How to See Saturn Reach Night Sky Milestone on April 15
by Geoff Gaherty, Starry Night Education
Date: 10 April 2012 Time: 01:59 PM ET
|On the night of opposition, April 19, 2012, Saturn’s moons are neatly arrayed around it.
CREDIT: Starry Night Software
When amateur astronomers reflect on the most memorable sights of their lifetimes, their first view of Saturn through a telescope usually ranks high. And this weekend offers a prime chance to see the ringed planet in the southern night sky.
I can still vividly remember my first reaction, even though it was nearly 55 years ago: "Wow—it really has rings!" Like everyone, I had seen many pictures of Saturn, but nothing prepared me for actually seeing a planet with rings with my own eyes. I've since shown Saturn to hundreds of people, and the most common reaction is total disbelief: "Is that a picture of Saturn you’ve got stuck inside your telescope?"
Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < firstname.lastname@example.org >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
SPACEWATCHTOWER BLOG: < http://spacewatchtower.
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
< http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
< http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
* Public Transit: