objects that span over 100 light years and contain several hundred thousand stars or more! Two beautiful globulars that are easily attainable with binoculars of medium and high power even under impaired skies.
Before I ended my session I took the opportunity to turn the giant binoculars towards Saturn. As usual I could easily see Titan, the largest of Saturn’s moons’ but on this occasion I also managed a tenuous observation of the extremely faint outer moon Hyperion. At the time I wasn’t all that sure if I was looking at another of Saturn’s moons’ or a star, but after checking things out in Stellarium I was delighted to find that I had indeed been lucky enough to see Hyperion.
Tags: Hercules, Hyperion, M13, M92, Saturn, Strathspey 25x100, Titan
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