Is Saturn always low in the sky in the UK or is it just a bad year?

[JOC]

Wot the title says^^^

In near future years will Saturn ever be lovely and high in the sky in the UK like Jupiter is currently?

[Mr Spock]

Saturn is currently in the low part of its orbit. It will take a few years to get higher (its orbit takes 29 years) but it will get there.

[kev100]

I just had a look at Stellarium, and Saturn's set to be pretty low for at least 5 or 6 years yet ...

[John]

Not a good period for planetary observing currently, unfortunately.

We make the best of what we have however

My best views of Saturn were probably around a decade ago when it was really high in the sky - the view on one particular night with the C8 SCT I had then reminded me of the Voyager images of the planet - absolutely superb

With Saturn being low down I am finding that my refractors seem to do a better job of cutting through the atmosphere than my 12" dob does. Also it's easier to get a refractor on a tall tripod onto the planet when it's so low down.

 

[Craney]

Holidays to lesser latitudes,  or maybe book time on one of those remote login public access telescopes, they are situated under more favourable skies.

 

 

[John]

When people from northern latitudes join the forum saying that they want to specialise in observing the planets I am sometimes tempted to suggest that other astro targets might prove more fulfilling for the next few years, ie: don't restrict yourself !

Edited June 21, 2017 by John

[Piero]

1 hour ago, John said:

We make the best of what we have however

Well said! It is still a very beautiful target and we are lucky that it is not too far away. Think about if a planet like Saturn were located on Pluto's orbit!  

[rockystar]

they follow the Ecliptic, I.e. The same path as the sun. So when it is high in the sky (summer) night time objects on the same path will be low, and in the winter, when the sun is low, night objects will be high.

as saturn is at opposition round about the summer solstice (today by the way, opposition was a couple of days ago), I don't think it could be much lower.

give it 15 years, opposition will be around the winter solstice and pretty much as high as it will get - however, you may find that the rings disappear at this time, due to their relative angle - you win some, you lose some

 

[Tzitzis]

I can only imagine Saturn being always low in the horizon. Down here we don't have these problems. So as I always say...Come to Greece! Lots of sun and stars!  

[Pondus]

Living at 59N I`ve pretty much given up on all 'major' planets until Mars opposition in 2020 .

For Jupiter and Saturn I`ll have to wait another couple of years after 2020 to get a decent view again.

So 'planet killer' telescopes isnt exactly on top of my priority list at the moment, and as John says, maybe members, located 'northernly',

 Whos looking for advice on first telescope purchase should be made aware of planets altitude coming years...

 

Rune

Edit :  But there are plenty of other interesting Objects up there besides planets, so personally I`m good

 

Edited June 21, 2017 by Pondus

[JOC]

Thanks for all the replies - so it seems things planet wise are not encouraging in the short term, what a shame?  Still I have had a miniature Saturn in my telescope this year and hopefully will again and I guess I shall have to think myself lucky.   I have also had several decent views of Jupiter which has been great - I've also seen a moon transit shadow :-D  Luckily I had no real expectations about what I might be able to see - clearly the planets/moon spring to mind, but SGL has introduced me to the thought of seeing other things that I would not even thought were up there.  In that respect maybe I was lucky you all directed me to the telescope that I got as it does seem to be a bit of 'generalist' and able to see most things that I've pointed it at fairly well.  Still if I look after it and my EP's maybe it will still be with me and working in 15 years time!

[F15Rules]

1 hour ago, Tzitzis said:

I can only imagine Saturn being always low in the horizon. Down here we don't have these problems. So as I always say...Come to Greece! Lots of sun and stars!  

Yes, I was in Corfu just a couple of weeks ago, and the moon and Jupiter both looked much higher in the sky than from home. Corfu's latitude is 39 deg compared to my home location of 53 deg, and that 14 degrees (almost 3 times the distance between the Pointers in the Plough/Big Dipper) really makes a difference..

At the moment I'd settle happily for some really dark and steady skies...

Dave

[Stargazer McCabe]

Guess we're going to have to get used to significantly different skies now we're back from East Africa... Both in terms of seeing / transparency and Planet altitudes. 

