Sketch of Saturn
CMI 321° – CMII 194° – CMIII 288°
Click image for larger version.
Observation Notes:
After several failed attempts to observe the storm in Saturn’s NTrZ, we finally had a clear night with a decent seeing forecast. I headed out to Anderson Mesa for an early morning observation of M81/82 with the 8-inch Dob. Afterward, I set up the 6-inch Newtonian and spent an hour with the ringed beauty. Detail was slippery — as always. However, the seeing was better than I usually suffer from my front yard, so features gradually emerged. By 1230 UT, the main body of the storm was flickering into view on the following hemisphere and obscuring a portion of the NTeB. (I colorized and cleaned the sketch digitally in Photoshop.)
| Subject | Saturn |
| Classification | Planet |
| Position* | Virgo [RA: 13 06 47 / Dec: -04 20 59] |
| Size* | Globe: 18 x 16 arc seconds Rings: 40.8 arc seconds |
| Brightness* | 0.7 |
| CM* | CMI 321° CMII 194° CMIII 288° |
| Data* | Elongation: 111.3 W Phase: 05.5 B: 10.2 B’: 07.9 |
| Date/Time | JAN 29, 2011, 5:45 AM MST (JAN 29, 2011, 1245 UT) |
| Observing Loc. | Anderson Mesa, Arizona, USA |
| Instrument | Orion SkyView Prof 6LT (150 mm dia./1200 mm F/L) |
| Eyepieces/Mag. | UO 4 mm Orthoscopic (300X) |
| Conditions | Clear, calm, cold |
| Seeing | Ant. II-III |
| Transparency | 21.6 Mag/Arc Second2 |
| *Sources | Starry Night Pro Plus 5.8.2, Ephemeris for Physical Observations of Saturn 2011 Compiled by Jeffrey D. Beish, ALPO |
Wow, I’m so amazed how you can pull so much detail with just a 6″ Newtonian. Your technique or skill for noticing the most subtle of shades and light intensities on Saturn is quite laudable. I tried sketching Saturn with a CPC1100 a few months back but wasn’t satisfied with the results, mostly due to the lack of details. I’d like to give it another chance focusing this time (literally) for all the details I can extract! Great sketch !!!
Juanchin
Thanks, Juanchin. Saturn really is tough. When I saw the forecast for a big swath of good seeing at the right time to view a section of the storm, I had to take advantage of the opportunity–and it was still a real bear to pull out what I did see. Wishing you the best on your next Saturn observation!
Jeremy