APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

APOD Robot · Post by **APOD Robot** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 4:06 am

The Seasons of Saturn

Explanation: Since Saturn's axis is tilted as it orbits the Sun, Saturn has seasons, like those of planet Earth ... but Saturn's seasons last for over seven years. So what season is it on Saturn now? Orbiting the equator, the tilt of the rings of Saturn provides quite a graphic seasonal display. Each year until 2016, Saturn's rings will be increasingly apparent after appearing nearly edge-on in 2009. The ringed planet is also well placed in evening skies providing a grand view as summer comes to Saturn's northern hemisphere and winter to the south. The Hubble Space Telescope took the above sequence of images about a year apart, starting on the left in 1996 and ending on the right in 2000. Although they look solid, Saturn's Rings are likely less than 50 meters thick and consist of individually orbiting bits of ice and rock ranging in size from grains of sand to barn-sized boulders.

<< Previous APOD

This Day in APOD

Next APOD >>

[/b]

Beyond · Post by **Beyond** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 4:10 am

Ah, the Saturn quintuplets.

ta152h0 · Post by **ta152h0** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 4:39 am

it was about 1976 wen Voyager snapped a similar photo. It was so cool I bought the slide from NASA PR site at the time and shared it with my son's elementary school classroom. Mrs Kerner kept the slide. this is bringing back memories.

Dan Rosa · Post by **Dan Rosa** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 7:10 am

Rotate the screen clockwise until the row of Saturns is horizontal. Then, if you can do cross-eyed stereoscopy, you will see a whole row of three-dimensional images of the planet. This of course is due to the angular parallax that is simulated by the changing tilt of Saturn with the seasons. Although the perception is not based on real-time parallax, it nevertheless produces a striking effect.

neufer · Post by **neufer** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 11:03 am

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

jjb54 · Post by **jjb54** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 2:55 pm

I've tried to do some "Google Search" for the total distance in Miles/KM from the edge of the inner-inner point of the first ring - to the outer - outer point of the last ring. I get all sorts of miles/km and funny thing the range is very VAST from XXX,XXX miles/km to XX,XXX miles/km to anything in between.

Has NASA or any institute actually done an actual measurement?

I'm doing some 'basic astronomy class' (fun) for kids and a couple of kids have asked me that question.

Is there a solid answer to this question or is it a 'guesstament'?

Thanks ....

geckzilla · Post by **geckzilla** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 3:34 pm

jjb54 wrote:I've tried to do some "Google Search" for the total distance in Miles/KM from the edge of the inner-inner point of the first ring - to the outer - outer point of the last ring. I get all sorts of miles/km and funny thing the range is very VAST from XXX,XXX miles/km to XX,XXX miles/km to anything in between.

The reason for this might be because there is a faint section of the ring system called the E ring and if you do or do not count that the size will vary incredibly. There are some detailed measurements in this Wikipedia article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Saturn

neufer · Post by **neufer** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 3:42 pm

jjb54 wrote:I've tried to do some "Google Search" for the total distance in Miles/KM from the edge of the inner-inner point of the first ring - to the outer - outer point of the last ring. I get all sorts of miles/km and funny thing the range is very VAST from XXX,XXX miles/km to XX,XXX miles/km to anything in between.

Has NASA or any institute actually done an actual measurement?

I'm doing some 'basic astronomy class' (fun) for kids and a couple of kids have asked me that question.

Is there a solid answer to this question or is it a 'guesstament'?

Thanks ....

.
[img3="Saturn eclipsed the Sun from the vantage of the Cassini spacecraft on 15 September 2006 (brightness is exaggerated). The "pale blue dot" at the 10 o'clock position, outside the main rings and just inside the G Ring, is Earth."]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... erated.jpg[/img3]

There is NO solid answer to your question.
From the inner-inner point of the D Ring
to the F Ring is 73,280 km.
But there are rings out to 13,000,000 km and beyond.

Code: Select all

Major subdivisions of the rings

Name 	Distance from Saturn (from center, in km)
-------------------------------------------------
D Ring 	        66,900   –      74,510 	 
C Ring 	        74,658   –      92,000
B Ring 	        92,000   –     117,580 
A Ring 	       122,170   –     136,775
F Ring 	       140,180 
Janus Ring 	   149,000   –     154,000
G Ring           166,000   –     175,000 
Methone Ring Arc 194,230
Anthe Ring Arc   197,665
Pallene Ring 	 211,000   –     213,500
E Ring 	       180,000   –     480,000
Phoebe Ring   ~4,000,000   – >13,000,000

Evenstar · Post by **Evenstar** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 4:26 pm

Well, let me just jump right in... It seems to me that the orientation of these pictures of Saturn or the description is 'backwards'. Isn't Saturn approaching summer in the southern hemisphere--not the northern hemisphere as described? The southern hemisphere is what is being exposed more to the sun as the rings become more apparent.

