241203 Saturn at Opposition
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Image courtesy of Mr. Greg Terrance, New York State, USA
click image to enlarge |
ASTRO:
type=Planetary; Saturn mag= 1.17 const=(varies) distance=805 M mi size=72,000 mi (dia.) IMAGE: exposure=CMOS OSC: 52x20ms, G100 EQUIPMENT: camera=ZWO ASI585MC-Pro optics=ASA 500, FL=2800mm (prime), f/10.0 filter=(none) mount=AP 1600 guider=(none) SOFTWARE: acquisition=FireCapture processing=Registax, PhotoshopCC, LrC |
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Big, and arguably the most beautiful planet in our Solar System, ...Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in our Solar System, after Jupiter. Like its bigger brother, Saturn is a 'gas giant' planet (comprised mostly of gaseous elements and compounds), with an average diameter (excluding the rings) of about 9 times that of Earth. It has appx 1/8th the average density of Earth, but is over 95 times more massive. Even though Saturn is almost as big as Jupiter, Saturn has less than 1/3rd the mass of Jupiter. As for how far away it is, Saturn's orbit around the sun is not perfectly round; so, it varies from perihelion (its furthest point from the Sun) to aphelion (...its closest...). But on average, it is appx 890 million miles away from the Sun.
Saturn's apparent motion in our sky is VERY slow. It takes appx 29½ of Earth's years to circle completely around the Sun; so, it progresses across our sky at a rate of only little more than 12 arc-degrees per year. ...meaning while it DOES become visible every year on a seasonal basis, most of us will only see it in the same spot in the sky, 2 times in our lifetime. This year (2024) Saturn has come into opposition (...when the Earth is positioned exactly between it and the Sun) in early September. For amateur astrophotographers, the period of opposition is very important; because, it marks when we are closest to the ringed-giant, and therefore have the best opportunity to capture good images of it.
This image is courtesy of Mr. Greg Terrance, an amateur astrophotographer out of New York State, USA. One of Saturn's moons, Dione is visible to the left, just above the tip of the mother planet's rings. Saturn has 63 named moons, with more likely to be discovered as we continue to learn about this beautiful planet. More of them would be visible in this image but for the distance involved. At opposition (the closest point we reach each year, with the Sun directly on the other side of the Earth), Saturn is appx 805 million miles distant from Earth.
Saturn's apparent motion in our sky is VERY slow. It takes appx 29½ of Earth's years to circle completely around the Sun; so, it progresses across our sky at a rate of only little more than 12 arc-degrees per year. ...meaning while it DOES become visible every year on a seasonal basis, most of us will only see it in the same spot in the sky, 2 times in our lifetime. This year (2024) Saturn has come into opposition (...when the Earth is positioned exactly between it and the Sun) in early September. For amateur astrophotographers, the period of opposition is very important; because, it marks when we are closest to the ringed-giant, and therefore have the best opportunity to capture good images of it.
This image is courtesy of Mr. Greg Terrance, an amateur astrophotographer out of New York State, USA. One of Saturn's moons, Dione is visible to the left, just above the tip of the mother planet's rings. Saturn has 63 named moons, with more likely to be discovered as we continue to learn about this beautiful planet. More of them would be visible in this image but for the distance involved. At opposition (the closest point we reach each year, with the Sun directly on the other side of the Earth), Saturn is appx 805 million miles distant from Earth.