Stargazing: Observing Saturn
Monday, 5. March 2007, 15:36:06
Saturn and some of its major moonsMagnitude: + 0.1
Angular Diameter: 19.8 arc-seconds (disk), 44.9 arc-seconds (visible rings)
Saturn, just past opposition, is riding high in the sky virtually all night. The planet lies in Leo, roughly 10° from that constellation's brightest star, Regulus. On the evening of March 1st, the Moon pairs with Saturn as they both rise in the east after sunset; only 1/2° (barely a Moon-width) separates them.
March is an excellent month for observing Saturn through a telescope; the planet quickly rises above the horizon to provide the best views. The rings, of course, are its most noticeable feature. A small instrument will reveal the broad, bright A and B rings, and the narrow Cassini Division between them. A larger instrument may reveal the much fainter inner C ring, and perhaps some subtle atmospheric bands on the planet's disk. Finally, of course, a handful of moons are visible in amateur telescopes: Titan, Rhea, Tethys, Dione, and perhaps Iapetus and tiny Enceladus.
RELATED LINKS:
* Positions of major moons
* CASSINI AT SATURN - Present Position
* Ephemerides
* Interactive Sky Chart
* This month´s starchart
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