(Now we wait and see how I've misinterpreted what seems like such an obvious descriptive error.) [I just knew it somehow...I jumped to an assumption and didn't read between the lines well enough. Thanks!]

bystander · Post by **bystander** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 4:49 pm

Evenstar wrote:Well, let me just jump right in... It seems to me that the orientation of these pictures of Saturn or the description is 'backwards'. Isn't Saturn approaching summer in the southern hemisphere--not the northern hemisphere as described? The southern hemisphere is what is being exposed more to the sun as the rings become more apparent.

(Now we wait and see how I've misinterpreted what seems like such an obvious descriptive error.)

In the images shown, Saturn was indeed approaching summer in the southern hemisphere, but those images were taken in 1996 to 2000. Saturn is now approaching summer in the northern hemisphere having passed its equinox in 2009.

APOD Robot wrote:Each year until 2016, Saturn's rings will be increasingly apparent after appearing nearly edge-on in 2009.

bystander · Post by **bystander** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 5:20 pm

neufer wrote:
jjb54 wrote:I've tried to do some "Google Search" for the total distance in Miles/KM from the edge of the inner-inner point of the first ring - to the outer - outer point of the last ring. I get all sorts of miles/km and funny thing the range is very VAST from XXX,XXX miles/km to XX,XXX miles/km to anything in between.

Has NASA or any institute actually done an actual measurement?

I'm doing some 'basic astronomy class' (fun) for kids and a couple of kids have asked me that question.

Is there a solid answer to this question or is it a 'guesstament'?

Thanks ....
There is NO solid answer to your question.
From the inner-inner point of the D Ring to the F Ring is 73,280 km.
But there are rings out to 13,000,000 km and beyond.

APOD: Giant Dust Ring Discovered Around Saturn (2009 Oct 13)
http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=17495
http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17467

Anthony Barreiro · Post by **Anthony Barreiro** » Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:33 pm

neufer wrote:
jjb54 wrote:I've tried to do some "Google Search" for the total distance in Miles/KM from the edge of the inner-inner point of the first ring - to the outer - outer point of the last ring. I get all sorts of miles/km and funny thing the range is very VAST from XXX,XXX miles/km to XX,XXX miles/km to anything in between.

Has NASA or any institute actually done an actual measurement?

I'm doing some 'basic astronomy class' (fun) for kids and a couple of kids have asked me that question.

Is there a solid answer to this question or is it a 'guesstament'?

Thanks ....

.
[img3="Saturn eclipsed the Sun from the vantage of the Cassini spacecraft on 15 September 2006 (brightness is exaggerated). The "pale blue dot" at the 10 o'clock position, outside the main rings and just inside the G Ring, is Earth."]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... erated.jpg[/img3]
There is NO solid answer to your question.
From the inner-inner point of the D Ring
to the F Ring is 73,280 km.
But there are rings out to 13,000,000 km and beyond.
Code: Select all
Major subdivisions of the rings

Name 	Distance from Saturn (from center, in km)
-------------------------------------------------
D Ring 	        66,900   –      74,510 	 
C Ring 	        74,658   –      92,000
B Ring 	        92,000   –     117,580 
A Ring 	       122,170   –     136,775
F Ring 	       140,180 
Janus Ring 	   149,000   –     154,000
G Ring           166,000   –     175,000 
Methone Ring Arc 194,230
Anthe Ring Arc   197,665
Pallene Ring 	 211,000   –     213,500
E Ring 	       180,000   –     480,000
Phoebe Ring   ~4,000,000   – >13,000,000

Under normal circumstances the A and B rings, and the Cassini division between them, are all you will see through a modest telescope, although you might be able to detect the C ring because Saturn's surface looks somewhat darkened through the C ring -- indeed the C ring is sometimes mistaken as the shadow of the rings on Saturn's cloud tops. If you and your students are looking at Saturn through a telescope, you could tell them that Saturn's diameter is about 120,000 km across the equator (about 109,000 km across the poles), and ask them to visually estimate the width of the visible rings.

Starship Asterisk*

APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

Re: APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

Re: APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

Re: APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

Re: APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

Re: APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

Re: APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

Re: APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

Re: APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

Re: APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

Re: APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)

Re: APOD: The Seasons of Saturn (2013 Jul 21)