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Saturn moves closer to earth

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI DEC. 30. Known as the Lord of the rings, the planet Saturn, sixth in order from the sun, will take a closer look at Mother Earth and will appear brighter from tomorrow.

Its last such appearance took place in December 1973.

The gassy giant, distinguished by its six rings, is ranked the second largest in the solar system.

It continues to contract and settle though it was supposed to have evolved four million years ago. It follows a non-circular path around the sun and is about 142-crore km from it. It is a superior planet as it lies beyond the earth's orbit. A superior planet may make any angle, say up to 180 degrees with the sun, as viewed from the earth.

When a planet moves to a point 180 degrees away from the sun, and the earth lies between the sun and the planet, it is said to be in the opposite position. The earth-facing side of the object is fully illuminated by the sun. Also the object will rise at sunset and will be visible throughout the night. Saturn, at present in the constellation Gemini, is in this position.

In July, Saturn reached its closest point to the sun, called the perihelion, on its orbit after 29.42 years. Today, Saturn will be closest to the earth — 120-crore km — because of the near-coincidence of perihelion and opposition.

It will be in full display till June 2004. During this period, it is said to rise at 6.30 p.m. and set at 7 a.m. But the timings will vary as the months move on.

The most important aspect of this event is that the much-talked about rings can be viewed in detail with a telescope, points out P. Iyamperumal, Executive Director of the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre.

The gravitational pull of the planet make the six rings — identified by English alphabets — revolve round it. They are always tilted at an angle and can be oriented in different ways and at times affect the planet's brightness and only certain tilts reveal details. However, now the rings are tipped more than 25 degrees to the line of sight. This seems to be a favourable angle as it would reveal an optimal view of Saturn without shadowing it.

There is also a bonus for astronomers as they are expecting to view the Cassini's Division present in the ring system. This division is a broad 4,800-km gap between `A' and `B' rings. The rings and all the other details of the planet, such as its bands, would be visible only for a week, he said.

Saturn with its rings will be larger than Mars, which also came closer to the Earth in August. Even though Mars was nearer, Saturn, is bound to appear brighter due to its huge size. It will be visible throughout the northern hemisphere. The planet's best view can be obtained only after it is high in the sky. This proximity of Saturn will not affect normal life, he adds.

Arrangements have been made at the B.M. Birla Planetarium here for the public to view this rare celestial event.

Seven telescopes have been made ready for this purpose. A Global Positioning Satellite telescope, a fully-computerised telescope with a focal length of 1,500 mm and an aperture of eight inches has been installed, Mr. Iyamperumal said. It has a database of 40,000 stars in it. If the name of a star is typed, the telescope will immediately get aligned to the star's position.

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