Going, Going...

Hubble Telescope picture

    Saturn is known for its rings. They are visible even in a small telescope. I never miss the opportunity to view this planet; it is definitely my favorite, with Jupiter coming in a close second.

    Six months from now, the “Ringed” planet Saturn will become just plain old Saturn. Due to its orbit around the sun it will appear to us here on Earth, as having no rings!

1996

    If you get a chance to take a look at the planet in the next couple months, by all means do it. The rings are bright, but they don’t look like rings right now. They are in the process of disappearing and appear more like a line drawn across the planet. As the planet slowly tips, the rings will be seen edge on and will appear to vanish. Like looking at a piece of paper edge on, it is very difficult to see.

    This won’t be forever; gradually they will get thinner and thinner until only larger telescopes will be able to see them. Then they will slowly start to reveal themselves again.

June 17, 1995

    This isn’t the first time this has happened, it last happened in March of 2009. In 1995 it happened twice with a third disappearance happening at the beginning of 1996. I dug out my notes from 1995 and on June 17^th, 1995, using a very good telescope, I had trouble seeing the rings without using averted vision. The next disappearance will occur in October of 2023.

    Right now, Saturn lies “about” 805 million miles away from us and its rings are only around a mile thick. This distance makes them extremely difficult to see edge on. In case you are wondering, presently it takes the light from the sun about an hour and 12 minutes to reach us after bouncing off Saturn’s disc. Another interesting fact is that Saturn takes 29.4 years to make an orbit around the sun! 

    On Saturday, September 14^th, the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh will be holding another star party at the Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Park! This will be a great time to take a look at the rings through one of the scopes that will be set up there. The planet Saturn will definitely be the focus of the night, along with the moon and other celestial objects. Bring your own scope if you have one, if you’re not sure how to use it, we will be happy to help you out! Come up to the hilltop and take a look at Saturn’s rings, before their gone.

For more info about the AAAP Star Parties, go to

3AP.org