Saturn in January 2006

February 10, 2006

Saturn copy

Provided and copyright by: John Chumack, Miami Valley Astronomical Society
Summary authors & editors: John Chumack

This handsome image of Saturn was taken on the morning of January 24, 2006, (between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. local time) from my observatory at John Bryan State Park, in Yellow Springs, Ohio. We used an 11 inch (4.5 cm) diameter scope (C-11), employing my Toucam Pro 2 PC webcam, which was attached to the telescope with a 2.8x Barlow lens. This resulted in an effective focal length of 7,823 mm. The shot above, as well as several others taken on this particular morning, were my best photos of Saturn in about 4 years -- patience is paramount for Mid West observers.

Saturn was at opposition (furthest from the Sun) on the 27th of January, some 887 million miles (1,419,200,000 km) away. It takes 29.4 years for the "ringed planet" to orbit the Sun. The rings are tipped very favorable for viewing now, but a small telescope is needed to actually see the rings. Click on image to see a larger view.

Related Links: