Saturn can be seen with a moderate sized telescope.
You may be able to see the planet and rings clearly, depending on such
variables as the power and cleanliness of your optics and eyepieces. Weather
and atmospheric conditions affect the view through your telescope, too. If you
are observing Saturn at low power through a small 60mm - 100mm aperture
telescope it will look like a golden oval and you may not see the rings
distinctly. Some small aperture telescopes will show the moon Titan, the rings
and Cassini Division, the large gap between the rings of Saturn, while others
will not. Larger telescopes will reveal not only the gold and brown cloud bands
(bright zones and darker belts) on the planet but also the Cassini Division.
Through a large telescope, you should also be able to see several of Saturn's
moons in addition to Titan. It is best to view Saturn when it is highest in the
sky so there will be less atmospheric dust and turbulence between you and your
target.
Saturn captured when tilt was minimum in 2009 by SPACE
team.
So what have you
been waiting for? Take out your telescope out and have a look at the Lord of
the rings!!!
Some extra Info about Saturn:
Saturn is the
sixth planet from the Sun. It is a gas giant (also known as a Jovian planet, after
the planet Jupiter), the second-largest planet in the solar system after
Jupiter. Saturn has a prominent system of rings, consisting mostly of ice
particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust. It was named after
the Roman god Saturn (the Greek equivalent is Cronos, father of Zeus). Its
symbol is a stylized representation of the god's sickle
Saturn’s Moons:
Till now around
62 have been found. 52 moons have been officially named. In alphabetic order,
they are: Aegir, Albiorix, Anthe, Atlas, Bebhionn, Bergelmir, Bestla, Calypso,
Daphnis, Dione, Enceladus, Epimetheus, Erriapus, Farbauti, Fenrir, Fornjot,
Greip, Hati, Helene, Hyperion, Hyrokkin, Iapetus, Ijiraq, Janus, Jarnsaxa,
Kari, Kiviuq, Loge, Methone, Mimas, Mundilfari, Narvi, Paaliaq, Pallene, Pan,
Pandora, Phoebe, Polydeuces, Prometheus, Rhea, Siarnaq, Skadi, Skoll, Surtur,
Suttung, Tarqeq, Tarvos, Telesto, Tethys, Thrym, Titan and Ymir.
The dozens of
moons orbiting Saturn vary drastically in shape, size, age and origin. Some of
these moons have rocky surfaces, while others are porous, icy bodies. Many have
craters, ridges and valleys, and some show evidence of tectonic activity. Some
appear to have formed billions of years ago, while others appear to be pieces
of a bigger, fragmented body. The most interesting one is Titan, the biggest of
them all. Larger than Earth's Moon, Titan even has its own thick atmosphere --
the only natural satellite in the Solar System with such a luxury. During its
four-year mission in this immense region, the Cassini spacecraft will
extensively photograph many of these moons and collect data that will increase
our understanding of their composition.
Astronomers keep
finding new moons, both using ground-based observatories and cameras onboard
Cassini.
The largest, Titan, is easily visible in most telescopes. Titan orbits
Saturn in about 16 days. The next brightest moon, 10th magnitude Rhea, can be
found orbiting about two ring diameters from Saturn. Saturns other visible
moons are Tethys, Dione, Enceladus, Mimas, and Iapetus. Mimas and Enceladus are
challenging to view because of their proximity to Saturns rings.
