Saturn first light this year and virgin sacrifice

[rodrigol]

First light for Saturn this year! The weather was awful during the day and I was resigned to not going out last night. I posted about suggestions to improve the weather, complaining it has been bad for long enough here in the UK. Someone suggested sacrificing virgins and apparently someone did as the skies cleared well until about 2pm...and they cleared good. Since I changed by visual back for a 2" from Baader and a 2" diagonal from Altair astro, I was really wondering if these would make a difference. With the Baader Zoom in place, I checked collimating, which seemed spot on. Then I pointed the CPC800 to Mars and first I saw a very well defined circle and hints of features, but nothing more. Dialling in Saturn I was really pleased to note it had already cleared all garden and housing obstacles...lo and behold, there she was...with plenty of banding noticeable on the surface and every now and then a good hint of the Cassini division. I was really happy with the viewing and stayed on the EP until about 1pm at which point cold and dew forced me in. Great night and than you to whomever performed the virgin sacrifice!