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Saturn worth waiting for

gazza63

By gazza63
in Observing - Planetary

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gazza63

gazza63

Posted
Posted

Woo..Hoo Just seen saturn....cloudy up until 11.00pm. Then suddenly it all cleared. Had to wait til past midnight as my garden is SW facing. Caught it coming from the east between a gap between the house and the tall hedge. wonderfull sight and good viewing. waited for weeks for it to come into view. By far... my favourite planet.

Here's hoping for more clear sky tomorrow.

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lukebl

lukebl

Posted
Posted

Nice one. Saturn is the one object which truly doesn't disappoint on first viewing! I still remember my first sighting of it decades ago through a humble 60mm refractor

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Pyrodave

Pyrodave

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I was up till around 02:30 this morning hoping for my first view this year, but wall to wall cloud :embarrassed:. I remember the first time I showed my wife Saturn she though i'd stuck a picture on the eyepiece and couldn't believe it was real.

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M4lcs67

M4lcs67

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I'll never forget my first viewing a few years ago. A friend of mine lent me his 40 year old newt. My brother and I set it up in my garden and randomly started to scan the sky. All of a sudden a blurry image appeared in the eyepiece. It was Saturn. We were leaping around with excitement and going nuts.

A truly memorable moment.

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Dave 2112

Dave 2112

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Just got the briefest glimpse of it in a 32mm, had that "wow" moment and dashed for the brand new untested 8mm BST...

...by the time I switched lens clouds black enough to be from an oil fire had appeared from nowhere. Can't see a thing in the sky now!

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Marki

Marki

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Trying to stay awake for Saturn to clear the houses near me (early start again tomorrow) - but its always worth it once I see it :) It'll be the frst time this year for me (other than in bins).

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colesmat

colesmat

Posted
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Saturn is sadly behind the trees as seen from my garden, so I need to go to a dark location (or at least one with a clear southern horizon). It always has a wow factor

Now I'm about as amateur as you can get but I don't think that you need a dark site to view saturn. Anywhere with a clear south east view would do (earlier in the night that is). I'm not sure if it would make any difference to viewing at all so don't feel you have to travel far. But I'd be happy if anyone would like to correct me..... ok, I've just read your post properly and you already said what I'm on about. Sorry (thought it was dead clever. Lol!)

Matt

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Marki

Marki

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Too tired to wait for Saturn to get entirely past the twiggy tree in my garden now, so thats affected the view a little. Still a stunning sight though - some hints of subtle bands on the surface (well, maybe one broader browner wider stripe. The rings are stark and clear, with the shading t wards the outer edge apparent - but no clear Cassini division for me tonight. At least one, possibly two moons - one feint speck close in and a bigger spark a way out - maybe a near by star? Too tired to check right now! Great to be out again at last, after what seems like absolutely ages!

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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Now I'm about as amateur as you can get but I don't think that you need a dark site to view saturn. Anywhere with a clear south east view would do (earlier in the night that is). I'm not sure if it would make any difference to viewing at all so don't feel you have to travel far. But I'd be happy if anyone would like to correct me..... ok, I've just read your post properly and you already said what I'm on about. Sorry (thought it was dead clever. Lol!)

Matt

True, the real deal is that the dark site I frequent has a much clearer southern horizon.

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spektrumdx8

spektrumdx8

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I can now have a well earned drink,,,

Finally seen Saturn in all its glory and it was worth it :grin: !!,, Had both scopes out cooling (synscan 127 and SW 200p) and equipped with iPhone planet finder app,found it in seconds! ,,elevation compared to previous night was a lot higher -about 20 degrees and it was clear of all the houses ,so had the most amazing view- even with binoculars skymaster 15x70 mounted on a tripod,you couldn't mistake that shape,, Then tried first the SW 200p and BST 18mm- absolutely beautiful,completely takes your breath away when you realise you are actually looking at another planet- with the 127 mak and same eyepiece,the view was pretty much the same except it was a tad sharper and the gap between the rings and the planet a little bit more defined, I'm guessing that better views could be had if I moved away from city lights and my back garden to a truly dark site and to be honest, my eyes hadn't really adapted properly as I was only outside for 10 mins but, I'm well pleased with tonight's result...

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