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Four of Saturn's moons parade by their parent
March 18, 2009On 24 February 2009, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured a photo sequence of four moons of Saturn passing in front of their parent planet. The moons, from far left to right, are the white icy moons Enceladus and Dione, the large orange moon Titan, and icy Mimas. Due to the angle of the Sun, they are each preceded by their own shadow.
These rare moon transits only happen when the tilt of Saturn's ring plane is nearly "edge on" as seen from the Earth. Saturn's rings will be perfectly edge on to our line of sight on 10 August and 4 September 2009. Unfortunately, Saturn will be too close to the Sun to be seen by viewers on Earth at that time. This "ring plane crossing" occurs every 14-15 years. In 1995-96 Hubble witnessed the previous ring plane crossing, as well as many moon transits, and helped to discover several new moons of Saturn.
Early 2009 was a favourable time for viewers with small telescopes to watch moon and shadow transits crossing the face of Saturn. Titan, Saturn's largest moon, crossed Saturn on four separate occasions: 24 January, 9 February, 24 February and 12 March, although not all events were visible from all locations on Earth.
Italian Galileo Galilei - often referred to as the father of astronomy - was the first to observe Saturn through a telescope in 1610. Dutch mathematician and astronomer Christian Huygens discovered Titan in 1655 and, 350 years later, the ESA probe named for him touched down on Titan (on 14 January 2005), giving the world its first views of the surface of the mysterious, icy world. Giovanni Domenico Cassini, a French/Italian astronomer, discovered Dione (in addition to others) and the German-born Englishman, William Herschel, discovered Mimas and Enceladus.
These pictures were taken with Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on 24 February 2009, when Saturn was at a distance of roughly 1.25 billion kilometres from Earth. Hubble can see details as small as 300 kilometres across on Saturn. The dark band running across the face of the planet slightly above the rings is the shadow of the rings cast on the planet.
Hubble Information Centre
Italian Galileo Galilei - often referred to as the father of astronomy - was the first to observe Saturn through a telescope in 1610. Dutch mathematician and astronomer Christian Huygens discovered Titan in 1655 and, 350 years later, the ESA probe named for him touched down on Titan (on 14 January 2005), giving the world its first views of the surface of the mysterious, icy world. Giovanni Domenico Cassini, a French/Italian astronomer, discovered Dione (in addition to others) and the German-born Englishman, William Herschel, discovered Mimas and Enceladus.
These pictures were taken with Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on 24 February 2009, when Saturn was at a distance of roughly 1.25 billion kilometres from Earth. Hubble can see details as small as 300 kilometres across on Saturn. The dark band running across the face of the planet slightly above the rings is the shadow of the rings cast on the planet.
Hubble Information Centre
Saturn Current Events and Saturn News RSSA Long Night Falls Over Saturn's Rings
As Saturn's rings orbit the planet, a section is typically in the planet's shadow, experiencing a brief night lasting from 6 to 14 hours. However, once approximately every 15 years, night falls over the entire visible ring system for about four days.
Cassini Helps Redraw Shape of Solar System
In a paper published Oct. 15 in Science, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) present a new view of the region of the sun's influence, or heliosphere, and the forces that shape it. Images from one of the Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument's sensors, the Ion and Neutral Camera (MIMI/INCA), on NASA's Cassini spacecraft suggest that the heliosphere may not have the comet-like shape predicted by existing models.
For future superconductors, a little bit of lithium may do hydrogen a lot of good
Scientists have a long and unsuccessful history of attempting to convert hydrogen to a metal by squeezing it under incredibly high and steady pressures.
NAE announces award winners John Casani and Sheila Widnall
During its 2009 annual meeting, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) will present two awards for extraordinary impacts on the engineering profession.
CU-Boulder space scientists set for final spacecraft flyby of Mercury
NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, which is toting an $8.7 million University of Colorado at Boulder instrument, will make its third and final flyby of Mercury on Sept. 29 -- a clever gravity-assist maneuver that will steer it into orbit around the rocky planet beginning in March 2011.
Storm clouds over Titan
Taking advantage of advanced techniques to correct distortions caused by Earth's atmosphere, astronomers used the NSF-supported Gemini Observatory to capture the first images of clouds over the tropics of Titan, Saturn's largest moon.
Primitive asteroids in the main asteroid belt may have formed far from the sun
Many of the objects found today in the asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter may have formed in the outermost reaches of the solar system.
Galileo's notebooks may reveal secrets of new planet
Galileo knew he had discovered a new planet in 1613, 234 years before its official discovery date, according to a new theory by a University of Melbourne physicist.
