Determining Saturn’s PresenceĪs mentioned earlier, Saturn isn’t always visible in the night sky. With that addressed, here are some tips to see Saturn well through a telescope. Newtonians and SCTs are popular choices among newbies, as these allow high-resolution images thanks to their higher apertures. Steps To View Saturn Through A TelescopeĪny telescope will do if you’re trying to get a view of Saturn, though for superior high-contrast views, a lens with a refractor possessing a longer focal length is necessary reflectors don’t work as well because of the presence of a secondary mirror.
Opposition happens once every year, though it is rarely on the same date due to the Earth’s orbit being faster than Saturn’s, there’s usually a two-week delay from the previous year’s date. The perfect alignment of the Sun, the Earth, and Saturn lasts for around five hours before all the bodies start moving away from each other. The planet is also visible throughout the night during this period. In opposition is when Saturn is closest to our planet (“perigee”), affording us gorgeous, clear views of the planet at its largest and brightest. The best time to view Saturn in all its glory is when something known as “ opposition ” occurs. This is when Saturn is directly opposite the Sun when viewed from the Earth, which puts us exactly in between the two celestial bodies. The Best Time To View Saturn: What Is Opposition? This year, Saturn spends its time in the Capricornus constellation, where it will stay for around two and a half years before proceeding to occupy a spot in the next constellation. The planet is at its zenith during October and as the year progresses, you can still see Saturn, but your views of it aren’t going to be very good. March to June mornings, the entire night in July and August, and September evenings are when Saturn can be easily viewed. This generally occurs around January and February, with the planet visible for the rest of the year. However, it is visible for most of the year, with views of the planet lost from the Earth only when it’s too near the Sun and too far away from the Earth for us earthlings to be able to see it. When Is Saturn Seen?ĭue to its own rotation and revolution (29.5 years) around the Sun, Saturn’s position in the night sky keeps changing. Despite its size, it only has a density of 0.69 g/cm3, which means that it could quite easily float on a large-enough water body!ĭespite Saturn’s distance from the Sun, its size means that you can enjoy great views of the planet from our home planet, especially its gorgeous rings, made up of dust, space debris, and particles of ice.Īnother great feature to watch out for is the planet’s moons, with Titan claiming the position of the largest it is also the solar system’s second-largest moon. The gas giant, first viewed through a telescope by Galileo Galilei in the early 17th century, sits in the sixth position away from the Sun. With a radius nearly nine times larger than the Earth’s, Saturn bags the position of being our solar system’s second-largest planet.
Remember, due to its rotation and revolution, Saturn’s position keeps changing in the night sky, so you’ll only be able to view it during some periods. Its rings and moons, and sometimes its surface, are the chief viewing points that astronomers seek out through their telescopes. The best way to go about it is to use a stargazing app to locate the planet and then view it through your telescope when the planet is at its closest to the Earth. Viewing Saturn through a telescope is quite simple.
IMAGE OF SATURN THROUGH TELESCOPE HOW TO
Ready? Let’s get started… How To See Saturn Through A Telescope: Short Summary If you’re looking for the “what” and “how”, we’re here to tell you everything about finding Saturn thru a telescope.
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