Contains:  Solar system body or event
Saturn, Bruce Rohrlach

Saturn

Acquisition type: Lucky imaging
Saturn, Bruce Rohrlach

Saturn

Acquisition type: Lucky imaging

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Description

This is Saturn 5 days before opposition on the 15th June, when Earth and Saturn are at the closest in their orbital paths around the sun. Saturn's opposition occurs every 378 days due to Saturn's leisurely orbit (once every 29.5 years) around the sun. Also, 15th June is the date when Saturn's rings are most inclined or tilted towards us, before slowly regressing till eventually the rings will be inclined edge on and define a near-invisible sliver from earths' perspective.

The rings are made of particles of ice microns to tens of metres in diameter, with the main rings (A, B and C) being less than 100m thick in most places. The F ring was discovered by the Pioneer imaging team in 1979. Features of the F ring change in the time frame of hours. The traditional view is that the F ring is held together by the shepherding moons Prometheus and Pandora, although now it is thought that only Prometheus contributes to this confinement. In detail (F ring just barely visible here) the F ring comprises a core ring and a spiral ring around it.

One theory is the rings are the remains of icy comets that were torn apart by Saturn's immense gravity, however the very minimal ring structure of dust around Jupiter (an even more massive planet) hints that the rings of Saturn are instead left-over from the primordial condensation and aggregation of Saturn.

What ever the explanation, she is beautiful and bright at this time near opposition - and directly overhead at local midnight.

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Saturn, Bruce Rohrlach