Hi -
A wonderful view last night - I hope some of you caught it too. At 11:00pm EDT, Saturn's visible moons were in alignment as if they were Jovian satellites. Titan holding court alone to one side, Rhea, Dione and Tethys on the other. I couldn't catch Mimas and Enceladus in the hazy skies from my backyard, but they were lined up too - even a 10th mag. star in Leo further out joined the fun. It gave the illusion that all might proceed to transit the disk. Actually, at the current inclination, I believe both Mimas and Enceladus do transit the disk from our perspective.
The seeing was average, but the color of saturn was quite dramatic in my 10" scope - the amber southern latitudes making a noticeable contrast to the blue tinted northern tropics.
cheers-
Alan
A wonderful view last night - I hope some of you caught it too. At 11:00pm EDT, Saturn's visible moons were in alignment as if they were Jovian satellites. Titan holding court alone to one side, Rhea, Dione and Tethys on the other. I couldn't catch Mimas and Enceladus in the hazy skies from my backyard, but they were lined up too - even a 10th mag. star in Leo further out joined the fun. It gave the illusion that all might proceed to transit the disk. Actually, at the current inclination, I believe both Mimas and Enceladus do transit the disk from our perspective.
The seeing was average, but the color of saturn was quite dramatic in my 10" scope - the amber southern latitudes making a noticeable contrast to the blue tinted northern tropics.
cheers-
Alan
Alan Friedman
http://www.avertedimagination.com
