Abracadabra! Whoosh! The rings of Saturn disappear

William Atkins
Thursday, 20 March 2008 18:49

Science - Space

So, in the next few months, Saturn’s rings will appear to be getting thinner and thinner. Then, on Thursday, September 4, 2009, Whoosh!, Abracadabra! … With a flick of a magician’s wand … They disappear all together.

No, its not magic, just a natural occurrence that happens periodically in our solar system.

We will be looking at Saturn straight on—within the plane of the rings, just like looking at a record from its side.

For amateur astronomers, this is a good time to view Saturn and its rings because the moons of Saturn are more clearly visible, as are the outer rings of Saturn.

In addition, Saturn’s north pole will be visible with a telescope, now that it is no longer hidden from view by the rings. The NASA Cassini spacecraft discovered that the northern region of Saturn appears blue in color. This sight will be more noticeable during the next few months because the golden-colored clouds above Saturn have also disappeared.

A March 18-19 viewing has just passed. But, on April 14-15, 2008, another one will occur. The Moon and the planet Saturn will appear very close together in the night sky of Earth.

On Monday, April 14, 2008 and Tuesday, April 15, 2008, the Moon will be almost full (it’s full on April 20th) and Saturn will appear nearby, making it easy to locate. Just after sunset, the bright golden object near the Moon will be Saturn.

You can make your own Sky Map by going to About Astronomy—Space Sky Maps.

For additional information, read the March 18, 2008 Science @ NASA article “The Vanishing Rings of Saturn.”