[AZ-Observing] Re: Saturn's Rings - A Serious Observation


Last year at NASP, the few optically great telescopes sturdy enough to
withstand the wind were treated with high magnification views of the ringed
planet.  Beside the superb seeing, Saturn treated observers with three
radial finger-like structures on the eastern B-ring.  Last apparition, and
previous to that night, I've noticed on very rare occasions "dark" features
radiating away from the planet, but not as good as those seen at NASP.
        Strangely, the times I've noted these supposed "spokes", I can only 
recall
one instance out of maybe four where the features were present on the
western side of the planet.  Saturday night at the All AZ, was another
example of an irregular, diffuse gray structure on the eastern side.
        Could this be an optical illusion?  Or is this legitimate?  Depending on
the ring's rotation, and luck of the observer, it may be advantageous to
watch one of these features cross from one side to the other... assuming
this is possible.

-FRANK

---
This message is from the AZ-Observing mailing list.  If you wish to be
removed from this list, send E-mail to: AZ-Observing-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
with the subject: unsubscribe.

The list's archive is at:  http://www.freelists.org/archives/az-observing

This is a discussion list.  Please send personal inquiries directly to
the message author.  In other words, do not use "reply" for personal
messages.  Thanks.

Other related posts: