Saturn 10.08.03

Hi,

I've started my Saturn observing season with a sketch made this morning through my 6" refractor using 400x magnification. Yesterday morning, Saturn was outrageous through my 9.75" reflector at 389x & 458x.

The notable feature change as compared from last year is the SPR. Last year, there was South Pole had a solid but dark, (greenish/gray), oval cloud feature. Recently it is light with a darker doughnut shaped surround.

Sol Robbins

Attached Image:

Fantastic drawing, Sol!

Say, how did you get such perfect ellipses for the rings? Do you use a template, or do you draw them free hand, or what?

Doug Scobel

What a spectacular drawing, Sol. You've got a lot of painstaking detail in there. Good work.

Clear nights ... dark sites,
Darren

Sol,

A beautiful observation of the ringed planet. You have captured much detail over the globe and rings. It appears that you have recorded dark condensations between the South Equatorial Belt (SEB) and the South Temperate Belt (STB). These condensations may be present between a divided SEB as well. Over some portions they may appear as festoons (dark, angulated streaks) as some have pointed out. Festoons are not as common over Saturn as they are over Jupiter's Equatorial Zone (EZ), projecting from the southern border of the North Equatorial Belt (NEB).

Although Saturn radiates approximately three times the heat that it receives from the Sun (compared to Jupiter's ~2x) much detail is not normally visible over it's upper atmosphere. This may have to do with greater horizontal mixing and less production of colors (versus Jupiter), but a thick haze of ammonia-ice lies over the upper atmosphere of the planet at all times. This was discovered by the Voyager spacecraft back in 1980-81.

I have included a link to an image of Saturn obtained by the Hubbe Space Telescope (HST) back in October, 1996 showing festoon-like features over the planet's Equatorial Zone (EZ) http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03158

This apparition of Saturn is a prelude to next year's visit by the Cassini spacecraft (arrives in July, 2004) which should obtain some of the most spectacular images of Saturn to date. I am certain that we are all very excited about this!

The best of luck in future observations of Saturn.

Carlos