Some 400 years ago, Galileo observed the planet Saturn through his telescope and was the first recorded person to see its rings.
But, he wasn’t able to identify them as such.
It’s been written that he originally thought the rings represented two other planets in close proximity.
Two years after that first observation, the rings seemingly disappeared, and Galileo was mystified.
He wondered, had the ancient myth of the Roman god Saturn — who ate his own children to prevent being overthrown — come true in the cosmos?
The next year, the rings reappeared, adding leagues to his intrigue.
Half a century later, thanks to successive discoveries from later astronomers with higher-powered telescopes and most recently space rovers, we now know that the halos are in fact planetary rings of water ice and space rock, ranging from specs of dust to the size of small automobiles, encircling the sixth rock from the Sun.
And still Saturn is one of the most intriguing planets in the solar system.
“Saturn has basically a big ‘wow factor’ because of its rings,” said Steve Ruhl, education coordinator for the Battle Point Astronomers Association. “I get thrilled by Jupiter because of the red spot … but (Saturn’s) rings are a world of their own.”
He and BPAA will be taking a close look at Saturn during the next star party and planetarium show, slated for 7 p.m. April 5 at the Ritchie Observatory in Battle Point Park on Bainbridge.
The virtual trip through the solar system in BPAA’s planetarium is free, and if skies are clear astronomers will be breaking out their telescopes (including the Ritchie Telescope, the largest public access telescope in the state) to take advantage of the perfect time to view the second largest planet in our solar system.
Saturn is the most distant planet visible to the naked eye, and with a modest modern telescope or even intensive binoculars its rings are clearly visible.
In the current night sky, they are highly visible because Saturn is directly opposite the Sun.
Over a period of 26 years, Saturn’s orientation toward Earth cycles, giving Earthlings a view of the rings from different angles — ergo Galileo’s confusion. Utilizing their futuristic planetarium, the astronomers at BPAA will speed up that cycle to take a look from multiple points (and times) of view.
And adding another point of timeliness, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft — which has been in orbit around Saturn since 2004 — on March 20 reported evidence of an underground ocean on the largest of the planet’s 60 moons — Titan.
The Battle Point astronomers will discuss that and other recent discoveries — “what we know, and don’t know” — about Saturn, its moons and rings April 5. WU
