![]() ![]() ![]() Saturn has been explored byfour NASA spacecraft since 1979, and close-up views of the rings have shown howcomplex and spectacular they are. How does Saturn appear inyour image taken by MicroObservatory? Can you tell that the planet has rings or, like Galileo, can you imaginethem more as handles, or even a triple planet? To see your image of Saturn moreclearly, you may want to open it in our MicroObservatoryimage processing software.Ībove : Archive MicroObservatory image ofSaturn. ![]() Theories of handles and ovals and triple planets lasted another 40years, until Dutch astronomer Christian Huygens finally discovered the rings ofSaturn. How would you describe the planet in his sketch? Although we can easily make out theappearance of a ring, Neither Galileo nor fellow astronomers guessed thatSaturn’s shape was due to a ring. Galileodescribed the appearance as a planet with handles. (Image credit: Albert Van Helden/Science History Publications Ltd.) After a few years, Galileo againstudied Saturn, and in 1616 made this sketch:Ībove : Galileo’s sketch of Saturn from1616. Other astronomers, whosetelescopes were not as good as Galileo’s, saw a single oval planet. To Galileo’s surprise, Saturn wasn’t just oneplanet, but three! A big middle planet with a small planet or moon on each side, and the three were almosttouching. He had alreadyannounced his discovery of the moons of Jupiter, but Saturn, the furthestplanet then known and twice as far away as Jupiter, was even more mysteriousand difficult to understand. 19.īurcher says, "Jupiter's opposition will be, in my opinion, a more exciting event." The planet's surface "is far more visually dynamic than Saturn, and when it is closer to Earth, these features can become more apparent.Galileofirst observed Saturn through his telescope in July, 1610. The largest planet in the solar system reaches opposition around Aug. He's already getting some nice shots of Jupiter, too. "There are some days I'm able to get a clear shot, and other days the image just looks warbled." After Saturn's opposition, get ready for Jupiter "Unfortunately for every two days, I have to deal with three days of rain, and the atmosphere is very unstable," Lojacono laments. Using reflector telescopes with apertures of 8 inches and 12 inches, he's been having increasing success with photographing Saturn as it "grows bigger through the telescope," he tells NPR. But he has picked up astrophotography just since the pandemic. Sam Lojacono, a math and science teacher from upstate New York, has been interested in astronomy since his youth. Typically, these backyard stargazers "stack" the clearest images they can get to achieve the best results. More advanced amateur astronomers have been capturing especially stunning images of Saturn for weeks now as opposition approaches. "So start looking now, and don't fret if it's cloudy on August 1st – just keep looking every evening thereafter," Fienberg writes. Space The 'Best Meteor Shower Of The Year' Is Happening. With a decent, small telescope - a 4-inch reflector, for example - the detail should pop out - including a big gap in the middle of the ring system, known as the Cassini Division (after Italian-born astronomer and mathematician Giovanni Domenico Cassini), says Wayne Schlingman, director of the Arne Slettebak Planetarium at Ohio State University. However, with binoculars or a small telescope - and good seeing - you'll have the best chance all year to catch some really interesting detail.Įven with binoculars, you can get a sense of the rings. What will you see? With the unaided eye, Saturn will appear somewhat brighter than normal, but "most casual observers won't notice much of a change at all," Sarah Burcher, public program manager at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz., tells NPR. With binoculars, you should get a sense for Saturn's rings There are some bright spots up in the sky, but they're going to be in the west mostly," Plait adds. "You shouldn't mistake it for anything else. "The brightest 'star' you'll see not far above the horizon is Jupiter, and Saturn is the fainter yellowish object about two fists seen at arm's length to its upper right," Rick Fienberg of the American Astronomical Society writes in an email to NPR. It's the perfect time of year to go outside an hour or so after sunset and look low in the east-southeast for Saturn. Space PHOTOS: Great Conjunction Dazzles Stargazers Around The World ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |