observing saturn

[foffof]

What is the minimal aperture and magnification to see the cassini division in the saturn's rings? The same question about ekne division?

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

It's more about the atmospheric conditions tbh, but i've found around 150x is good for planets most nights. Using the old rule of roughly 40-50x per inch of aperture, i'd guess anything from 80mm upwards would get them, given the right conditions.

[John]

I've seen the Cassini division with an 80mm refractor although glimpsed would be a better description. My 4" refractor shows it more regularly although how easily it can be seen depends on the seeing conditions. With my 4.7" refractor it's noticeably easier to spot this feature.

I've never managed to see the Enke division even with my 10" scope although I believe it might be possible with that aperture under excellent conditions.

The degree of ring tilt also impacts the visibility of these features. When the rings are wide open the Cassini division is relatively easy. When they are edge on it's all but invisible in many scopes.

I find Saturn takes magnification well (better than Jupiter) but I'd say a minimum of around 80x is needed for the Cassini Division. More power (up to the sensible limits of the seeing / scope) makes it a bit easier.