Enceladus for the 1st time !

[John]

Got the 12" Lightbridge dob out tonight (1st time for ages !). After 90 mins of so cooling (the scope lives in a centrally heated house) Saturn was looking really good. Despite the moon being near in the sky 4 moons were readilly seen - though Tethys and Rhea are very close together tonight and appear as one. Then I put the 13mm Ethos in and Enceladus was visible ! - 1st time I've seen that one - pehaps not a huge achievement in a 12" scope but I felt good about it . I used the Sky & Telescope on-line Java applet to check Saturns moon positions to confirm what I was looking at - I think Enceladus is around magnitude 11.7 so what with the moon nearby and the fact that Saturn was above my neighbours roof (so in the heat plume rising from his house) I feel a sense of achievement. Amazing to think that it's only 500 km in diameter - we would not be able to see it all if it was not one of the highest albedo moons in the solar system. Can't wait for a dark night and a bright globular cluster with this scope / eyepiece combination

John

[Doc]

Excellent news that you captured Enceladus. I suffer the same problem as yourself in that saturn rises above my neighbours house and the heat rise can really be seen.

I was also looking at Saturn last night and I saw 4 moons. Two on each side.

I will have to download this program you mention to see which ones I saw.

[John]

There you go Mick:

http://tinyurl.com/ccdqto

Not sure it's downloadable - I think you have to use it online.

John

[Doc]

Cheers John.

[mcrossley]

Good spot, I was having a squint through the C14 last night too, packed up about midnight when Saturn was still over my neighbours house so the seeing wasn't very good. Like you I spotted Enceladus, Rhea, and Dione close to Saturn with Iapetus further out. I think Tethys was hidden in the rings, but I could not make out Mimas (m12.8) or Hyperion (m14.1). Maybe if I'd waited until the early hours when Saturn was clear of the houses...