Better not pick a location to settle too far North then... :-)

[Moonshane]

Take what you can get. I observed Saturn through a gap in trees and houses the other day and had to keep moving the scope but it was worth it. still a stunning object no matter what. I agree with John though that fracs might be best although an advantage of larger scopes is you see more moons, especially at lower powers.

[kev100]

I was out on Saturday till about 2.30, and kept coming back to Saturn. It was spectacular. Certainly, its location in the sky was nothing to worry about.

[Pondus]

26 minutes ago, kev100 said:

I was out on Saturday till about 2.30, and kept coming back to Saturn. It was spectacular. Certainly, its location in the sky was nothing to worry about.

I`m not quite sure you would say the same if you lived in the Northern parts of Scotland..

[kev100]

54 minutes ago, Pondus said:

I`m not quite sure you would say the same if you lived in the Northern parts of Scotland..

Totally fair point. I was responding to the OP, though, who's in Essex.

[JOC]

1 hour ago, kev100 said:

I was out on Saturday till about 2.30, and kept coming back to Saturn. It was spectacular. Certainly, its location in the sky was nothing to worry about.

Well, granted I am not too much further North than you, but my viewing area is somewhat limited by trees that have got seemingly bigger now they are covered in Leaves!  Saturn is currently spending about 10 minutes in my 'tree gap' then disappearing behind the house to emerge hours later once I've gone to sleep.

[rockystar]

3 minutes ago, JOC said:

Well, granted I am not too much further North than you, but my viewing area is somewhat limited by trees that have got seemingly bigger now they are covered in Leaves!  Saturn is currently spending about 10 minutes in my 'tree gap' then disappearing behind the house to emerge hours later once I've gone to sleep.

It doesn't get over the houses opposite from my back garden, not enough for a DOB anyway

Last year, I had it on the drive peeking between houses, so maybe the same again this year in a month or so.

 

[John]

2 hours ago, kev100 said:

I was out on Saturday till about 2.30, and kept coming back to Saturn. It was spectacular. Certainly, its location in the sky was nothing to worry about.

Have you observed it when it's been high in the sky ?

There is a difference.

[cloudsweeper]

6 hours ago, Moonshane said:

Take what you can get. I observed Saturn through a gap in trees and houses the other day and had to keep moving the scope but it was worth it. still a stunning object no matter what. I agree with John though that fracs might be best although an advantage of larger scopes is you see more moons, especially at lower powers.

Exactly!  My view of Saturn a few days ago through clear skies was stunning, and it was below 11 degrees.

Get out and take a look, and there is usually something good, plus some surprises!

Doug.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

There are tricks that can help a bit.

An 'atmospheric dispersion corrector' can cancel out the prism-like blurring of low planets improving the view for eyes and for imagers.

Imagers can use infra-red to provide luminance data and get sharper images.

Imagers on a budget (like me) can just use the 'red channel' to provide luminance data for their images, it works surprisingly well and you can tweak in bits f green and even blue luminance for better colour balance at the expense of detail.

[Charic]

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

There are tricks that can help a bit

...for me its Stellarium? its the only way I can see the planets as I don't see anything southerly from my garden, due to my restricted views, unless its as high as a kite, at least +50°.
Southerly views are available only when away from the house. My normal view is between Ursa  Major and Cassiopeia as they orbit the NCP.
Unfortunately  this time of the year precludes any observing when the night sky at 0150 looks like this............Looking North.
 

Edited June 21, 2017 by Charic

[ronin]

2 factors are generally involved: The distance of Saturn from us and the plane of the ecliptic.

Working on the idea that Saturn is usually a long way away from us that leaves the ecliptic. Saturn is relatively slow moving around the sky and that mans its position in height terms varies slowly with the ecliptic and looking at Stellarium we have a good few years to wait for Saturn to be in a prominent position, looks like 8 years from the altering of the time.

So if you get the chance now then take it, we seem to have just passed the closest to Saturn we will be on this orbit. Looks like planet viewing is going to be a bit poor for a while. I do not think that Jupiter is well placed until around 2020. And I gave up on Mars some years back.

[Alien 13]

People say the planets are not good for a few years but I feel some of the images I have seen of Jupiter recently are perhaps better than ever, technology improvements helps a great deal of course.

Alan