Get out your telescope. Tonight Saturn is "at opposition"--that is, at its closest and brightest for all of 2018. To find the ringed planet, just look due south at midnight. It is easy to see with the unaided eye right beside the full Strawberry Moon in the constellation Sagittarius. [sky map]
Even a small telescope will reveal Saturn's magnificent rings. Christopher Go sends this picture taken last night from Cebu City in the Philippines:
Even a small telescope will reveal Saturn's magnificent rings. Christopher Go sends this picture taken last night from Cebu City in the Philippines:
"Saturn's rings are surging in brightness," he reports. "Now is a great time to see them."
Saturn's rings are bright near opposition in part because the rings are closer than usual to Earth. They get an additional boost from "the Seeliger Effect," named after the German astronomer Hugo van Seeliger who first described it in the 19th century. It happens when sunlit objects such as the icy particles that make up Saturn's rings hide their own shadows. Opposition is the perfect time for the Seeliger effect because Saturn and the sun are on diametrically opposite sides of the sky. A process called coherent backscattering may also contribute to the extra luminosity.
If you have a small telescope, tonight is a great time to use it. Point your optics at Saturn and enjoy the show. www.spaceweather.com
Saturn's rings are bright near opposition in part because the rings are closer than usual to Earth. They get an additional boost from "the Seeliger Effect," named after the German astronomer Hugo van Seeliger who first described it in the 19th century. It happens when sunlit objects such as the icy particles that make up Saturn's rings hide their own shadows. Opposition is the perfect time for the Seeliger effect because Saturn and the sun are on diametrically opposite sides of the sky. A process called coherent backscattering may also contribute to the extra luminosity.
If you have a small telescope, tonight is a great time to use it. Point your optics at Saturn and enjoy the show. www.spaceweather.com
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