New cleaning protocol for future 'search for life' missions
Scientists have developed a new cleaning protocol for space hardware, such as the scoops of Mars rovers, which could be used on future "Search for Life" missions on other planets.
Titan may have subsurface ocean of hydrocarbons, says Stanford researcher
Saturn's largest moon, Titan, may have a subterranean ocean of hydrocarbons and some topsy-turvy topography in which the summits of its mountains lie lower than its average surface elevation, according to new research.
More Saturn Current Events and Saturn News Articles
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Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil by Liz Greene (Author) A major step in unveiling the truth about Saturn, so long interpreted as a "malefic" planet. This book traces the character of this most important planet through sign, house, aspect, synastry, and looks at its role in mythology. The author introduces us to Saturn and reveals the face of the Initiator whose price is honesty and whose gift is truth. |
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K Source 62588G OE Replacement Mirror 96-02 Saturn S Series Sedan & Wagon, Black, Driver, Side, Manual Remote by K Source K Source 62588G OE Replacement Mirror 96-02 Saturn S Series Sedan & Wagon, Black, Driver, Side, Manual Remote |
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Sega Saturn System - Video Game Console by Sega of America, Inc. |
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Saturn: A New View by Laura Lovett (Author), Joan Horvath (Author), Jeff Cuzzi (Author), Kim Stanley Robinson (Foreword) After a journey of seven years and 2.2 billion miles, the spacecraft Cassini, with a probe named Huygens aboard, reached Saturn in July 2004, beginning a four-year tour to observe the remote planet, its rings, and its moons in depth. As a result of the spectacularly succesful Cassini-Huygens mission, photographs of astounding beauty have come streaming back to Earth, together with enough data to keep hundreds of scientists engrossed for decades. Reproduced here, in unprecedented detail and exquisite, high-quality format, are 150 of the best of those images, among them rings from the unlit side never visible from Earth and panoramas of the surface of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. This breathtaking volume, including authoritative essays on the planetary system and the mission,... |
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Metra 99-3105 Dash Kit For Saturn Din Mount with Pocket 95-99 by METRA Ltd Turbokits are uniquely designed to provide the right combination of strength, appearance and versatility. In many cases a rear support for the aftermarket radio is provided; it is either built into the kit or supplied with it. This adds to the strength of the kit and makes Turbokits the strongest in the business. They are the industry standard for installation kits... often copied, never duplicated. |
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Saturn by Seymour Simon (Author) A breathtaking look at the most beautiful of all the planets with its magnificent rings and moons. "A delightful coupling of sound expositions and dazzling illustrations."--School Library Journal. A companion to Galaxies and Jupiter. |
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StrongArm 4363 Saturn Vue Base Liftgate Lift Support 2002-05, Pack of 1 by StrongArm StrongArm gas charged lift supports are custom engineered and manufactured beyond industry standards to provide smooth operation and durability. The hardened chromium plated steel shaft is precision ground and polished for superior corrosion resistance and leak free sealing. The self cleaning piston assembly automatically opens during each compression cycle to keep the orifice clear of fluid contaminants and provide smoother operation and reliable performance. Most units also utilize StrongArm's patented temperature compensation module valve which ensures consistent operation even in extreme weather conditions. It does so by compensating for normal gas pressure changes caused by temperature variations. The metallic upper bushing is manufactured with bearing quality precision to provide... |
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The Greatness of Saturn: A Therapeutic Myth by Robert Svoboda (Author) The telling of mythic stories has always been a powerful form of therapy, bringing healing to people facing adversity. The greatness of Saturn is such a therapeutic myth, told and retold through many centuries. Taken from the East Indian Vedic tradition, it honors the planet Saturn, who personifies time, limitations, loss, and all forms of adversity. |
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02 03 SATURN VUE 3.0L dual RADIATOR FAN MOTOR ASSY by Nordstroms Automotive, Inc Partslink #: GM3115176 620850 OEM #: 22674667 SKU #: 674-00759-FMA 926-AMZ1339 Hollander #: 674-00759 This part will fit these makes and models with these options: 2002 2003 SATURN VUE 3.0L (dual) |
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Saturn 3 Starring: Farrah Fawcett, Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel, Ed Bishop, Roy Dotrice Directed By: John Barry, Stanley Donen Also With: Billy Williams (Cinematographer), John Barry (Writer), Stanley Donen (Producer), Richard Marden (Editor), Eric Rattray (Producer), Martin Starger (Producer), Martin Amis (Writer) Two lovers stationed at a remote base in the asteroid fields of Saturn are intruded upon by a retentive technocrat from Earth and a malevolent 8-ft robot. A film full of deep space terror and twisted love, in a man-made Garden of Eden. Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, Harvey Keitel |
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