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Best Time to View Saturn?
So I gave in to peer pressure and bought meself a telescope to see Mars
with. A reasonable unit (Meade ETX-70AT). And I did see the polar icecaps, which was cool. I've been told that I should be able to see the rings of Saturn reasonably well (I've got a good selection of eyepieces, from 4 to 25mm, plus a 2X Barlow), so I'm thinking one of these crisp Autumn nights I'll find a dark spot away from the heat of the city and give it a try. So ... is there some night that will be better than others for this? I'm assuming that a night when the moon isn't totally full is good, so there isn't as much glare and screw up our night vision and all that. Any other nights that will be better or worse? When will Saturn be the closest in its current orbit? Thanks! Chris |
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"Chris Cooper" wrote in
: So I gave in to peer pressure and bought meself a telescope to see Mars with. A reasonable unit (Meade ETX-70AT). And I did see the polar icecaps, which was cool. I've been told that I should be able to see the rings of Saturn reasonably well (I've got a good selection of eyepieces, from 4 to 25mm, plus a 2X Barlow), so I'm thinking one of these crisp Autumn nights I'll find a dark spot away from the heat of the city and give it a try. So ... is there some night that will be better than others for this? I'm assuming that a night when the moon isn't totally full is good, so there isn't as much glare and screw up our night vision and all that. Any other nights that will be better or worse? When will Saturn be the closest in its current orbit? Thanks! Chris The moon doesn't really matter for viewing planets, nor does city light pollution. You can observe Saturn fine from your back yard (if you have one). The key thing is to observe when Saturn is near it's maximum altitude. As you mentioned autumn, you are obviously in the Northern hemisphere. That means Saturn is in a very good part of the sky for you to observe it over your winter months. Not so good for me in the Southern hemisphere :-(. Saturn is at opposition on the 31st Dec so the best viewing will be at midnight for you on that day. At present try around 3:30 am. Rgds Llanzlan. |
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"Chris Cooper" wrote in message
... So I gave in to peer pressure and bought meself a telescope to see Mars with. A reasonable unit (Meade ETX-70AT). And I did see the polar icecaps, which was cool. I've been told that I should be able to see the rings of Saturn reasonably well (I've got a good selection of eyepieces, from 4 to 25mm, plus a 2X Barlow), so I'm thinking one of these crisp Autumn nights I'll find a dark spot away from the heat of the city and give it a try. So ... is there some night that will be better than others for this? I'm assuming that a night when the moon isn't totally full is good, so there isn't as much glare and screw up our night vision and all that. Any other nights that will be better or worse? When will Saturn be the closest in its current orbit? Chris, Saturn's rings don't require much power to see. 30x or so will reveal them. 100x will make them look very nice in your telescope. As was pointed out by Lanzlan, the more the planet is near the highest point off the horizon it will obtain will always supply the best image. It should be noted however, that as a rule of thumb, reasonably good observations are possible when an object is somewhere around 30 degrees and more from the horizon under normal seeing conditions. This is because at a lower angle to the horizon the image is generally more unstable. Couple this with the much thicker layer of air and the subsequently increased particulate matter which impedes on an observed object's view and you'll realize the importance of viewing objects well off the horizon. Saturn will be 30 degrees above the horizon around 11:15 p.m. tonight. Martin To reply remove "ilikestars" from my email address |
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"Starstuffed" wrote in message nk.net... "Chris Cooper" wrote in message ... So I gave in to peer pressure and bought meself a telescope to see Mars with. A reasonable unit (Meade ETX-70AT). And I did see the polar icecaps, which was cool. I've been told that I should be able to see the rings of Saturn reasonably well (I've got a good selection of eyepieces, from 4 to 25mm, plus a 2X Barlow), so I'm thinking one of these crisp Autumn nights I'll find a dark spot away from the heat of the city and give it a try. So ... is there some night that will be better than others for this? I'm assuming that a night when the moon isn't totally full is good, so there isn't as much glare and screw up our night vision and all that. Any other nights that will be better or worse? When will Saturn be the closest in its current orbit? Chris, Saturn's rings don't require much power to see. 30x or so will reveal them. 100x will make them look very nice in your telescope. As was pointed out by Lanzlan, the more the planet is near the highest point off the horizon it will obtain will always supply the best image. It should be noted however, that as a rule of thumb, reasonably good observations are possible when an object is somewhere around 30 degrees and more from the horizon under normal seeing conditions. This is because at a lower angle to the horizon the image is generally more unstable. Couple this with the much thicker layer of air and the subsequently increased particulate matter which impedes on an observed object's view and you'll realize the importance of viewing objects well off the horizon. I never had great views of Mars at opposition for that very reason. Coupled with the fact I was viewing over rooftops. I did get moments of good seeing to make it workwhile though. Saturn will be 30 degrees above the horizon around 11:15 p.m. tonight. DaveL |
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